Since the late 1970s, the preservation of folk architecture and art environments has been a major thrust of Kohler Foundation. After a site has been either acquired by or gifted to us, local and expert partners selected by Kohler Foundation employ museum-quality conservation techniques to preserve the site. The site is then gifted to a museum, municipality, university, or other nonprofit institution for the education and enjoyment of the public. We then work with the recipient and local community to ensure the future success of the project.

Kohler Foundation prides itself on its commitment to detail, its willingness to commit the time and resources required to preserve for the ages. We also know how to formulate strategies and assemble resources quickly, if necessary. In some instances, precious sites have been saved just before being demolished or lost to the ravages of time.

The work of self-taught artists can be found in both very personal or very public spaces: a home, a yard, a building, or a hillside. Some build chapels and grottos, others create murals that encase entire buildings, and some make hundreds of sculptures to populate a landscape. The work is diverse, sometimes provocative, but always inspirational and thought-provoking. To visit one of these sites is to experience the boundless soul of the artist.