Reading from Naked Barbie, Warrior Joes, and Other Forms of Visible Gender. Jeannie Banks Thomas, 2003.
Ch. 2: “Yard Art: Geese in Bikinis, Garden Gnomes, and Peeing Boys”
Thomas here suggests that how someone approaches yard management and ornamentation can teach us “something about how she manages in the world” (76). She examines the aesthetics, relationships, and rituals surrounding yard art such as the peeing young boy cutout, the controversial garden gnomes, recycled material figures, and the concrete goose popular in the American Midwest.
In most of the cases mentioned, these figures are creative and whimsical solutions to problems people face. The art pictured above became an outlet for a man to engage with his yard after repeatedly being unable to grow anything in it. And the figure below is a mailbox designed to withstand abuse and amuse passersby — much like the rodeo clown who built it for his home.
Other yard art gives people a chance to connect with others or express a need to nurture. Dressing a concrete goose gives homeowners a ritualized chance to take care of something while also recognizing important events in the lives of their families and communities: holidays, graduations, sports victories. According to Thomas, whimsical yard art can invite conversation and project an attitude of “warmth and unpretentiousness” (111). One woman said that if she were lost in the middle of the night, she would look for help from a yard with lighthearted lawn art because it communicates normalcy and friendliness.
Thomas points out that the yard art she’s cataloged raises questions about the nature of art and aesthetic taste. Who is allowed to determine what makes good art, and in fact, what makes art “good” or not? Is art good because an exclusive group of elites says that it is beautiful or important or serious? Or can art be good because it encourages people to smile and interact in friendly, community-building ways? Before it was ordered removed by the city, a “Fence of Shoes” in Colorado became a place for community members to add their mark to the landscape.
The Holiday Yards of Florencio Morales. Amy V. Kitchener, 1994.
Florencio Morales was a Mexican-American gardener whose elaborate holiday yard displays charmed the residents of his Los Angeles neighborhood in the 1980s and 1990s. He was known as the “Man of Flags” for his consistent display of the flags of the United States, Mexico, and California, and his holiday displays represented a blend of both Mexican and American cultural elements.
These displays can be understood as a way for Morales to navigate his own blended heritage by celebrating the culture of his native country as well as his adopted homeland, and he regularly included vignettes that promoted his own positive moral and spiritual beliefs. Morales mentioned that decorating his yard with the nativity scene for Christmas helped him to feel emotionally closer to his family back in Mexico (9).
His displays also connected him to his community in Los Angeles, as neighbors began to flock to his property to celebrate holiday events. Visitors would not only enjoy the yard art, but meet friends there, take photos with the display, and buy snacks and goodies from street vendors (1, 25).
Morales’ large-scale displays served to blur the barrier between his private space and the public commons, and the art often became a conversation-starter that facilitated new relationships between Los Angeles residents. Morales’ dedication to entertaining the public and encouraging engagement amongst local residents led to him being seen as a community leader. Some neighbors even stated that the displays curbed crime in the area, whether that was out of respect for Morales or due to the increased sense of community he nourished (18).
Takeaways
These readings work in tandem to give a clear picture of how a front yard can be used to not only express a homeowner’s personality but foster a sense of place and community within a neighborhood. It’s important for me to recognize that some people see their yard as a way to meet these crucial social and emotional needs. If I’m encouraging people to conceive of their yards in new, environmentally friendly ways, I need to leave space for them to also continue whatever folk art communication is important to them.