Folk Artist Marta Urban's frakturs express the traditional
Pennsylvania German love for color and decoration and the idea
that useful things can be just as useful when they are made
beautiful.
She has held a fascination with art and hand lettering
from an early age and even worked as a commercial artist while
in high school. Although not pursuing art in college, she knew
that her interest in art would continue to grow and evolve. In
the early 1980's, during a familiar trip to the local art museum,
she viewed her first fraktur and the desire to learn more about
these illuminated documents was born.
After ending a career in social services to raise her family,
she was able to devote more time to the art form that expresses
her love of lettering, folk art and early Pennsylvania history.
Being a self-taught artist, her research led her to Lancaster,
Pennsylvania in the heart of "Pennsylvania Dutch" country.
She has been creating frakturs since 1987 and still remains
a one-person operation. Her appreciation of the art form and
desire to create authentic folk art led her to the methods that
are essentially the same as when the originals were made from
1750 to 1850. Traditional verses are chosen and the words inspire
the layout and design. The frakturs are made by hand one at a
time, and include museum quality preservation and framing.
A lifelong resident of Western Pennsylvania, Marta lives
with her husband and sons in a rural farmhouse and travels to
sell her work at historical art fairs and folks art shows. Custom
orders also account for a large number of her one of a kind pieces.
Her frakturs can also be found at several galleries and select
shops. Marta is listed among the country's "200 Best Traditional
Craftsmen" published by Early American Life magazine.
What is Fraktur?
- They are hand drawn and decorated documents
of the Pennsylvania Germans used to record births, baptisms,
marriages, and other family information.
When did it flourish?
- Its most productive years were from 1750 to
1850 and was produced mainly by schoolmasters and clergymen.
Why was it made?
- Since no printing presses were available, information
was documented by hand. Fraktur represented the Pennsylvania
German culture by symbolizing the ties that joined family, church
and school.
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