Hello Dolly
From their braided yarn pigtails, curly eyelashes and golden crowns to their hand-knit hats and painted toenails, no two of these dolls are alike.
The elaborate figures are created by the Art Doll Circle, a six member group that meets monthly.
“These are not baby dolls for little girls,” said Barbara Noah of Penn Township, who hosted a recent meeting. “These are adult dolls.”
The artists start from scratch and use a variety of media to build the dolls, such as handspun wool, crocheted wire and candy-colored glass beads.
Each doll is the maker's interpretation of a chosen theme, and they explain their progress and show off their projects at the meetings.
Past themes include the seven deadly sins, with dolls made to represent Greed, Gluttony and Anger, and a recycled doll challenge using found items like telephone wire and discarded cans.The ladies were first affiliated with a general doll interest group that met at Saxonburg Library, but the Art Doll Circle soon evolved into its own entity, said Wini Labrecque of Jefferson Township.“Everybody in the group cross stitches or knits or crochets or quilts,” said Noah. “We have that common thread.”Rounding out the circle are Beverly Hilgert and Mary Hoffman, both of Penn Township, Anne Medsger of Squirrel Hill and Annette Moulton of Sewickley.The group truly took shape after Noah came across a book called “The Art Doll Chronicles: A Collaborative Journey of Discovery” by Catherine Moore.The book details the “round robin” concept as done by a group of artists, many of whom had never physically met, Noah explained.The artists exchanged dolls in the mail after adding their own personal touches.The local ladies meet in person at a member's home and usually create their own individual dolls rather than one shared piece.They usually take about six “rounds,” or monthly meetings, to complete a project.Though she didn't know it at the time, Noah said the dolls are a popular art form with books, magazines and other resources devoted to the craft.“Like everything else, once we got tuned into it, we realized there was a lot of this kind of stuff going around,” Noah said. “We just had to search for it.”
“There are no conventional dolls here,” said Labrecque on Tuesday as the ladies carried in their creations, carefully concealed in boxes, totes and shopping bags.As part of the current project, a round robin challenge, each member brings trinkets to hand out for the others to incorporate into their designs.“We don't interact during the month about the dolls, we don't tell anybody what we're doing,” Noah said. “When we reveal them and uncover them, it's kind of nice.”The items must be permanently affixed to the doll, and part of the fun is seeing how each individual incorporates the same piece in a different way.For this challenge, they began with a blank canvas: a simple white muslin doll purchased at a craft store. Though the ladies began with the same basic form, the dolls took dramatically different turns from the start.For instance, Hilgert upholstered her doll in dark brown fabric and Noah dipped hers in tea to change the skin tone, while Hoffman used papier-mâché to stiffen her doll's body.
Labrecque, who teaches fiber arts to mentally handicapped people, had some of her students color her doll's body in rainbow colors.After this week's gathering, each member took home a red bead, bronze heart charm, foam dots, mini cupcake papers, magenta silk flower petals, and colorful plastic rings taken from milk jugs“I'm stimulated by materials,” Hilgert said. “Sometimes I get ahold of something and think, ‘That would be great on a doll.'”The ladies complete a challenge about every six months and are always on the lookout for new ideas. Choosing a theme itself is an adventure, according to the members.“Everyone adds so much to it,” Noah said of the chosen themes. “By the time we start on it, I can't remember who thought of it.”Past projects range from dainty paper dolls to gossamer-winged fairies to self-portrait dolls in hand-knit sweaters.Numerous others, like dolls with fanciful decorated lampshades as skirts, have been completed on overnight retreats.
The art dolls allow them to explore and develop their interests, Hilgert said.“We found out we have talents we didn't know we had,” said Hilgert, who especially enjoys writing and painting.Hoffman excels at beading and paper art while Medsger favors knitting and photography. Noah loves to quilt and embroider, and Labrecque is a fiber artist.Occasionally, a new technique is presented or the friends work on other projects, such as crafting intricate, multifaceted scrapbooks and creating designs on a canvas.“I think that's why we all got together,” Medsger said. “We all had craft interests.”As part of the main project, the artists create a journal for nearly every one of their dolls, detailing its construction and providing a spectacular biography of the character.“The book grows as the doll grows,” Hoffman said.One of the group's favorites is the doll made to represent Gluttony, a generously hipped, wild-haired woman in a black string bikini. Only her front side is tan and her backside is white, since, according to her journal, she fell asleep on the beach during a hedonistic vacation.The dolls develop personalities all their own, said Hilgert, recalling a past meeting where she brought her daughter-in-law, who was fascinated by the crafting process and by the dolls' sensational stories.“She said, ‘I can't stand it, I have to know what happens next!'” Hilgert said.
A selection of dolls are now on display in the second floor display cases at the Butler Public Library, but this is not the first time they have been shown.Some of the group's creations were featured at the Sewickley Library and in a six-week exhibition at Gallerie Chiz in Shadyside, where Medsger has exhibited her photographs.Several of the dolls were sold, which came as a surprise to the crafters, Noah said.“It never dawned on us that we'd sell them,” said Noah. “After a while, they become part of your family.”The group was pleased by the positive response and even earned a little spending money.“We sold a few dolls there and the money went to the group,” Hilgert said. “So we took ourselves to lunch!”The dolls on display are chosen from more than 100 dolls total, including round robin challenges and side projects.“It's pretty amazing,” Labrecque said. “For seven years, we've been able to get together and meet.”
The circle doesn't have a set schedule, but plans monthly meetings around the members' other obligations.“We never have the meeting unless all of us can come,” Noah said.“We can't stand missing it!” added Hilgert.Each woman works at her own pace between meetings.“I think about it for a long time,” Hoffman said. “I guess I think out of the box.”After more than seven years together, the friends still surprise each other with their creativity and are supportive of one another's artistic pursuits, Hilgert said.“We're not competitive with each other,” she said. “If anything, we're appreciative.
<B>WHAT:</B> A selection of dolls made by the Art Doll Circle are on display<B>WHEN</B>: Through January<B>WHERE:</B> Butler Public Library, 218 N. McKean St., second floor display cases<B>INFO:</B> Call the library at 724-287-1715
