What a Great Convention!“I have attended many conventions and shows in my 25 years as an artist “I have been attending doll and teddy bear events for 30 years, This is what Susan and Terry Quinlan from the Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum & Library had in mind when they held their first annual Artist Doll & Teddy Bear Convention in Philadelphia on May 12-14, 2011. They wanted to turn back the clock to those days when things were affordable and really fun to attend, as well as, to stimulate interest in dolls and teddy bears among today’s younger generation. They seemed to have accomplished both. Bear artist Virginia Jasmer said, “There was amazing energy and enthusiasm. It felt like the good old days.” “…I took my 20 year old niece with me [to the convention]. She never had an interest in teddy bears, but it was a weekend away for her. The friendliness of everyone towards her and the beauty all around her won her over and she left the convention with three bears. She cannot wait to go to another show. So I would say that they have done their job in opening the doors of collecting to the next generation” according to bear artist Joanne Livingston. The fees to attend the event were $95 for artists and $195 for collectors – a fraction of the cost to provide the “partiers” a grand opening champagne reception, seven buffet meals, two more receptions, an open bar all three evenings, all day refreshments, access to all events, and a sales table for artists.
Convention welcoming banner As each of the 270 artists and collectors arrived at the Ramada Philadelphia Airport Hotel on Thursday to check-in, you knew right away that this was going to be a fun event. Staring you in the face was a 14’ x 5’ banner with the greeting “Welcome to the World of Artist Dolls and Teddy Bears”, which was encircled by dolls and teddy bears with open arms that were created by artists Darlene Allen, Martha Leeds, and Judith and Lucia Friedericy.
Artist doll & teddy bear collage banner Many artists stopped at the standing banners in the lobby to find their own creations from collages of artist dolls and teddy bears that are in the collection of the Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum & Library.
In the convention handout package, there was a convention portrait pin with pictures of doll artist Helen Bullard and teddy bear artist Beverly Port who were both being honored at the convention for their pioneering efforts in the artist doll and teddy bear movements. In order to make the pin a rare collectable, only one of the 200 produced portrait pins was issued per attending household and the only way of receiving the pin was to attend the convention. In addition, a collectable Helen Bullard/Beverly Port Doll/Bear Pin was given to each attendee who booked a room at the convention hotel in thanks for helping the Quinlans meet their room block commitment in order to avoid any financial penalties. It was left up to the recipient of the pin to decide who got the pin if they were sharing the room with other artists or collectors. These pins are a more limited edition of 150. Also in the handout package were the name badges for doll and teddy bear collectors and artists, which had pictures of a doll by artist Deborah Pope and a teddy bear by artist Lee Ann Blumenshine, respectively. The Quinlans were concerned that artists might be reluctant to be wearing another artist’s creation for three days, but no one seemed to mind. The handout material told the artists and collectors up front that there were no convention “giveaways” – “free” gifts or table pieces. It was explained that this was one of the reasons their registration fee was such a bargain. Susan and Terry prefer they take that $100 normally added in to their registration fee for those “free” convention gifts and spend it on something they really want at this convention. This benefits many more artists. Since creating interest among new collectors for dolls and teddy bears is one of the Quinlan’s long-term goals, the only giveaways would be the door prizes for adults and gifts to children attending the Saturday Show & Sale. Also in the convention package was a Speaker Evaluation Form used to record activities attended at the convention in order to earn credit toward a new Doll and Teddy Bear Collector and Artist Education Certificate Program. You can choose to work toward any one or more of the following four certificates: Doll Collector Certificate, Doll Artist Certificate, Teddy Bear Collector Certificate, and Teddy Bear Artist Certificate. Each certifies completion of an extensive curriculum in appreciation and knowledge for collectors or in creative and business disciplines for artists. The Certificate Program is offered at no cost. Certificates are awarded upon completion of 20 class hours at these conventions, and advanced certificates are awarded for each additional 20 class hours of attendance.
