One of my Doll Collectors: Cassandra Rush!

Cassandra and her new doll "Pinky"


Decisions, decisions, Moi and Cassandra trying to decide which doll goes back to South Carolina with her!

I just had the beautiful opportunity to meet one of my esteemed doll collectors Cassandra Rush of the African American Doll Museum in Columbia, South Carolina. She and I have been corresponding for nearly a year to get one of my dolls into her collection. After much e-mail traffic and some hits and misses, we finally caught up in Washington, DC yesterday evening and had a lovely time.

I showed her four of my dolls and she loved them all! Finally after much debate, she settled on "Pinky" one of my healer dolls. Turns out Cassandra is not only a doll collector, but she is curator and author. In addition, outside of collecting dolls, she is an avid African American art collector. We talked about our love our art and what motivates her to collect dolls. Cassandra states "I pick dolls based upon how they make me feel."

She is a wonderful lady who has a vision and a passion for collecting. I feel very honored to know her.

"Mermaid and Merwomen in Black Folklore" Call for Quilters and Doll Artists!

Here is a call for art for quilters and doll artists. This has come from the Avery Research Center in Charleston, South Carolina. Straight from the website.

"A juried exhibition for art quilters/ doll artists, February 20–March 31, 2009, at the Avery Research Center for African American History & Culture at the College of Charleston

DESCRIPTION
Enslaved Africans along the coast of South Carolina brought some of the first tales of mermaids and merwomen to America. Many of these folktales were stories of African ocean and river goddesses. Because of the rich oral traditions of these peoples, few if any of these stories were written until they were recorded by collectors of folk tales toward the end of the 19th century. You are invited to share your visual interpretation of these myths by creating a Black Mermaid/Merwoman in an art doll or art quilt.

SPECIFICATIONS
We are seeking work that is original and innovative. No kits, quilts or dolls made in a workshop with the aid of an instructor. Quilt must be multi-layered and joined by stitching. Dimension in any direction must not exceed 50 inches.

Dolls may not exceed 32 inches in height. If dolls are to be displayed on a stand, the artist will be responsible for providing the stand. If dolls are to be mounted on the wall please make sure it has the necessary hanging apparatus. We welcome both small and large works. Only quilts/dolls created after December 31, 2006 are eligible. Preliminary acceptance will be granted based on the acceptance digital images. Final acceptance will be granted upon the receipt and examination of quilts/dolls. We reserve the right to omit from the exhibition accepted quilts/dolls that do not contain the same qualities as the submitted images. The exhibition coordinators’ decision is final.

For more information check out: http://www.cofc.edu/avery/mermaid_merwomen.html

April 2009 Exhibition Opens
Florence Museum of the Arts, History and Science
Florence, South Carolina
April 2009 - May 31, 2009
Opening reception TBA

"Mermaid and Merwomen in Black Folklore” will tour as venues allow."