Art of the Doll Exhibit- Petaluma Arts Center

Yep, home of the world-famous wrist-wrestling (actually arm-wrestling, but I think Charles Schulz called it wrist-wrestling in his Peanuts comic strip) competition. In the middle of Sonoma County wine country.

 

Also home of the famous punk club the Phoenix, and a lot of pretty Victorian buildings...it's about an hour north of San Francisco on US 101. I would be all over this if I wasn't out of town that weekend... sigh.

How long does the exhibit run?

 

It runs I think (guess I should find out for sure) until the middle of September. Yes- Petaluma is a wonderful town, I think the entire town is on the National Historic Registry.

 

Art of the Doll Exhibit- Petaluma Arts Center News Announcement

Petaluma Arts Center
230 Lakeville Street
Petaluma, California

mapquest

 

Thank you Snow Leopard!

 

I got so excited I did not read correctly? I am hoping the hubby will get off early from work to watch the munchkin so I can come kid free.

 

That sounds interesting, I wonder if I can jot down with a boy or two and admire the scenery. I actually know next to nothing about other dolls let alone the psychology of them. How fun! :3

 

I wished I lived in California so that I could attend this. Congrats! I hope the event is a huge success!

 

Echoing this exactly. This sounds like it has the potential to be a truly wonderful event, and I'm looking forward to hearing how it all goes.

 

You mean "I wish I lived in THAT PART of California..." because some parts of Oregon are as close as the farther parts of Southern CA! (*grumble* ... big, long, state!!!)

I live in SoCal and it's pretty far away, still...

But yes, it would be great to live close enough to see this show. It sounds interesting! I know all of you going with represent BJDs well!

 

I also live in S. Cal. I wish I could go, but yes...quite far. I hope someone can be there to take lots of pics. Nabiya will be there!

 

I live near there (sorta, about an hour and change), and I have plans to go during the run of the exhibit. I'll take some pictures if that's OK with the museum and cirquemom.

 

I'll see if I can make, it's only about 45 minutes from where I live

 

I live 15 minutes away and was planning to attend; can bring dolls as well.

 

I'll come, if I can get a ride! None of my big-city-boys have ever been to fabulously exotic Petaluma.

PS @ Cirquemom, : After all these years, that Peanuts strip is STILL the first thing I think of whenever I see/hear that city name! And you have to pronounce it in Snoopy's incredulous boldface all-caps with repeating punctuation-- "PETALUMA?!?"


I thought I'd paste in the info here, from Cirquemom's news post - I'm sick of clicking back & forth in two windows. ^^ (Bold emphasis has been added...)

 

Yes, it's kind of ....
PET -ALOOOMA.

 

This sounds good. If we can't make the opening, what are the exhibit hours on other days? The poster mentions that the show is open until September.

 

Just a reminder that the show and booksigning starts at 1:00 PM tomorrow (Saturday). The exhibit will run through the middle of September, so if you can't come tomorrow, try to see it another day- it looks incredible. Information about the Arts Center:

Location:
230 Lakeville Street at E. Washington
(next to the Visitors Center). Entry is via East Washington.

Hours of Operation:
The Gallery is open Thurs.- Mon., noon to 4:00 p.m. (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

Phone Number: 707-762-5600

 

Wow O.o I feel bad cause I live in Petaluma , ( I mean I can walk there xD ) and I didn't even know about this. xD I may have to take a look on Thursday or something. I don't know when my next day off is :P (Other then the one on Tuesday) It's sad that I don't think I'll be able to bring anyone though seeing I don't have anyone with me right now. ;3;

Btw, I say Pet-a-llama :3 (cause it's fun)

Disregard my actually location on user info, seeing I'm SUPPOSED to be there. lol

Also for anyone who doesn't know, the transit station is right by that place. xD I mean the Copeland Street Transit Mall is right by it. There is literally a field of nothing between the two places. xD So if you are taking Golden Gate transit you know where to stop. ^^

 

What a cool time! You should've come & brought the crew, Gunter! We did have that room filled up to SRO, though. I hitched a ride with Farallon, Eyedollatry, Nathankatt, & Mrtea2, and we met up with Strangeangels there. I schlepped giant Bijan the Akando with me, in the interest of dolly-diversity. Cirquemom's exhibit looked mighty professional in a big vitrine-- from the gypsy wagon to the samovar to the size-variety to the different costumes. (Ohh, and totally Prop Heaven!)

Thanks to cirquemom for the great presentation, wonderful exhibit, & awesome excuse to come check out the North Bay arts scene. There was SUCH an amazing variety of dolls & doll-related arts on display-- I saw at least 2 artists I recognized from elsewhere (and I even ran into a guy in the crowd who turned out to be a club-scene friend I haven't seen in years ^^). Displays ran the gamut from Marie Osmond dolls, to cloth dolls, to fairy dolls, to china dolls, to the exquisite woodland creepies of Wendy & Toby Froud, to Cassandra Light's powerful talismanic sculptures, to the indescribable Sha Sha Higby's kinetic costumery. So even if you did miss the reception & presentation, do go check out the rest of the exhibit! It's going to be up for awhile.

