Inside this edition of Small Wonders...

• Curator's Corner
• From the Director
• New Members
• The Museum Store
• Donations
• Area Doll Show Dates
• Coming Events at the Museum
• Museum Newsletter Via Email
• Other Museum Tidbits
  

	Miniatures: Women Thinking Big In Small Scale
	March 5th through May 15th 2005

Although we are sorry to see our fashion doll exhibit coming to a close on February 27th, we look forward with pleasure to bringing you the delicately and artfully wrought room boxes and dollhouses of seven very talented miniaturists, all sharing the spotlight in our next changing gallery exhibit. The artistry and adroit technical proficiency of Galia Bazylko, Marion Gullikson, Dorothy Hoskins, Kathy Ross, Betty Martin, Jean Sprague and Rosemary Zilmer will create for us a magical miniature retreat. Most of these pieces have never before been publicly displayed, and this exhibit will regrettably run for a too-brief ten weeks, so don’t miss your opportunity to see these extraordinary diminutive dwellings before they must return to storage.
One of my very favorite contemporary artists, miniature or otherwise, is Rosemary Zilmer. If you have visited the Museum, you’ve experienced first-hand the enchantment of her masterful creations, as several of her pieces are on permanent exhibit. “Astonbrook,” the twenty-one room Victorian house in the Atrium, which took the artist over four years to complete, draws you in, and back in time, to the romantic era so perfectly represented within each room. The more recently acquired “Doll Hospital Circa 1955,” now on permanent exhibit in our Modern Gallery, overflows with the tiniest of dolls in various states of repair and disrepair. And Zilmer’s “Ye Olde Curiosity Shop,” evokes the sense of humor and pathos of the Charles Dickens classic it was inspired by. Our changing exhibit will allow us an opportunity to show several more equally enchanting Zilmer works of art, including “Grandma’s Attic,” “Bird House,” “Bunny House,” and “Heart of the Home.”

The centerpiece of the exhibit will feature 16 room boxes created by the prolific miniaturist Jean Sprague, (for whom our Modern Miniatures Gallery was recently named). You may read more about Mrs. Sprague, who sadly passed away this past spring, and her enormous contribution to the world of miniatures, in our spring 2004 newsletter (available on our website).
Kathy Ross, a Seattle artist working in a variety of scales and media, including bronze and soft sculpture, created “Chez Moi” a bead and rhinestone-encrusted house that has to be seen to be believed.
I don’t want to give too much more away, but joining Rosemary, Jean and Kathy in “Women Thinking Big in Small Scale” will be some very special pieces by miniaturists Galia Bazylko and Dorothy Hoskins, (read more about these gifted artists in Rosalie’s column), Marion Gullikson, represented by her charming and eclectic dollhouse, and Betty Martin with her crowd favorites “Sweets Galore”, “Marghab Linens”, “Mode de Paris Hat Shop” and much more. We hope you will join us for this, the Museum’s third-ever changing gallery exhibit devoted to the wonderful world of miniatures.

-Jill Gorman
Curator

from the director...

“Fashions, Fashions, Glorious Fashions” turned out to be, though one of our shortest exhibits, one of the longest installations on record! And those visitors who just couldn’t get enough of these scrumptious clothes and accessories returned many times and were rewarded with something new to see each time. That’s right – we just couldn’t stop adding things that had been tucked away for years awaiting this exhibit, but, due to their size, many were overlooked or we just plain ran out of time during installation week. I must admit, however, it was fun to sneak a few things in here and there in the dead of night from time to time nearly till the exhibit ended. There always seemed to be room for “just one more little fabulous item” just like in the collection.
When you see what we have in store next, I’m sure you will agree the amazingly talented women who created the miniatures in our upcoming exhibit could always find room for “just one more little fabulous item” also. Dare we count the items in THIS exhibit? Or the hours spent toiling over the tiny pieces, fitting them in here, tucking them in there? Finding that perfect little scaled chair or flower pot, that doll or cat, the little coiled rug, or Japanese lantern and if not succeeding, then some of these creative women would have made the items themselves from found objects we wouldn’t even recognize as themselves today. Others would have commissioned an item from the best of miniaturists from around the world to grace their particular room box or doll house. But the final decorating was her own. Each has a style we’ve grown to admire and love and as we celebrate the life of Jean Sprague, upon whose urging it was that we include miniatures in the original plan of the museum, we hope you’ll come enjoy this great legacy of hers, as she was always a great woman thinking big in a small way. Thus, we will be presenting “Miniatures: Women Thinking Big In Small Scale” on March 5th.

Two of our most popular miniaturists create the dolls that populate the 1 inch scale abodes we covet so. Each has gone beyond what has been historically thought of as “doll house dolls” to an art form we stand in awe of. The portraiture of Dorothy Hoskins and Galia Bazylko stands on a parallel to any doll artistry done in any era. The likenesses are uncanny, the scale and costuming perfection. Their works are the worst of temptations for me, I must admit. I have watched them grow and wondered when will they reach the Phoenix of their careers? Come and see if you believe these may be their finest works.
We’re getting so excited for our European Doll Tour and we wish you all could be coming along. But I promise to keep a diary and critique the museums, shops, restaurants, etc. as we go and report back in a future newsletter.
Have a beautiful Spring wherever the dolls may take you. We hope it’s here in the amazing Pacific Northwest and to the Museum of Doll Art.

-Rosalie A Whyel
Director

Welcome To Our New & Returning Members:

We would like to thank the following people for their generous
donations during the last quarter:

From the Museum Store...

“Not only does Madame Alexander put soles on her dolls, but also puts souls into them.” -Mary Margret McBride, Syndicated Columnist (1925) Going back to Madame Alexander’s roots is one of the Museum Store’s newest editions: “Wendy Ann Felt”. The Wendy Ann face mold was first introduced in 1936 and is among the favorites with collectors. Madame Alexander named the new doll after her young grandchild, Wendy Ann Birnbaum. Peering out from under her picture hat, “Wendy Ann Felt” has a pressed felt face with raised and painted features. She wears a light blue cotton dress with white ribbon sash at the waist. The style of her dress is reminiscent of the original cloth dolls Madame Alexander produced.

We greatly appreciate all of the wonderful comments on the beautiful Sydney DecoDance, shown here with her half-doll purse. Even more thanks to those of you who loved her so much, you found a place in your collection for her. There are just a few left, awaiting a new home to make a grand entrance to. Museum Exclusive $225

Call or stop by for more details or call the Museum Store:
(425) 455-1116 or toll free at 1-800-440-DOLL.

Show Dates

*Look for the Museum sales table

Our Newsletter Via Email!

Thank you to everyone who has so enthusiastically responded to our emailed Newsletter! What a computer savvy bunch doll collectors are! Due to such a positive response and to help support the Museum, we will be offering our quarterly Newsletter solely via email. Adobe Acrobat, which is available free online, is all that is needed though most computers come with it already installed. A printable version, exactly like the published one, can come right to you on a more timely basis to read at your leisure and throw away or store with a click of a button. Help us keep costs down and receive notice of events and exhibits faster by signing up today! Just email us at dollart@dollart.com to sign up or find out more about it, we welcome questions. Remember we keep all of our past newsletter on the website for viewing any time! OUR LAST PAPER VERSION WILL BE THE NEXT ISSUE (Spring 2005). Thank you for your support which will allow us to provide better exhibits, events, and programs for you.

Other Museum Tidbits!

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