Mansfield, MA — The National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture – the only museum in the country whose mission is to preserve the history of African Americans through the art and craft of Black dolls – will spend 2020 telling the story of beauty, culture and empowerment in its newest exhibit “VIBE: Visions In Black Elegance.”
The exhibit features the 40th anniversary of Black Barbie and a tribute to the Ebony Fashion Fair.
The exhibit opens in May with the annual Mother’s Day Tea held at Lombardo’s in Randolph, Mass., commemorating the creation of the first Black Barbie doll by Kitty Black Perkins, this year guest speaker.
“Yes, She Does Come In Black!” This May, the museum will pull out all the high fashion stops (with over 300 Barbies) to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original Black Barbie doll.
As we explore the creativity of her designer, we’ll look at the significance of this groundbreaking doll. Why was a Black Barbie so important?
How has she changed in the last four decades? And how has she changed the industry? This will truly be a series of exhibits not to be missed by any Barbie lover.
Continuing on the theme of elegance and style, The museum will present “The Ebony Fashion Fair: A Retrospective.” Using our fashion dolls and a treasure trove of artifacts, we journey through 60 years of the famous and glamourous touring Ebony Fashion Fair and its innovative founder, Eunice Johnson.
Highlights include life-size mannequins dressed in garments selected from the pages of Ebony magazine and recreated by local seamstresses, an affirmation wall where visitors can share their wisdom and “I SEE ME” – an immersive experience reminding us that representation matters!
So, immerse yourself this spring in empowerment and elegance. Vibe with us as we examine the lives of Kitty Black Perkins and Eunice W. Johnson, role models of Black women empowering themselves and others with visuals that showed the unmistakable truth: Black IS Beautiful!
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