Turn arts faculty loose to reimagine rooms in a dollhouse reflecting each individual's practice and that collaboration is anything but ordinary.
"Dollhaus," the Barry Art Museum's newest exhibition, is an extraordinary visual spectacle in miniature of the creativity that fuels 16 professors and instructors at Old Dominion University.
Take Ryan Lytle's interpretation of a dining room, inspired by animal archetypes and a playful interpretation of his skill in needle-felting. A pink and blue needle-felted snake winding around the overturned chairs is primed to feast on what awaits on a platter of a set table – an unknowing rabbit.
"I'm exploring the whole predator-prey relationship and that balance," said Lytle, who teaches 3D design. "I usually work with larger fiber pieces, so it was fun to make and install something into such a tiny space."
Peter Eudenbach designed a minimalist sunroom combining two forms of photography. He plugged a window with a vintage camera that extends into the room; a cyanotype print made using chemically treated paper exposed to the sun generates a reflection on the floor.
Bonus: Peer through the lens for a peek at a sculpture Eudenbach created that is part of the museum's permanent collection.
By contrast, Woody Robinson fills every ounce of what he describes as a dream workshop. ODU's director of theatre facilities is distinguished for his set design, and that's a mini him in the space. He sanded, painted and added spectacles to a figure of himself made by a 3D printer.
"You can see me working on the set design for ‘The Women of Troy,’ which we did last year at the Goode Theatre," he said. "If you look on the walls there are plans and blueprints of my work, and posters and framed photos from old shows."
Mini tools hang on a pegboard, and paintbrushes (made from toothpicks) fill a jar. The room is cozy thanks to the light from a potbelly stove. His mastery of carving and chiseling is evident throughout, including the floor he also stained.
Parents and nostalgia buffs will smile (or shiver) at Kyle Kogut's bedroom he calls “Behind Closed Doors.” Old wood paneling darkens the room with dingy carpet, a turntable with oversized speakers and records among the clutter on the floor. Ozzy Osbourne's “Bark at the Moon” poster is tacked on the wall.
Among the magazines strewn about – the iconic Time cover from April 8, 1966, that asks, "Is God Dead?" The white blanket on the bed levitates. The detail and symbolism impress.
"A lot of my work relates to the satanic panic of the '80s and '90s," said Kogut, raised as a strict Roman Catholic. "A lot of the albums on the floor are those targeted by the Christian right."
The shut doors and covered windows are a nod to parents' imagination running rampant about the goings on inside.
Then there's a nursery, chilling from another perspective.
"It's a gray area," said Julia Rogers, who shows off her glassblowing technique to shine a light on regeneration and the symbiotic relationship between plants and humans with incubators and egg pods. A mom is breastfeeding a goat, and babies in varying states of growth are encased in glass jars.
The custom-built dollhouse is featured alongside a more traditional one belonging to the museum's namesake, Carolyn Barry.
The interior of that Georgian Colonial dollhouse is retrofitted to resemble her Suffolk home. That includes the wallpaper and artwork; a beloved Maloof rocking chair is incorporated. That's her husband, Richard, in the study with their cat at his feet.
“Dollhaus” complements a massive doll collection displayed throughout the Barry Museum that features Barbie on her wedding day from 1959 and an Alice in Wonderland set that includes a first edition of the storybook.
"Dollhaus: Reimagining the Domestic Space" is on view at the Barry Art Museum through Jan. 5, 2025. Admission is free.