(I really want to go back to check out Sha Sha's show next weekend 8/14, because her stuff is just amazing; am miffed that I already have an engagement I utterly can't get out of. Somebody should go & tell me how cool it was. )

Bijan turned out to be a big hit with the Art Ladies! I heard more than one claim of "ooh, that's my new boyfriend".

Also, during the reception, I got to do a guest-star performance as the backup slide-whistle player for the accordionist, the saucy Amber Lee, as she sang a bittersweet love song called "The First Pancake is Always a Flop".

PS. Petaluma is really cute. ^^

 

Everyone with a doll got to pick their own flower crown; Inquizitor wasn't going for it, so just carried it around.



I enjoyed seeing other people's dolls and getting to chat; meet a few new folks that were local.



Some of Wendy's dolls on display for her presentation and she had some that folks could pick up and ask questions etc. Lots of interest by those who were new to BJDs.



This is the display for the show and there is lots of fun stuff in there to look at besides the lovely dollies!



Rachel belongs to Chris (only one I can remember, sorry)



One in center is E-an, sorry I don't remember the owners name. (I am bad with names)



Sprite and Aaron; love his hat!



More of Wendy's dolls and I believe she makes most all of their clothes. She has done some of the faceups and so has her daughter.



Had a great visit and really enjoyed the presentation along with the 'meet up' afterwards! Thanks for all your hard work!

 

A BIG FAT THANK YOU to everyone who made the trek to the Petaluma Arts Center, especially those who brought their (incredibly lovely and wonderful) dolls. I was so thrilled that so many people showed up with their resin escorts! And also loved the chance to hopefully enable some newbies into the Hobby.
The show is FABULOUS- I finally got a chance to at least cruise through it after the talk. Jenny, I missed your performance! But your doll is really a hunk- he was great (he should have borrowed the guitar from the display to help you with the band).
And yes, I'm happy some other people appreciated that samovar! Keep checking ebay- you'll find one. This one is in perfect shape- must have never been played with.
I'm planning on going to the Sha Sha Higby performance, so I'll let you know. Gunther- if you read this- I didn't know you were in Petaluma. I'm down there a lot, let's get together!
Thanks again everyone- I had a wonderful time meeting people and chatting with you all and I really appreciate you making the trip either up from San Francisco, San Mateo (Emory Sung and Emily of The Junky SPot), down from Santa Rosa, or over from the coast.
And if you get a chance to stop in at the Petaluma Arts Center to see the exhibit- it is definitely worth it. It's a fabulous show.


* * *
Oh- and more pictures here from Mistress of Socrates:
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?385477-Petaluma-arts-center-Photos

 

Did you know that the slide-whistle IS one of the few wind-instruments you can play while laughing hysterically? Yes. "The first pancake is always a flop -- <<bee-yooop>>" Just one accordionist can turn any gathering into a party.

It was really neat to get such Non-Freak Treatment from so many non-BJD people. I was actually a bit shy at first. But arts centers, and specifically doll-shows at arts centers, are always full of cool people who are open to such things.

Cool photos, Leeloo! I did have my camera, but I don't think I got one photo. I had both arms full of resin giant most of the time. ^^ I'm glad somebody recorded it.
The Rachel and the Aaron have such delicious outfits on.
Husky did not like his flower-crown.
And I loved loved loved getting to meet cirquemom's lovely Lumedoll boy in person! He's so ethereal, yet so down to earth in his coat & hat. And the fabulous Limhwa gypsy girl is head to toe perfect.

I know Strangeangels took some pictures, will go get her to post them in the photo thread. (The only photos I took were of the riverfront view from the street cafe where we had espresso. Downtown Petaluma is quaint with a capital Q!)

 

Ooh, that looks like a lot of fun! I love the Sprite and Aaron in the middle, what awesome dolls!

 

That Aaron is lucky he got home. If there was anyway I could have stolen him ("oh look over there a pony!") I would have. He had on an incredible outfit too. Actually, all of the "guest" dolls were really great, all spiffed up and fancy and it made me feel a little bad about my poor scruffy crew. They are "working dolls" and it kind of shows, lol. In fact, I had to take the lint roller to my Prima (Gretel) because when I took her out to set her up I discovered that the cat had sat on her before I packed her.
And yes, I agree JennyNemesis, the people at the Petaluma Arts Center were incredible, both the staff and the people coming to the show. I love that place and now that I know about it I'm going to join as a member.

 

Thank you Cirquemom! It was a fun trip for us San Franciscans, and we returned after your talk to the general presentation of the Art of the Doll exhibit. I recommend the trip to Petaluma for this - it has a very interesting array of dolls as interpeted by the individual artist or the collector. One of the cleverest items on display is a hanging/suspended spinal column like sculpture - and what a surprise when I looked closer at the item!!!

