“Swedish Wooden Toys” Exhibition
The Bard Graduate Center
This event has ended.
Although Germany, Japan, and the United States have historically produced and exported the largest numbers of toys worldwide, Sweden has a long and enduring tradition of designing and making wooden toys—from the simplest handmade plaything to more sophisticated forms. This exhibition not only reviews the production of Sweden’s toy industries but also explores the practice of handicraft (slöjd), the educational value of wooden playthings, and the vision of childhood that Swedish reformers have promoted worldwide.
Swedish Wooden Toys is curated by Susan Weber, Bard Graduate Center founder and director, and Amy F. Ogata, professor of art history at the University of Southern California and former professor at Bard Graduate Center.
The exhibition catalogue, edited by the curators, has been published by Bard Graduate Center in collaboration with Yale University Press. Swedish Wooden Toys is a superbly illustrated volume examining over 200 years of toys, from historic dollhouses to the latest designs for children. Featuring rattles, rocking horses, dollhouses, and building blocks to skis, sleds, and tabletop games with intricate moving parts, it also addresses images of Swedish childhood, the role of the beloved red Dala horse in the creation of national identity, the vibrant tradition of educational toys, and the challenges.
Media
Schedule
from September 18, 2015 to February 28, 2016
Preview on 2015-09-17 from 18:00 to 20:00