Register Now for City Lore’s Conversations With African American Doll and Puppet Makers

City Lore, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is pleased to present a zoom session on January 16, 2024 at 8:00 pm EST featuring conversations about the transformative power of spirituality in the doll and puppet making processes with several African American doll and puppet makers featured in their current exhibition, “The Calling: The Transformative Power of African American Doll and Puppet Making.” 

The exhibition, conceived and curated by Camila Bryce-Laporte, (a noted doll maker herself) in partnership with scholar Dr. Phyllis M. May-Machunda, PhD includes dolls and puppets created by a national group of 26 multi-media artists reflective of the African Diaspora of the Americas who came of age in communities in the United States during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Using mixed media, these visual storytellers chronicle the history, identity, and culture of their communities. Compelled or “called” to continue the special and enduring tradition of Black doll making these artists recognize that their works are healing and transformative for themselves and for the communities they represent. City Lore is proud to partner with the Smithsonian African American Craft Initiative.

The zoom will feature the following AFS members: Phyllis May-Machunda, Camila Bryce-Laporte and and Dr. Paulette Richards, PhD.  In addition, here are AFS members who are participating artists in the exhibition and they are: Camila Bryce Laporte, Dr. Diana N’Diaye, PhD, Dr. Paulette Richards, PhD and Kibibi Ajanku. 

Artists participating in the Zoom event include Judy Boldon Bain, Exhibit Curator-Camila Bryce-Laporte, Shimoda Donna Emanuel, Francine Haskins, Elaine Robnett Moore, Paulette Richards, Yolanda Sampson, Cynthia Sands.

In African American culture, ‘to be called’ is to embark on a spirit driven journey, which if answered affirmatively, leads to a transformative commitment to live your life in ways that positively change those with which you interact.

Dr. Phyllis May-Machunda, Ph.D., Folklorist & Exhibition Scholar

Emphasizing several orientations and perspectives on spirituality across their works, this conversation will examine the artists’ callings to create dolls and puppets, and the ways their creations have offered transformative power for themselves and the betterment of the communities in which they live. Serving as moderator will be the exhibit’s scholar, Dr. Phyllis M. May-Machunda, PhD., who also edited the exhibit’s accompanying book. 

The exhibition is on view through March 3, 2024 and the City Lore Gallery is located at 56 East 1^st Street, Manhattan. Gallery hours are: Gallery hours are: Friday 2-6pm, and Saturday – Sunday 12-6pm. 

Rich with symbolism, all the artists had stories to tell…as a group these artists defy the conventional notion of dolls and puppets. We use our gifts and create as the spirit leads us.

Camila Bryce-LaPorte, Curator

Camila Bryce-LaPorte, a noted dollmaker, is a folklife specialist and community scholar who works with people to help them rediscover the value of their history, their cultural traditions, their community, and themselves through the art of cultural documentation. She trains people to capture and preserve the history of and traditions of their community and their culture bearers. Bryce-LaPorte has worked on folklife-related projects for the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, City Lore, and Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance.

The City Lore Gallery is a cultural hub that celebrates New York City’s vibrant cultural atmosphere and provides a platform for the myriad voices that comprise the city. The gallery presents exhibitions and events on all the things that make New York “New York.” From the golden age of graffiti, to endangered languages and activist comics, City Lore finds the art in everyday life. City Lore works in four cultural domains—urban folklore and history, preservation, arts education and grassroots poetry traditions—and is committed to the principles of cultural equity and democracy.

Founded in 1986, and now an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, City Lore’s mission is to foster New York City – and America’s – living cultural heritage through education and public programs. We document, present, and advocate for New York City’s grassroots cultures to ensure their living legacy in stories and histories, places and traditions. We work in four cultural domains: urban folklore and history; preservation; arts education; and grassroots poetry traditions. In each of these realms, we see ourselves as furthering cultural equity and modeling a better world with projects as dynamic and diverse as New York City itself.

Read Amsterdam News‘ article on the exhibit.

City Lore is made possible with generous support from: Institute of Museum and Library Services, New York State Council on the Arts. New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Sherman Foundation, and the Lily Auchincloss Foundation.