What is Outsider Art?
RawVision: What is Outsider Art?
Nada Farm Museum of Archetypes: What is Outsider Art?
Wikipedia: Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut (French: [a? b?yt], “raw art” or “rough art”), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by those on the outsides of the established art scene such as insane-asylum inmates and children.
While Dubuffet’s term is quite specific, the English term “outsider art” is often applied more broadly, to include certain self-taught or naïve art makers who were never institutionalized. Typically, those labeled as outsider artists have little or no contact with the mainstream art world or art institutions. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.
Interesting Ideas: Outsider Art Links (no longer maintained).
International Outsider Exhibition of Modern Art
Flavorwire: The 13 Most Amazing Outsider Artists of All Time
Flavorwire: 10 Contemporary Outsider Artists Everyone Should Know
Vulture: Jerry Saltz on the Outsider Art Fair — and Why There’s No Such Thing As ‘Outsider’ Art