— (Leslie Umberger) "We Are Made of Stories" taps into the idea that we are kind of this compilation of all the experiences we've ever had,
that we become the embodiment of those stories and we carry them with us wherever we go.
Margaret Robson started collecting in the late 1980s. She became really fascinated with self-taught artists, especially.
She became an advocate for preserving works, giving works to art museums, really share these stories in a way that would last and make a difference.
And I think it's amazing how she handed down that way of seeing these artists, and way of caring about what they did,
to her son, to Doug, who has taken up collecting in a similar vein.
— (Douglas O. Robson) For me the learning curve of becoming a collector certainly accelerated after my mother passed away, and
she had a substantial collection that she hadn't given me any particular instructions on what she wanted done with it.
I decided to place it with the Smithsonian.
My family had had roots in Washington, DC, and I'd spent some of my childhood there.
I love the idea that the Smithsonian is free and anyone can be exposed to great art.
The Smithsonian also was a pioneer in collecting self-taught art, making it part of their permanent collection.
All those things came together, and it felt like the right place for the collection to live.
I hope visitors come away with an understanding of the dignity that's in all people,
but also the sense of fun and joy that a lot of these artists brought to their work.
— (Leslie Umberger) The artists in the exhibition, each one of them had an amazing story.
Judith Scott was really an artist that changed the art world. She was born with Down syndrome
and began this artistic practice where she would wrap things in yarn.
They became her way of expressing herself and her way of communicating with family.
There’s an artist in the exhibition that we know today only as the Philadelphia Wireman.
These are little wire bundles. They were found in a South Philadelphia alley, and nobody knew for sure who had made them.
We have to learn everything about the artist from what we see in that object.
Nellie Mae Rowe is another incredibly interesting artist that you'll see in the exhibition.
Black women, especially in the South, were not depicted in artworks in positive ways.
So, she decided that that was something she was going to make for herself.
The artists in the exhibition worked independently, but collectively the impact that they had was tremendous.
They brought unique perspectives and they really made people see things differently, understand art differently.
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