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Step 1
Know that you will be on solid ground if you start with the one universally accepted element of Folk Art: that it is created by people who are not trained as professional artists. The other way to understand this is that professional artists cannot--by definition--be folk artists.
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Step 2
Beware however of the next component of this characteristic, the one that states that folk artists do not intend to create art with their sculpture, or painting or carving. My own belief is that this contention cannot be supported. Any extensive book on Folk Art that you examine will introduce you to at least one person who was passionate about creating something meaningful and timeless out of bottles, or aluminum foil or a garden of whirligigs.
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Step 3
Examine the piece you are trying to identify and ask yourself if the artist was attempting to emulate an Old Master or another recognizable artistic style. If you feel the artist was working toward an identifiable artistic style, you’re probably not looking at Folk Art. Folk artists typically strive toward their own personal vision with no reference to anyone other artist, contemporary or ancient.
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Step 4
Don’t make the mistake of relying on another questionable assumption about Folk Art that has to do with utilitarian objects. If the object of beauty in question is a broom or a nutcracker or a dress, it’s not automatically Folk Art. Many utilitarian objects throughout history have become art in the right hands.
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Step 5
Be aware that one type of Folk Art that is more easily recognized includes clothing or items created by a specific cultural or social group as part of their history or tradition. These examples of Folk Art are often part of ancient tradition of similar items crafted by ancestors of the group in question.
