I was invited to the press preview of the South Street Seaport Museum‘s new exhibit, Compass: Folk Art in Four Directions, but before we get into it, I want to pay some respect to the building. It’s fantastic. (No, I had never been.) I’m sure the curators were thrilled to see me taking photos of the ceiling…. But look at that door! Look at the wall of old graffiti! And look at the gorgeous installation in the entry landing!

Compass was “organized by the American Folk Art Museum in collaboration with the Museum of the City of New York,” and it’s divided into four categories that represent life in the area in the early 19th century: Exploration; Social Networking; Shopping; and Wind, Water, & Weather. To be honest, I thought the categorization was a bit of a stretch, but maybe that’s not uncommon with folk art. And who cares? The joy is in the variety of exquisite artworks, most of which are from the 19th or early 20th century. (There are some contemporary works, which I personally found confusing, but maybe you wouldn’t. Also, is a bit of OCD essential to being considered a folk artist?)

And I’ll end with a shout-out to the portraits of various women. I want a deck of cards with them on the back.

P.S. I believe the museum is still free to locals on Sundays.