5235 OAK STREET KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 64112 MAIN 816.235.8000 / WEB TOYANDMINIATUREMUSEUM.ORG

Selected Objects from Stereotypes to Civil Rights All the objects featured are from the private collection of Arabella Grayson. These objects and more can be seen on The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures Pinterest page at pinterest.com/toyminiature.

TOPSEY, 1885 (left) McLoughlin Brothers, United States AUNT JEMIMA, 1938 (right) Whitman Publishing Co., United States

SMOKEY, 1932 (left) Maker Unknown, United States TORCHY’S TOGS, 1951 (right) Jackie Ormes, United States

BETTY AND BILLY, 1955 (left) Whitman Publishing, United States BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: 4 PAPER DOLLS, 1969 (right) Magic Wand, United States

BLING CITY PAPER DOLLS, 2008 (left) Bruce Patrick Jones, United States THE OBAMA FAMILY PAPER DOLLS, 2008 (right) Dover Publications, United States

5235 OAK STREET KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 64112 MAIN 816.235.8000 / WEB TOYANDMINIATUREMUSEUM.ORG

Stereotypes to Civil Rights Events More than mere toys, paper dolls were mediums for caricature, criticism, and compliment. To further explore this fragile yet enduring link to past concepts of gender, race, and beauty, T/m will be hosting the following lectures and workshops: THE TWO HUNDRED YEAR HISTORY OF BLACK PAPER DOLLS APRIL 7, 2016 | 6-7PM From the late 18th century to the present, social changes have been reflected in paper dolls. Collector and author Arabella Grayson will examine these changes through a chronological history of the origins of paper dolls and the introduction of black paper dolls in popular media. $10 for general admission. Free for museum members, and UMKC faculty, staff, and students. RSVP (816) 235-8005 or mercierk@toyandminiaturemuseum.org. HOW DO WE KNOW WHO WE ARE? APRIL 8, 2016 | 2-3PM Collector and author Arabella Grayson will highlight the ways in which the media influences self-image and self-esteem through play. Using current affairs, personal anecdotes, and insights from her rare collection of black paper dolls, Grayson reveals how individuals are always responding to media images by embracing or rejecting them. Included with museum admission. RSVP (816) 235-8005 or mercierk@toyandminiaturemuseum.org. CUTTING THROUGH STEREOTYPES APRIL 9, 2016 | 1-4PM Using a tour of Stereotypes to Civil Rights as inspiration, visitors will create paper figures based on historic or current events, or famous personalities. Included with museum admission. Recommended for ages seven and up.

5235 OAK STREET KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 64112 MAIN 816.235.8000 / WEB TOYANDMINIATUREMUSEUM.ORG

Arabella Grayson BIOGRAPHY Freelance writer and public relations professional Arabella Grayson specializes in Ghanaian and African American art and artifacts. She combines her passion for writing and the arts as curator of her extensive collection of more than 400 black paper dolls. Chronicling the history of black paper dolls from the mid-1800s to the present day, the collection consists of dolls from comic strips, political cartoons, greeting cards, magazines, books and box sets, as well as advertising premiums produced in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Finland, Brazil, China, and South Africa. Her research, based on the collection, focuses on the ways in which children are indoctrinated through play, and how toys, as artifacts of material culture, reinforce stereotypes, shape identity, and reflect popular culture. Grayson has served as writer, lecturer, and guest curator of the collection at the Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Community Museum and the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles. She has also held workshops at the Crocker Art Museum. The collection and Grayson’s work has been featured in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Ebony magazine, and on NPR and CBS. She earned a master’s degree in liberal studies from Mills College, and holds an undergraduate degree in public relations from San Jose State University. She studied acting at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and was a writer-in-residence at the Santa Fe Art Institute. A talented writer and award-winning photographer, her work has appeared in numerous books, magazines, and newspapers. She is a contributing writer in Go, Tell Michelle: Africa American Women Write to the New First Lady. In 2014, Grayson was award an Awesome Without Borders grant from The Awesome Foundation to host “Paper Doll Parties in the Park.”