By Jonah Grinkewitz
Just as the Bauhaus art movement brought together diverse art styles under one roof, the Barry Art Museum’s newest exhibition, “Dollhaus: Reimagining the Domestic Space,” will showcase the diverse contributions of Old Dominion University’s art department through a full-scale dollhouse installation.
Sixteen artists created different rooms for the dollhouse – from the bedroom to the dining room to the children’s room – using glass, textile and painting techniques.
This collaborative artwork is also a response to museum co-founder Carolyn Barry’s Dollhouse—an exquisite recreation of the interior of her home, featuring miniature versions of the Barrys and their artwork—which will be featured alongside the new Dollhouse in the exhibition.
“Dollhouse” opens during the ODU action hour 27.August from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., where participating artists will share details about their creative process. The exhibition will be on display until January 5, 2025.
“A primary goal of this exhibition is to celebrate the creativity of ODU’s faculty,” said Sara Woodbury, curator of art. “It was extremely gratifying to learn about each participant’s studio work and see how all of their diverse interests and working methods come together in one project.”
Peter Eudenbach, an art professor, created the conservatory using two photography techniques – an old camera that protrudes into the space and a cyanotype print created using chemically treated paper exposed to the sun. If you look into the lens of the camera, you can see an image of another artwork he created that is part of the Barry Art Museum’s permanent collection.
“My work has always been about the relationship between sculpture and photography,” said Eudenbach.
Julia Rogers, who teaches glass at ODU and works as higher education and outreach coordinator in the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio, chose to create a “regenerative kindergarten” using flame-worked glass, blown glass and mixed materials.
In her futuristic works, a symbiotic relationship between plants and humans occurs with incubators and eggshells.
“Incorporating social concepts is important in my personal work and I encourage students to think creatively about ideas and what message they want to convey to their audience,” Rogers said.
John Roth, associate professor of sculpture and head of the art department, chose to design the utility room, which features a giant machine spewing black smoke.
“This choice allows me to take into account my research interests in resource consumption and climate change,” said Roth. “The concept will hopefully stimulate reflection on modern conveniences and comforts and their true costs.”
Vittorio Colaizzi, associate professor of art history, chose to design a bedroom that explores the concepts of privacy and interiority.
“Instead of filling the space with objects, I blocked the view of an empty space with a matte white painted partition wall,” said Colaizzi. “The glossy white painted back wall reflects a rosy aura of colorful walls that are not visible.”
Mimi King, an associate professor of printmaking, 2D design and color theory, created the library, which visually represents how books come to life in our minds.
“As a graphic artist, my work consists primarily of two-dimensional elements and translating those skills into the third dimension was a very fun challenge for me,” said King.
Jamie Robertson, assistant professor of art and director of the photography program, drew on childhood memories of her grandmother defrosting her avocado-green refrigerator when designing the dollhouse kitchen titled “Defrost.”
“I work with lenses as an artist, so it was challenging but also fun to construct something three-dimensional,” said Robertson.
In addition to the dollhouses, the exhibition will also feature several works of art from the 19th century. One of these is a new type of porcelain doll by the French artist Jacob Petit (1796-1868), whose skirt opens to reveal a kitchen.
Professor Eudenbach said that the ideas of revelation contained in the exhibition speak to the higher purpose of a museum.
“Every museum is already a kind of dollhouse, as it consists of a series of exhibition rooms,” he said. “They are real spaces, but always separated from the outside world. In this project, each artist has created a room as part of a house, which is itself an object in a room of the museum. In this sense, the exhibition resembles a Russian doll.”
