ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Welcome to the Black Doll Exhibit presented by curator, Lisa Jacobs-Watson in partnership with NYS Senator, April Baskin and Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System. This annual event began in 2020 when Baskin, who was an Erie County Legislator at the time, convinced Jacobs-Watson (Baskin’s mother) to use her collection to put together a doll show for Black History Month. The exhibit was a huge success!
Since then, Ms. Jacobs-Watson uses her dolls to bring forth meaningful conversations about history, culture and beauty.
According to Jacobs-Watson, what began as her love for Barbie/fashion dolls led her to explore doll history which included the Doll Tests of the 1940s ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/
The 2020 (Coles Library), inaugural Black Doll Exhibit allowed little girls to say, “Look at all these beautiful dolls that look like me!” In 2021 (Central Library) a custom coloring book of local civic leaders was put together. The exhibit highlighted dolls that represented a connection between embracing beauty within a community of leaders. At the Black Doll Exhibit in 2022 (Merriweather Library), appreciation for education, creativity, and entrepreneurship within the Black community was shown with doll figures representing various industries. The theme was The Road to Career Success. In 2023 (Merriweather Library), Connie Porter, Western New York native and author of the Addie doll series of the American Girl collection, was guest speaker at a packed house for An Evolution of Black Dolls which pointed out increasing opportunities to purchase Black dolls. The 5th Annual Black Doll Exhibit in 2024 (Central Library) was A Royal Tribute that sought to recognize African royal heritage by using Black princess dolls for the main display. The guest speaker was Buffalo native and skin care expert Zandra Cunningham, founder and CEO of Zandra Beauty.