For one very special night, the Principle Gallery will be hosting the National Institute of American Doll Artists‘ gallery exhibition for its 2016 Conference! Showing original art dolls crafted by artists around the nation, the exhibit will display this traditional yet dynamic art form.

In 1963, creative doll-makers and collectors gathered together to make a formal group concentrated on this specialized craft. After years of development and further organization, the group was eventually founded as the National Institute of American Doll Artists. The NIADA aims to not only bring together a collaborative group with similar artistic interests, but to also promote and recognize original handmade dolls as fine art. Crafting dolls from resin and wood to assembling ones for stop-motion television commercials, the NIADA craftsmen are renown for creating familiar caricatures in a unique, high art fashion.

From their founding, the NIADA has inspired and supported Doll Artists across the country through their workshops, scholarships, and conferences. This year, Principle Gallery has the pleasure to take part in the continuation of NIADA’s legacy by hosting its conference gallery night on Thursday, July 21st from 5:00PM – 9:00PM. The conference will also carry on until July 24th with other local participants.

For more information about the NIADA and its conference, please visit their website. And make sure to stop by the Principle Gallery for the opening of Geoffrey Johnson’s Solo exhibit on Friday, May 20th from 6:30PM to 9:00PM.