Fashion
Barbie, fashion doll exhibit comes to ODU museum
Mar
If you think Barbie is just a pretty doll, a new exhibit at the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University will change your mind.
“Out of the Box: A Barbie Retrospective” opened March 7 and runs through July 31. The exhibition spotlights the world’s most famous doll by delving into her history, examining historical fashion dolls before Barbie and celebrating her legacy as a design icon.
“What I hope visitors take from this exhibition is a sense of joy, because that’s what really struck me over the course of working on this show — the enthusiasm that so many people have for Barbie dolls,” said Sara Woodbury, curator of art at the Barry Art Museum. “While we are approaching the Barbie doll in a scholarly way by examining its design history and contextualizing it within the longer tradition of fashion dolls, this show is also about having fun.”
The exhibit is divided into two parts: history of fashion dolls and Barbie. Woodbury said the exhibit was set up this way so people would realize that Barbie didn’t emerge out of nowhere. Her predecessors were fashion dolls from the 19th and early 20th century. The museum used dolls from its permanent collection, such as ones designed by Maison Huret and Madame Alexander, to showcase the fashion doll’s evolution through different materials and outfits.
Visitors can walk through a huge, human-scaled Barbie dream house that’s a re-creation of the 1979 plastic version. The impressive visual was built by ODU’s theater program and serves as an entrance into the pink room dedicated to the Barbie portion of the exhibit.
Once you’ve crossed over to Barbie’s world, you’ll find a timeline that categorizes the fashion icon by decades with Barbies affixed to the wall along with information about Barbie designers like Jack Ryan, Charlotte Johnson and Kitty Black Perkins.
Also, you’ll see fashionable, adult- sized Barbie outfits that were worn by Norfolk resident Beth Vinson, a former Mattel employee who modeled the clothing.
More fun finds include a large assortment of Barbie dolls from local collectors and a handsome selection of Ken dolls that reference the Barbie movie with a beach backdrop.
“To echo the exhibition’s keynote that Barbie is so much more than just a doll, we’ve planned events all spring and summer long including film screenings, make-and-take workshops, and even a fashion show,” said Sarah Serrano, the museum’s marketing and events manager. “We hope people not only learn about what went into cementing Barbie as an icon of style and design, but to keep the excitement going beyond the exhibition through these events.”
If you go
What: “Out of the Box: A Barbie Retrospective”
Where: Barry Art Museum at ODU, 1075 W. 43rd Street, Norfolk
When: Now through July 31
Info: Go to barryartmuseum.odu.edu for more information on upcoming Barbie events.
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Upcoming events
March 9: Barbie’s Birthday Party
April 10: Screening of “Barbie as the Princess & the Pauper”
April 11: Barbie fashion show
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