To provide security and assistance to the attendees, there was a group of eight everywhere you looked. They were wearing blue t-shirts with a picture of one of the collectable pins given to conventioneers. The group became known as the “Blue Crew” by the attendees. The Blue Crew consisted of Susan and Terry Quinlan and three of Terry’s nephews and their wives. They all came from California and Washington to help make things go smoothly. Regarding the Blue Crew and the convention overall, bear artist Pat Fairbanks said, “You and your family of ‘helpers’ were the best!! The love and care that you shared for so many hours was amazing. You promised to give more than any other venue and you went WAY beyond. My definition of a show promoter is to bring buyer and seller together in a conducive atmosphere to do business. The quality of [artist] pieces were beyond my expectations. The volume of activities and quality of those activities were the best. The number and quality of meals were a real bonus.” The convention kicked off with Susan Quinlan welcoming everyone to this historic event – historic in the sense that it was meant to give the doll and teddy bear worlds a shot in the arm by doing something completely different than any previous event in terms of cost and venue. Susan and Terry felt that in order to turn around any segment of the economy, something completely new had to be done from top to bottom, from overall design to the smallest detail. The podium was quickly turned over to the keynote speaker, artist and leading authority on teddy bears, John Paul Port, who was paying tribute to his mother Beverly Port on behalf of the teddy bear community of artists, collectors and supporters. Beverly coined the term “teddy bear artist” and is known as the “mother of teddy bear artistry”. She is a multimedia teddy bear and doll artist, an international award winning designer, author, consultant and speaker on “The Art of the Teddy Bear.” The tribute was a walk down memory lane of her many wonderful creations over the years. John shared his personal experiences growing up in this amazing world of artist teddy bears. As teddy bear artist Virginia Jasmer said, “John is always great and funny!” Although there was a glitch with the video equipment, bear artist Sue VanNattan said, “What a pro! He gave an excellent program even without slides.” The presentation by John was followed by a champagne reception followed by a buffet dinner, which was a surprise to the attendees who were only expecting more hors d’oeuvres carried over from the reception. At the last minute, Susan and Terry thought everyone would appreciate a sit down dinner after a day of traveling to Philadelphia. The open bar throughout dinner was the standard at all three of the convention’s buffet dinners – just part of the “have fun and relax” theme of the convention.
After a hardy full buffet breakfast, the line formed early, and never seemed to disappear, to get into the first sales event of the convention, which consisted of signed one-of-a-kind artist signature pieces submitted for the sale and judging for the Helen Bullard Doll Award for Excellence and the Beverly Port Teddy Bear Award for Excellence presented by the Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum. A “signature piece” means the doll or teddy bear reflects the artist’s style and image that is most recognized by the world of collectors. There were nearly 20 doll entries and 50 teddy bear entries. There were two types of awards – Artist Awards and Collector Awards. Each of them have separate awards for dolls versus teddy bears. The purpose of the Artist Award is to be judged for excellence by one’s peers who design and make similar creations (dolls or teddy bears). The purpose of the Collector Award is to be judged for excellence by those who collect their type of creations (dolls or teddy bears). The intent was to present awards based on size of the pieces, but there were too few miniature entries, so no distinction was made based on size. Only one vote was allowed per household in attendance. The number of awards was based on the number of entries so the recipient of an award would know that she or he was judged to be in the top 5-10% of the competition. For example, there were nearly 50 artist teddy bear entries, so four Teddy Bear Artist Awards were presented. Since there were not quite 20 artist doll entries, only two Doll Artist Awards were presented. Two Teddy Bear Collector Awards and two Doll Collector Awards were presented regardless of the number of entries. Only those registered for the Artist Doll Convention could vote on the doll entries and those registered for the Artist Teddy Bear Convention could vote on the teddy bear entries. The concept is that the voting is done by your artist peers and those that collect your kind of creations. Granted, some create or collect both, but Susan and Terry felt this voting procedure seemed fair and certainly easiest to administer. Pictured are the artists who were the first winners of these new Artist Awards for Excellence.
The Sale and Judging was followed by keynote speaker Mikki Kavich, who paid tribute to her grandmother Helen Bullard in a presentation entitled “Remembering my Grandmother – A Tribute to Doll Artist Helen Bullard.” Helen Bullard was the founder of the National Institute of American Doll Artists (NIADA) in 1963 and championed the idea that original handmade dolls should be considered an art form. She was the president of NIADA, president of the United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC), the author of a number of books, and editor of doll magazines. She also made hand carved wooden dolls under the name of “Holly Dolls” and was a recognized sculptor. Mikki described her observations of her “Gran” and showed great photos of her as a young woman that told the story of a girl who was not going to go unnoticed. There were photos of the evolution of her dolls with a final photo of her last set of sculptures, which are now on display at the new local library in Tennessee. Mikki described Helen as “a strong, fierce woman whom it never occurred to that she had to fight for equality. She just took it as a right!”
