Friday kicked off the seventh annual Black Doll Exhibit, hosted this year at the Buffalo Museum of Science. Curated by collector Lisa Jacobs-Watson, the exhibit features Black dolls throughout history, showcases unique cultural and science-themed collections, and challenges the viewer to rethink representation in the arts and in play.
Jacobs-Watson shared with BTPM NPR that the first doll she wanted was one that looked like her.
“I remember specifically wanting a Baby Alive doll for Christmas when I was six years old, and I sat on Santa's lap and told Santa that I wanted the Black doll. I want Baby Alive and I want the Black one. And everybody laughed, and I didn't understand why they were laughing, but I knew that the doll should look like me even at six-years-old.”
Jacobs-Watson started seriously collecting and viewing dolls as an art form after shopping for dolls when her daughter, Senator April Baskin, was a child. Jacobs-Watson now has over 200 dolls in her home collection.
Jacobs-Watson says her advice to parents buying dolls for their children is "to make sure that they have a diverse collection of toys for their children, so that they grow up understanding the diversity of the world in which we live in.”
The exhibit is on display throughout Black History Month and is free to visit.
