Many people have seen Elie Nadelman's distinctive "circus performers" sculpture in the lobby of Philharmonic Hall in Lincoln Center. Almost no one is aware that Elie and his wife Viola created the first museum in America devoted solely to folk art.

The New York Historical Society, which owns much of the original collection, will be displaying it this spring for the first time in 50 years. This talk will preview the exhibition and explain how and why the collection came to be.