  |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Playing Around: Toys Designed by Artists The wildly inventive toys on display in Playing Around: Toys Designed by Artists, opening [opening date] at [your institution], hearken back to the days before plastic and mass production, when all toys were handmade and, whether simple or elaborate, engaged the imagination of both maker and user.
In the early 1970s, the Arkansas Arts Center initiated an annual exhibition of toys designed by artists. Inspired by Alexander Calder's circus figures of the late 1920s and early 1930s, this annual exhibition was launched to stimulate the imagination of both children and adults and to engage them with toys of whimsy, delight, and good craftsmanship. Each year the museum has acquired works from the exhibition and now has over 200 in its collection.
Playing Around features 50 of the best and most interesting pieces from this unique collection. The toys vary in theme, materials, and utility, and many are functional. Some wind up, while others work like the automatons popular in the first half of the 20th century. Some toys are made from found objects; others are meticulously crafted from clay, fiber, glass, metal, and wood.
[In this paragraph, provide details about any activities you plan in conjunction with the exhibition. Also include information about museum/gallery hours, admission costs, and a phone number to call for additional information.]
Playing Around is curated and organized by Alan DuBois, Curator of Decorative Arts at the Arkansas Arts Center. The exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA. The purpose of ExhibitsUSA is to create access to an array of arts and humanities exhibitions, nurture the development and understanding of diverse art forms and cultures, and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. ExhibitsUSA is a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1972. *Please see www.exhibitsusa.org for the most current crediting information.
©2002 Mid-America Arts Alliance. All Rights Reserved |