NORWICH - Some dolls are meant to be played with, others just looked at and admired for the craftsmanship that went into making them. The Chenango County Council of the Arts will host an exhibit of the latter in the gallery from Jan. 6 until Feb. 3.
The dolls are the works of members of the CNY-DAG (Central New York Doll Artisans Guild). The show is geared toward educating the public about the artistry of doll-making. The guild is made up of 51 artists from all over New York - as far north as Pulaski, east to Albany, west to Buffalo, and as far south as Long Island.
The guild was founded by Elizabeth Sampson of Oriskany. Sampson started the guild in March 2004 and has been making dolls herself for the last five years.
“The guild was organized to showcase the art of making fine art dolls. The exhibit is meant to educate and show the public this art form,” Sampson said.
Many of the members have had articles published in national and international magazines such as “Contemporary Doll Collector,” “Art Doll Quarterly” and “Doll,” which is printed in the United Kingdom.
Sampson said, “A doll challenge was recently printed in ‘Art Doll Quarterly.’ The challenge was for doll artists to be given 10 everyday items (such as marbles, yarn, fabric, beads and lace) and they had to make dolls using only these items.”
Some of the dolls from the challenge are included in the Norwich exhibit. Most artists use two mediums to make their dolls - clay or fabric. However, dolls can made from other mediums, including wood or metal.
“Keep in mind, when you think of doll artists you automatically think of people who just make dolls like Barbie or baby dolls. This is not the case. These dolls are not toys and are meant to be admired from a distance. They are not to be played with,” Sampson said.
Sampson got interested in making dolls when her son needed to craft a man’s head for a Cub Scout project, and her mother even made dolls made out of fabric when she was younger. The guild organizer has taken extensive classes offered by many professional doll makers. She starts by getting an idea and sketches what the doll might look like. After she starts making the dolls, the doll starts to take on a life of its own. The doll maker and the other artists sell their dolls. The prices can range from $50 to $2,000.
When it came to making dolls, Sampson said she couldn’t do very much alone, so she decided to organize the doll guild. “The guild can move mountains and numbers, but working alone is different. This is why working with a group is beneficial and to keep educating the public about fine art dolls,” she said.
Sampson has her own business (Elizabeth Sampson Figurative Statues) and can be found on the web at www.lil-clay.com; www.cnydag.com shows what some of the artists have done or have been working on. The dolls at the exhibit are also for sale.
There will also be a reception for the public at the Council of the Arts Art Gallery, 27 W. Main St., Norwich, from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Sampson and many members of the guild will be in attendance. The exhibit will be open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the Arts Council at 336-2787.
