HAPPY EASTER
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Celebrating the Women of the Harlem Renaissance
Women's History Month
Celebrating the Women of the Harlem Renaissance
Mattel has created a series of dolls, Claudette and Madame L that pays tribute to the Harlem Renaissance Era.
The "Harlem Renaissance, of the New Negro Movement as it was called, was on of the richest and most complex artistic eras in American History. Characterized by an explosive energy, the artistic, literary, and philosophical movements taking place among African Americans during the 1920"s took Harlem as a center. The neighbor hood, consisting of some two square miles in Manhattan, was both a literal and metaphoric African American national capital, the hub of political, social, creative and intellectual activities. The unprecedented numbers of men and women who migrated to Harlem from all over the country in the first decades of the twentieth century included artists and writers, musicians and dancers, intellectuals and activists."*
"Talent began to overflow within this newfound culture of the black community in Harlem, as prominent figures such as Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, Zora Neil Hurston, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bessie Smith pushed art to its limit as a form of expression and representation."**
*http://brbl-archive.library.yale.edu/exhibitions/awia/eshar.html
**http://www.biography.com/people/groups/movement-harlem-renaissance
Friday, March 17, 2017
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month
Celebrate the Achievements of Women during this month
Celebrating Women behind the Scenes in Hollywood. They have created and directed big and small screens television shows and movies. Two that are featured today are Ava DuVernay and Chris Nee.
Ava DuVernay- " As an African American women who was the first to win Best Director at Sundance, the first to be nominated for a Golden Globe for directing and the second invited to join the prestigious director's branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." * She created and/or directed Queen Sugar, Selma, 13th, and I Will Follow to name a few.
Chris Nee- is a Peabody Award and Humanitas Prize-winning Irish-American Children's television screen writer and producer. She created "Doc McStuffins- a story about an African American girl who is a doctor to the stuff animals that need medical care. She "created the character for her sonn who had asthma. But I made the character an African American girl. It never occured to me that it wouldn't resonate with him. Truthfully, I'm proud of the choice- it was a bold one to make".** The series debut in 2012.
*Essence March 2017
** Kidscreen February/March 2017
Celebrate the Achievements of Women during this month
Celebrating Women behind the Scenes in Hollywood. They have created and directed big and small screens television shows and movies. Two that are featured today are Ava DuVernay and Chris Nee.
Chris Nee- is a Peabody Award and Humanitas Prize-winning Irish-American Children's television screen writer and producer. She created "Doc McStuffins- a story about an African American girl who is a doctor to the stuff animals that need medical care. She "created the character for her sonn who had asthma. But I made the character an African American girl. It never occured to me that it wouldn't resonate with him. Truthfully, I'm proud of the choice- it was a bold one to make".** The series debut in 2012.
*Essence March 2017
** Kidscreen February/March 2017
Happy Birthday Barbie
Happy Birthday Barbie
I am a little late, but still wanted to celebrate her birthday.
I am a little late, but still wanted to celebrate her birthday.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Day 28- Black History
February 28, 2017
Black History Month
A look at two companies and their dolls that brought different themes to their dolls.
In 2005, YNU Group Inc. created the Mixis dolls. The company introduced multicultural dolls. The Mixis Brand was developed to offer dolls for the multi-racial and diverse market. Their mission was to celebrate the collective strengths, the blended beauty and diverse perspectives, cultures and traditions of individuals of a multi-racial heritage. They created four dolls. Two of them are Emerald Okada (Black American/Native American/Japanese) and Opal Nkrumah (Ghanian and British). I was excited about Mixis and hoping that more dolls would be produced. No male dolls.
Dasia was created in 1995 by the Big Beautiful Dolls. The company was founded by two African American Women, Georgette Taylor and Audrey Bell-Kearney. She was the first full -figure fashion doll. She came with the one dress and cape. It was fun trying to find clothes to fit her size. Some of the Manhattan Doll Co clothes could fit her. At one point the toy store FAO Schwartz was selling individual pieces of clothing and some of the clothes could fit. See future post.
These dolls were a higher price than other mass produced fashion dolls.The price may have prevented them from growing to a wider audience.
Black History Month
A look at two companies and their dolls that brought different themes to their dolls.
In 2005, YNU Group Inc. created the Mixis dolls. The company introduced multicultural dolls. The Mixis Brand was developed to offer dolls for the multi-racial and diverse market. Their mission was to celebrate the collective strengths, the blended beauty and diverse perspectives, cultures and traditions of individuals of a multi-racial heritage. They created four dolls. Two of them are Emerald Okada (Black American/Native American/Japanese) and Opal Nkrumah (Ghanian and British). I was excited about Mixis and hoping that more dolls would be produced. No male dolls.
Dasia was created in 1995 by the Big Beautiful Dolls. The company was founded by two African American Women, Georgette Taylor and Audrey Bell-Kearney. She was the first full -figure fashion doll. She came with the one dress and cape. It was fun trying to find clothes to fit her size. Some of the Manhattan Doll Co clothes could fit her. At one point the toy store FAO Schwartz was selling individual pieces of clothing and some of the clothes could fit. See future post.
These dolls were a higher price than other mass produced fashion dolls.The price may have prevented them from growing to a wider audience.
Emerald and Opal
Dasia
Monday, February 27, 2017
Day 27- Black History
February 27, 2017
Black History Month
I am celebrating some doll makers that were at the Atlanta doll show this weekend. I love crochet and will show you some of the crochet dolls that appeared at the doll show.
Some of the Black Artists were: Queenhealer, Regina Dale, Catherine Girls by Jennifer Washington, Chocolate Cherri Bomb Art, Crochet by Rhea, Hands of Blessings by Paula Course, The Christian Crochet Addict, My kinda Thing by Aniqua Wilkerson.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)