If Grandma Moses was known for anything apart from her legendary folk art, it was the advanced age at which she created it.

The creases on her face were at one time as famous as Vincent Van Gogh’s mangled ear or Salvador Dali’s curled mustache, and likewise suggested the emotional tenor of her personality. Her ancient countenance had a way of announcing the values of tradition, constancy and temperance that shaped her life and work.

Of course, these values are often at a low premium in the novelty-obsessed world of American art. After the popularity of her scenic portraits peaked in the 1940s, the critical establishment rushed to embrace newer, more flamboyant forms of artistic expression. In the post-war era, it was determined the turbulent strokes of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning were better suited to modern American life and, consequently, Moses’ reputation fell into decline.

In recent years, however, a reevaluation of the artist has been underway, and the popular success of “Grandma Moses in the 21st Century,” a traveling exhibition now on display at the Columbus Museum of Art through July 28, seems to have brought her story full circle.

“In the 1950s, we started feeling that if art wasn’t abstract, it wasn’t good,” said Nannette Maciejunes, senior curator at the museum. “The refreshing thing is that this argument is finally considered passé. We’re much more inclusive now, so there’s a new place for Grandma Moses’ work.”

The exhibition, organized and circulated by Art Services International, is comprised of 87 embroidered and painted landscapes culled from public and private collections in the United States and Japan.

Selected by guest curator Jane Kallir, whom the museum describes as the foremost authority on Moses, each piece portrays a scene out of country life, complete with children playing, farmers toiling and families setting down for supper in the quiet dusk of a hot summer.

These images are a reflection of the life Moses had observed since childhood. Born in 1860 in upstate New York, Anna Mary Robinson Moses spent her first 27 years as a farmer’s daughter and the rest as a farmer’s wife, giving birth to 10 children, five of whom died in infancy. Through good times and bad, Moses remained steadfast.

“She accepted hardship and hard work as a part of life,” Maciejunes said. “But she also believed in having fun, and that dynamic between work and play is reflected in her pictures.”

When arthritis took Moses away from embroidering in her elderly years, she found a new creative outlet in painting. Soon thereafter, her flat, brightly colored compositions were discovered by the art world and Moses, at the age of 80, became its most unlikely star. At the height of her fame, she appeared on the covers of both Time and Life, and was even commissioned by President Eisenhower.

With “Grandma Moses in the 20th Century,” her paintings are once again receiving public adulation. The exhibition is drawing as much as 6,000 patrons per week, according to Irvin Lippman, the museum’s executive director.

“We’re way above our attendance figures from this time last year,” Lippman said. “And there’s no question that the credit for that goes to this exhibition.”

Coming out of the 1940s, Moses and other painters in the American Scene movement fell out of favor partly because their work was thought to have the feel of propaganda, which the new breed of abstract expressionists were trying to leave behind with the war.

In the wake of the September 11, however, Lippman claims that the images of America’s pastoral heritage are being sought out by patrons looking to reaffirm their values. Consequently, the work of Grandma Moses is no longer taboo.

“At a time in which you read the front page and see that the world is in great turmoil, she gives us a moment of repose,” Lippman said. “She reintroduces us to home life and the need for a strong sense of community. That is what makes her popular to this day.”

Hoping that Moses’ prolific twilight period might serve as an inspiration to America’s senior citizens, the American Association of Retired Persons has provided national sponsorship for the exhibition.

Additionally, the organization will present a free interactive workshop suggesting ways to improve life after 50, to be held at the Columbus Museum of Art on June 23 at 1 p.m. Those interested in attending the event must register by calling 877-926-8300, toll free, or by visiting www.aarp.org/creativity.