July Issue 2001
Exhibit of Handmade Dolls on View at Brevard Arts Center in Brevard, NC
An exhibit of handmade dolls will open at the Transylvania Community Arts Center on July 1 in Brevard, NC. The exhibition entitled, Hello, Dollies!, will feature dolls created by Arlene Effron and Marty Bowsky, with watercolors by Beth Slee. The exhibition will be on view through Aug. 8.
Arlene Effron spends her summers in Brevard with her husband David Effron, artistic director of the Brevard Music Center. This summer she will share more than 15 of her handmade dolls in the Arts Center Gallery. Her works include children, angels, a queen of hearts, the three muses, an old couple, and three ballerinas. Effron's dolls are distinct: their hair is made from seed beads, bringing a whole different life to the characters.
Effron's first artistic creations were in sand-sculpted glass. She also has worked in paints, but for more than five years, Effron has been creating dolls using clay. Her first dolls were terra cotta, while her newer pieces are made from polymer clays, which come in a variety of colors. Effron mixes the clay and colors to make the dolls' features. She attaches the clay parts to a soft body to create the forms and then designs and makes their clothes.
Marty Bowsky has been creating porcelain dolls for 10 years but this is her first public exhibit (most of her creations are sold directly to grandmothers and then passed along to granddaughters). Bowsky and her husband pour and fire the porcelain parts in a kiln located at their home. She then paints the parts and makes clothing for the dolls. Many of the costumes are contemporary designs created in an heirloom-style. A ballerina, a flower girl, a baby in a christening gown, and a 1920s-style girl are among the fifteen dolls created by Bowsky on display.
When Beth Slee moved to Connestee Falls, NC, 16 years ago she brought along with her three cloth dolls made by artist Chris Roberts-Antieu from Ann Arbor, MI. These floppy-fun creations inspired Slee to do a series of watercolor paintings featuring the happy dolls. She has gone on to paint other dolls, including Raggedy Andy, a Cabbage Patch Baby and other old Matel dolls. Twelve of Slee's watercolor paintings and one work in colored pencil will be on display.
For more information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call the center at 828/884-2787.
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