“the doll show” Exhibition

“the doll show” Exhibition

Ceres Gallery

This event has ended.

Curated by Liz Ndoye & France Garrido

Ceres Gallery presents the doll show, with work by Roslyn Rose, Kailyn Meeks, Jo-Ann Brody, Jody MacDonald, Gwen Charles,Heidi Kumao, Charlann Meluso, Karmimadeebora McMillan, Ella Hilsenrath, Liz Hamilton Quay, Erin Rice, Aliza Augustine, Piper Smith, Fulvia Zambon, Halona Hilbertz, Janet Cooper, Susan Kaplow, Lily Zane, Hagar Fletcher, Carmella Gullo, Juliet Martin, Gailene St. Amand, Janis Pinkston, Patricia Dahlman, Pam Cooper, and Alexandra Wilde Langley.

These artists use a variety of materials, techniques, and styles to create images and sculptures that they call dolls. They delve into the myriad aspects, uses, and attributes of dolls.

The words they use to describe their creations show their complex and fascinating relationships with these figures they create. As stated by some of the participating artists:

“My commitment to the work I create revolves around the way doll-like figures allow us to explore our need to both give and receive comfort.” Ella Hilzenrath, “Dressmaking for Dolls, Paper Dolls and Doll Houses were a big part of my childhood so I find it unsurprising that they are go to images and structures in my work about the social issues with the children of today.” Pam Cooper, “Though each figure begins with a photographic image of my face I do not consider the work to be a collection of selfportraits but rather a series of performative roles in which I’ve been cast.”Jody MacDonald, “The adornment of the sensual female vessel through delicate embroidery, beading, and lace suggests that growth can emerge and live in harmony with the scars; albeit, the scars become their own form of beauty.” Elizabeth Quay, “Dolls collect auric energy from their maker.” Gailene St. Amand,

“I am fascinated by our relationship to dolls and gives presentations at doll conventions on the meaning of dolls in literature, film, folklore and our lives.” Alexandra Wilde Langley, “Dolls have ideal features, and can be substitutes of humans when there presence is distant, complicated or frightening.” Fulvia Zambon, “Dolls give bodies to my insecurities.” Juliet Martin, “My work rescues female “dolls” from the familiar tame, commercialized version and revives the ancient power of goddess figures.” Susan Kaplow, “In my work the scale, materials, color, figurative imagery and how it is made are similar to what one would see in a rag doll.” Patricia Dahlman, “I see dolls as a form of sculpture familiar to most of us from our earliest life stages - many of us grow up with complex, real relationships with these physical and psychological mirrors of ourselves - we love, touch, and hold them - sometimes we abuse them, but in the end we hone our empathy skills through living with them.”

Halona Hilbertz, “The dolls that I photograph are from an “Ospedale Delle Bambole” in Italy. They patiently sit on the doll hospital shelves awaiting reconstruction
surgery and are anxious to be returned to their owners. Although intimidating looking, they are actually items of intense beauty.” Charlann Meluso “As we grow older, we also grow younger, and a doll made by an adult reflects an inner child that has never grown up.” Janis Pinkston, “My Mother’s 85 year old doll and I became good friends despite our temperamental differences!” Piper Smith, “Dolls are a reminder of the vivid imagination that freed me from my life as a child.” Aliza Augustine, “The doll as artifact and at one time loved, has more power than we can ever imagine - just think for example how a child transitions from fear of the dark to sleep, aided by the companionship and comfort of their doll.” Carmella Gullo,

“The puppets in my stop motion animations display neurotic behaviors and difficult emotions which gives them an unexpected and uncanny presence, as if they are acting of their own accord.” Heidi Kumao, “Dolls are a way to celebrate the human form and to revere our vulnerability.” Janet Cooper, “Dolls contain our stories, amass our emotions, and know our secrets, yet they are capable of telling stories as well.” Kaitlyn Meeks, and “The dolls I paint are a reminder of the not so distant past where slaves were not allowed to do anything creative, because of that the dolls I paint were made anonymously, its important to me that their stories are told.” Karmimadeebora McMillan, and “Dolls, small figurative sculpture, fertility goddesses, figures of compassion and love, translated into friendly forms.” Jo-Ann Brody.

Media

• Painting

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