The last sessions of the day consisted of up-close demonstrations of how to design, create and make doll and teddy bear creations. Among the doll artist demonstrations were Floyd Bell showing how wood carving tools are used to carve doll parts used to create a jointed doll; Maryanne Oldenburg explaining the process of how one of her dolls came to be – starting with an idea, all the way to the finished piece; Judy Brown whittling a 6” jointed wood doll; and Annie Wahl explaining her method for making eyeglasses with lenses. Among the teddy bear artists demonstrations were Deana Ellis showing the various tools used in wool needle-felting; Joanne Livingston talking about the signature features of her works including needle sculpting and pulled toes; Denis Shaw showing how a bear template is cut out and placed on patterned material so you see the design of the material in the shape of a bear before cutting the material; Michelle Lamb giving tips on photographing your bears; and Steve Schutt describing helpful tips on bear jointing. One of the most popular events was the last event of the day – Artist Market Place where artists and collectors could sell and trade things for making dolls and teddy bears, such as, trims, material, furs, supplies, trinkets, do-dads and silly things. Also held at the same time was a well attended Book Signing and Sale by leading doll artists (Judy Brown, Mark Dennis, Sherry Goshon, Nancy Wiley, Stephanie Winson) and teddy bear artists/authors (Joan Greene, Dee Hockenberry, Ted Menten). Everyone raved about the meals. As bear artist Christy Firmage said, “Can't remember when I've eaten so well! My goodness what a great menu.” There was no assigned seating at any of the meals. Each meal table had a doll or teddy bear picture of a feasting scene of dolls created by artist Stephanie Blythe or a dining scene of bears created by artist Francisco Carreno Stewart. You could sit at any table of your choice, but the pictures were intended to help collectors find artists and other collectors who shared their interest in dolls or teddy bears. This also was a great opportunity for artists to spend time with old and new collectors, as well as for doll people to learn from teddy bear people and vice versa. A number of artists said that they were inspired to try going in some new directions as a result. After another delicious buffet dinner on Friday, the recipients of the Helen Bullard and Beverly Port Awards for Excellence were announced, followed by the lucky winners of the Discount Coupon Drawing held earlier in the day. The discount coupons were good at your favorite artist’s sales table at the Doll & Teddy Bear Show & Sale being held the next day. The discounts ranged from 10% to 50%. There were a few lucky winners in the audience that won a number of coupons. The next day, one of them passed by the Registration Desk with their arms full of purchases and proudly announced, “We’ve been using our coupons!” On “Funky Friday”, the dress code was to where your funkiest, silliest or most outrageous doll or teddy bear top (e.g., blouse/shirt/jacket/sweater), since the conventioneers would have the hotel all to themselves. The dress code on “Showtime Saturday” was your favorite doll or teddy bear top and accessories (e.g., blouse/shirt/jacket/sweater/jewelry/pins). The Quinlans are not into pomp and circumstance. They prefer casual attire to create a relaxed, informal event – this may be one of the reasons why spouses of 40% of the artists attended, which must be a new high for such events.
