Two Hundred Years of Black Paper Dolls
The Arabella Grayson Collection
“We seldom study the condition of the Negro to-day honestly and carefully. It is so much easier to assume that we know it
all. Or perhaps, having already reached conclusions in our own minds, we are loth to have them disturbed by facts. . .”
W.E.B. DuBois,The Souls of Black Folks, 1903
Ashley Holcroft, Producer/Editor
KCPT/The Bridge June 17, 2016
Paper dolls may not seem like a tool to prompt discussions about race and equality, but the curators at the National Toy and Miniature Museum would like to beg to differ. 3:50 minutes
Byline Ieshia McDonald
KC Studio May/June 2016, Pages 66-68
Exhibit examines racial messages of Black paper dolls from Civil War era to the present. . . . To make a paper doll you need paper, utensils used for drawing and/or coloring, an imagination, and illustrated clothing for the dolls.
A deeper look at toys: Kansas City Toy Museum examines how toys and history are intertwined
By Terra Hall
KSHB/ The Now (NBC affiliate) April 7, 2016
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On the surface, toys are just that. But when you take a deeper look, they can give you a
glimpse into American history. That's exactly what the latest exhibit at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures seeks to do.
What Black Paper Dolls Tell Us About American History
By Steve Kraske & Lisa Rodriguez
KCUR 89.3 Feb 19, 2016
Steve Kraske talks with Arabella Grayson about black paper dolls.
Paper dolls have been popular toys for children for centuries, but the black versions of these toys often depict racial stereotypes that reflect how society viewed African Americans. 25:07 minutes
Paper Doll Parties in the Park (Grant 90)
The Awesome Foundation May 15, 2014
Arabella Grayson’s hunt for “playthings that looked like her” resulted in the gorgeous touring exhibition
“Two Hundred Years of Black Paper Dolls.” Now the freelance writer and public relations consultant is taking
her dolls on the road.
Paper Dolls, Other Lessons at Crocker
Byline: Claudia Buck
Sacramento Bee Feb. 19, 2013, Page B1
It was a sight to warm a teacher's heart on a school holiday: A room full of big dads hunched over little tables,
helping their kids color, cut and glue ... paper dolls.
Defying the stereotype that paper dolls are just for little girls, plenty of boys and fathers joined the doll-making
session Monday, as part of the Crocker Art Museum's Black History Month celebration.
Byline: Arabella Grayson
Today's Vintage Sep. 2012
As a child I played with paper dolls, sitting for hours on the living room floor carefully cutting out clothes,
and creating grown-up scenarios . . .
Byline: Arabella Grayson
TheRoot.com Sep. 18, 2008
The latest black paper dolls are not child's play. They're about high art and the arc of black history.
Byline: Soledad Santiago
Jun. 1-7, 2007, Page 26
COPYRIGHT 2007 The New Mexican
Early in her career, writer, performer, and photographer Arabella Grayson traveled the United States as a recruitment officer for her alma mater, Mills College in Oakland, Calif. In her spare time she visited flea markets and garage sales looking for positive images of lives within the African diaspora.
How Do We Know Who We Are? Image, Identity and the Media
Byline: Arabella Grayson
Mills Quarterly, Winter 2007
COPYRIGHT 2007 Arabella Grayson
How do we know who we are? That was the question I asked myself as I stood in the children's section of
Barnes and Noble ten years ago, looking at an Addy paper doll and trying to reconcile her image with the publisher's story line.
Byline: Anne Koenig
Jan. 21, 2007, Page 4
COPYRIGHT 2007 Sunday News Lancaster, PA
Are you the one who put the black paper dolls in the newspaper? Well, that's not cute! That's not cute! You hurt a lot of people. That's not cute!" scolded the woman on the telephone, . . .
Exhibit Traces Black History Through Black Paper Dolls
By Farai Chideya
NPR News & Notes Jan. 4, 2007
To most people, paper dolls are playthings from past generations. But for one woman, they're a window into the way African-Americans have been portrayed by popular culture. 6:28 minutes
The Unkindest Cut: A History of Black Paper Dolls
Byline: DeNeen L. Brown
Nov. 29, 2006 Page C01
COPYRIGHT 2007 The Washington Post Company
A slip of the scissors and off comes a foot.
It Started With One Black Paper Doll
Byline: Anita Creamer
Nov. 12, 2006, Page L01
COPYRIGHT 2006 The Sacramento Bee
A toy is not necessarily just a toy. What we play with helps define who we are and how we see ourselves.
The Arts: Paper Dolls Reflect Black Social Roles
Byline: Patrick Hoge, Chronicle Staff Writer
Feb. 13, 2004, Page E-1
COPYRIGHT San Francisco Chronicle
Paper dolls, mass-produced in Europe and the United States, have entertained children for centuries
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