Alex

 

Alex- great meeting you. I look forward to seeing you again, hopefully you'll be doing more of your "mini-goga" meetups in SF in the future. Yes- that hanging piece was awesome, and if you looked closely it was so incredibly detailed that even the places where the doll busts were joined had decorations. I found the whole show to be so inspirational. I'm definitely going back for a second look on a slow day when I can see more of the items without having to shove people aside, and definitely back for Sha Sha Higby's performance. Thanks again for coming up- I really appreciate it!

 

;3; I really wished I could have gone now! I am still trying to figure out how I even MISSED this thread. oTL

It looked amazing, and though I wasn't there that time around I'm surely going to go to Sha Sha's exhibit. (Thank you for the link Jenny.) It all looks so fascinating that I have to go see! >3<

I'll surely bring my own little escorts. I would have loved to be there when all of you were there though ;3; Just a little sad that I had to miss such a awesome event!

@cirquemom
Haha, yeah! xD I'd be up for that~ :3 I'll most likely see you at Sha Sha's exhibit right?

@Leeloo
Thank you for the pictures~! Makes up for me missing the event.

 

Aww, your dolls are hardly scruffy! I love all your Gypsy attire you make. But I know what you mean, I felt like my dolls looked horribly shabby compared to all the super-fancy dolls at the last meet I went to -- when I took them out of their basket, I found they had dog hair on them! D'oh!

 

Yeah, I didn't see ANY scruffy dolls there. Everyone looked great! And we've ALL had those meetup days where you spent a half-hour sprucing your doll up and making him look his best, & then to take him out of the bag in front of an audience, only to find that his eye-putty has failed catastrophically during the journey & is now staring halfway up into his own skull. Never makes a good first impression. XD

My own doll was wearing cargo pants & a floppy pullover-- how glamorous can you get!-- but, he did match well with my ratty 20-year-old Joy Division shirt and hot-weather ponytail. It was a kind of Mommy-And-Me Slob Day.

Amadou (Farallon's beautiful Venetian-style Aaron) does not live with any pets, so that was how he was able to keep his new frock all nice and hairfree. ^~



Fun fact about that "crazy porcelain dollhead spinal column" sculpture: I was goggling at it and assuming that it must've taken ages & ages to collect that many heads. Then the artist wandered by, & breezily mentioned that she had inherited 4 enormous boxes of just porcelain heads! - so, that huge hanging meisterwerk (what was it, 6 feet?) was made all in one go, and she's got like 3 more boxes of heads to do things with. Faaaantastic.

 

Hey Jennynemesis - Did the spinal column artist mention if the heads were vintage or all repros done in the antique style? I was wondering as I marvelled at the sheer number of 'china' head/headplates that made up that sculpture....
Alex

 

I'm no expert, but they all looked real to me! She had inherited them from somebody. You know how "giant inherited boxes from collector/artist types" go.... big huge hoarded jumble, probably real...

 

Here are a handful of pictures from the book signing, just grabbed them off of my hubby's camera.


Blah blah blah....



BJD Warning to potential new doll owners...



Nice audience!



My beautiful daughter and I check out a "guest doll".

 

Anyone know what the model of the black haired girl sitting down on the far left is, just under the bright red headed one and to the left of the reddish brown haired girl? Her face looks really interesting.

 

Yes, the "girl" is an AoD Chen, and he's a boy. Although I have seen him as a girl and he does make a very pretty girl. The dolls in the photo are, left to right, are:
Standing: Elfdoll Mir, Dream Realm Rad Correco holding a Felixdoll Brownie, under him (red haired girl in green) is DIM Odelia, Dollzone Lotus, Obitsu Haruka with elf-ears on a 50 cm body (white hair, white dress and flowers in her hair), next to her with the purple hair that you can't see is a Fantasy Doll Nina, then finally at the far right is an Obitsu/Parabox Gretel.
Seated are AoD Chen, Volks Mika, and finally ResinSoul Dai.

If you wanted a girl Chen from AoD, you could probably order the Chen head on a girl body.

 

This looks like so much fun! It's nice to see everyone's gorgeous dollies--I know a lot of them from the Santa Rosa and Pataluma meets.
I was on a trip or I definitely would have been there, but I can see that tons of people came out. I'm heading out to the exhibit next week, and I'm really looking forward to it.

 

does this run on weekdays? I will be on a business trip to CA on aug 14, will like to pay a visit.

 

Who is the tall boy standing - dressed in dark clothing with the hat on? very nice face.

 

wow! that would have been so cool to go to!! and totally relevant to my interests! i am a painter and i am currently creating paintings that deal with exactly the topic of this show! But alas! the show is over 7 hours away from my home!

 

The one in the display case? That's a Lumedoll Saiph.