Black History Month Doll Show & Sale, February 27 & 28, 2009

February 27 & 28, 2009
Friday & Saturday: 10 am - 9 pm

The Mall at Prince Georges
3500 East West Highway, Hyattsville, Maryland

"Celebrating Black History Month"

-Vendors with Black Dolls, Doll accessories, Doll Furniture and Doll related materials for sale
-Meet Doll Artists and Doll Makers

Admission: FREE

For More information: L. Johnson Promotions, LTD or call 301-649-1915.

Directions: Take the Metro Green Line to the Prince Georges Plaza Station.

My Latest Doll Creation!

This is the first doll I have done in a long time that I actually placed a face on it. I am a bit insecure when it comes to faces, but because this was a commissioned doll and I felt the client would prefer to have a face, I decided to do one. My husband actually liked the face. He prefers my dolls be faceless but I took a risk on this one. The doll is called "Wanda" for a particular reason. It was named by my husband who has reasons for everything!

Sankofa Dolls Represented by Echo Gallery

Echo Gallery in Washington,DC is representing Sankofa Doll Artistry for the first time. Two of my dolls in the photos above are being sold through the gallery.
This is an exciting time for Sankofa Doll Artistry!

About Echo Gallery:

Looking for eye-popping, contemporary, multicultural art, with a concentration on Afro-centric motifs? Look no further than Echo Gallery, located near B. Smith's restaurant in Union Station in the heart of downtown Washington, DC.

Whether it is local talents or craftspeople you are looking for, Echo Gallery has it all. Leather works from Niger, batiks from Kenya, figurines from Jamaica, and jewelry from India, and that is just the tip of the mountain. Their myriad of collectibles and unmatched "one of a kind" innovations appeal to novices as well as experts in the art discipline. So, regardless of whether you want to peruse their works of art, or are interested in expanding your cultural horizons, Echo Gallery is the place to go!

We are so pleased that the Gallery is interested in our work and we will continue to supply them with the best in our doll artistry! Please support us through Echo Gallery!

For more information contact:
ECHO GALLERY
Union Station - East Hall
P.O. Box GE168
Washington, DC 20002
WWW.ECHOGALLERY.COM

SALES:
Tel. (800)950-3932
Tel. (202)842-8400
Fax (301)459-1811

2008 Black Doll Collectors Convention

It is time again for the Black Doll Collectors Convention. I wish I could go but maybe next year. This is the premiere black doll event in the country.

Check it out if you can:


2008 Black Doll Collectors Convention
Event Details

Time: May 30, 2008 at 10am to June 1, 2008 at 5pm
Location: Mansfield Holiday Inn
Street: 31 Hampshire Street
City/Town: Mansfield Massachusetts 02048

Website: http://www.blackdollcollectors.com
Contact Info: 617-524-1777

Event Description:
Black doll show featuring 40 exhibitors from around the country. There will also be workshops and exhibits.

Doll Noir VI- A Celebration of the Black Doll Artist!

Oneeki Design Studio, Francine Haskins Studio, and The Graham Collection presented The Sixth Black Doll Artist Doll Show and exhibition on Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, at Paula Whaley's Oneeki Design Studio on 2103 N. Charles Street in Baltimore, Maryland.

Ms. Whaley is the youngest sister of the late great James Baldwin. It was a pleasure being in the same show with this wonderful lady and great doll artist.

This exhibit featured one-of-a-kind dolls and works of up to 14 local and nationally renowned doll artists (Gwen Aqui, Betty Baines, Daisy Carr, Patricia Coleman-Cobb, Francine Haskins, Viola Leak, Carrie Lyles, Christopher Malone, Adrienne McDonald, Tonya Mitchell, Malinda Saunders, Elerie Thomas, Tamara Thomas, Paula Whaley and more).

The exhibit was well attended with a steady stream of patrons, doll makers and collectors from all over the region!

My classmates in the Francine Haskins Doll Workshop also exhibited including myself in the "doll in the box" series. I exhibited a doll in a very decorative box which I titled "Changing woman" and the other was a mini action doll exhibit called, "Yoga Divas," in which I positioned two dolls in yoga poses in a mini yoga studio.

My mentor and friend Francine Haskins spoke about the importance of being true to your creativity and encouraged all in attendance to continue to create. There was a discussion about what makes collectors collect doll art as well as what inspired the artists to create their designs.

I felt truly at home and honored to be among some of the finest black doll artists in the United States.

Francine Haskins Doll Workshop

On Sunday, March 9th I attended my montly Doll Workshop with Francine Haskins at the Anacostia Museum in Southeast Washington, DC. I love the energy of this group because I am among some of the most talented doll artists in the world. They are a humble group and have been led by Francine Haskins, noted mixed media and doll artist, since 1998.

Francine guides us to think outside the box and to use our creativity to the maximum. Right now we are preparing for our class exhibit which will be held during The Sixth Black Doll Artist Doll Show and exhibition, Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, April 27, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., (Artist reception and artist talk 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.).

As I looked at everyone's projects for the show, I became severely intimidated. I spoke of my frustration to Francine and she through a blue ball of yarn at me. That was the moment that I had to laugh and realize I was operating out of my ego and not by my creative spirit. You see the group is not about competition. The workshop participants are about the love of making art - good, bad or ugly. It is about commitment to the craft and loving it all at the same time. I also asked if I could do one project instead of two. She said I had to do both projects.

What are those projects? Well one is to make a doll that is associated with a box. The doll could be in a box, coming out of the box, etc. The second project is to create an action scene using an area the size of a common placemat. My project is to create a woman's personal space for the box project and a yoga studio for the second project. I am having my dear friend Kenny Smith, my carpenter, to assist me with the yoga studio prop.

Despite my personal ranting it was a joyous occasion because one of our own Joanna Banks, one of our founding members and doll artist extraordinaire, is celebrating her 65th birthday and she is retiring. This will mean plenty of more doll making for her.

Also, Francine announced our next project- using found objects including tree limbs to make an Afro-centric inspired doll. Francine discussed her love of finding found objects, liquor bottles, branches from trees, scraps of metal, etc. while she takes her daily walks in her community. She lectured to us about how to look beyond these items to create something special and unique. I listened intently as she discussed her visions for finding several found objects that she displayed during class. I was amazed at how we as individuals can look beyond the immediate and visualize something new and fantastic. This is something I do constantly in my interior design work.

I left the workshop renewed and optimistic that I could indeed complete my current projects in anticipation of creating something new. As I arrived home, ironically I saw some interesting branches in my front yard blown off of trees in the March wind. I new this was a sign for me to continue to create and renew my love for creating dolls.

Connecting People With Art- My Book Review

I have been reading with great interest Evelyn and Mercer Redcross's historical account of building their gallery and awareness of African-American art in their book "Connecting People With Art: Contemporary African-American Art." Both Evelyn and Mercer run October Gallery in Philadelphia, PA. This book provides an overview of their humble beginnings creating one of the most revered African American galleries in the United States.

What is great about this book is that it not only chronicles their journey as gallery owners and keepers of contemporary African-American art, but there are some great interviews and snippets from art patrons, gallery owners and artists alike.

Among the noted photographers, painters, sculptors, and other fine artists, their inclusion of African-American doll artists throughout the book and their contributions to contemporary African-American art is very impressive. They include noted doll artists: Cathy Milby (Philadelphia, PA), Daisy Carr (Mitchellville, MD), Tonia Kim Mitchell (Fayetteville, GA), Lorrie Payne-Stewart (Philadelphia, PA), Paula Whaley (Baltimore, MD), Sharon Tucker (Philadelphia, PA), and Particia Coleman-Cobb (Duluth, GA).

I appreciate publications and galleries who consider African American dollmaking not just folk or craft art but a legitimate contribution to the African American art scene. Kudos to October Gallery (www.octobergallery.com)!