On Saturday the public started to arrive for the Artist Doll & Teddy Bear Show & Sale. The nearly 150 participating doll and teddy bear artists and handful of vendors was promising to be the largest artist event of its kind in decades, if ever. The posters and signage used to direct people where to go for the different activities featured creations by doll artists Ankie Daanen, Linda Miller Smith, and Nancy Wiley and teddy bear artists Martha Burch, Armella Dana, Cindy Malchoff, and Ron & Kristy Northman. Many attended the free pre-Show & Sale presentations. Author and publisher Krystyna Poray Goddu spoke on “Dollmakers and Their Stories: Women Who Changed the World of Play” based upon her children’s book of the same name. It introduced the lives and work of five pioneering women – Martha Chase, Kathe Kruse, Sasha Morgenthaler, Beatrice (Madame) Alexander and Ruth Handler (founder of Mattel and creator of Barbie). NIADA patron Michael Collins spoke on “Art Dolls: The Thrill of Discovery”, which highlighted a broad spectrum of art dolls and provided attendees with some insight on why dolls have become one of the world’s most popular art forms, as well as, why doll collectors and enthusiasts are drawn to this wonderful world of creativity. The presentation on “The Teddy Bear as Art” by author and artist Ted Menten described what is an artist bear, the process of making bears, and the history of artist bears including competitions and gallery shows that helped to establish bears as a genuine fabric art form. Before the doors to the Saturday Show & Sale opened, over 200 had arrived to take advantage of the offer of free admission to the first 200. When the doors opened, a loud rendition of music from the movie “Rocky” filled the air. The four ballrooms of artists broke out into a loud applause. The music was a big hit with the local Philadelphians and it kicked off the constant “buzz” in the room that is a sure sign of a good show. The show organizers continued to let people in free well beyond the first 200 until nearly noon. Admission was charged for the next hour, but all those arriving after 1:00p.m. were allowed in free as many did not realize the Show & Sale was ending at 2:00p.m. when the Preview and Auction of signed one-of-a-kind artist dolls and teddy bears was to begin. The Sale had an “under $100 artist sales table” where new collectors could purchase original artist pieces at very affordable prices. All children under 12 were given the choice of a doll pin, a wood doll coloring kit, or a “Buddy Bear”. The most popular choice was the Buddy Bear, which is a 4” golden brown mohair bear with jointed arms, legs and head, and small enough to put in a shirt pocket or handbag. The intent by the Quinlans was that Buddy Bears serve as a constant companion for a child to take with them wherever they go – someone they can talk to and share experiences. The idea came from stories of WWII fighter pilots taking small teddy bears on flight missions, police and fire fighters taking one on their calls, children having a constant companion in hospitals, and adults taking one on all their travels. Susan and Terry have often said that in order for the teddy bear and doll world to turn itself around, the public needs to understand that teddy bears and dolls can serve many purposes other than as playthings. They can provide companionship and motivation, serve as roll models, etc. To practice what they preach, Terry Quinlan was walking around at their Saturday Show wearing a maroon t-shirt with pictures of the front and back of a doll created by artist Joy Calhoon. The scene shows Terry with his recently departed cat Cindy (Cinderella) that lead a really tough life and experienced physical handicaps most of her life. On the back of the t-shirt is a picture of Terry as Prince Charming holding Cindy as a princess with the messages: “Heroes Never Die” and “There is room for dolls and teddy bears even in the hearts of tough guys.” – Terry Quinlan, USMC 1958-1965. Among the Show door prizes were a number of signed one-of-a-kind artist dolls and teddy bears previously entered in the Helen Bullard and Beverly Port Award for Excellence Judging. There were very happy winners taking home some very special pieces. It doesn’t get any better than a one-of-a-kind collectable that is actually signed by the artist. Artists were encouraged to bring a sample of their work or material that they would not mind children touching and feeling – an idea provided by a NIADA doll artist. The intent was to create a child-friendly atmosphere where children are encouraged to learn by touching and asking questions, as opposed to constantly being told not to touch things. In order to give the collectors something to do while they ate lunch, a panel of leading doll artists described what makes their creations unique so collectors could understand what goes into designing and creating artist pieces. Floyd Bell described how the smell, touch and feel of wood make for an ideal material for something as personal as his dolls. Stephane Blythe explained how she tries to create an heirloom-treasure quality using the finest quality materials available and why she loves working in porcelain, which has been valued for its quality, endurance and beauty over the centuries. Mark Dennis uses his engineering/mechanical side and fine art side of his personality to capture that “one moment in time” in his sculpting using polymer clay, which gives him the best results in combining movement with his need to recreate the most realistic figures that he can. Deborah C. Pope uses wet felting and her attention to detail, combined with a vivid imagination and color sense to create spectacular, one-of-a-kind pieces that are both imaginative in their subject matter and exquisitely costumed to complement the spirit of her creations. Nancy Wiley combines fine art techniques with traditional doll making skills to give the doll a different look, such as painting facial features, applying the painted treatment to the costuming, and using unusual materials like raffia and unraveled burlap for hair. Bear artist Christy Firmage said, “It was so wonderful to be able to see so many artists…some of us had not seen each other in years,” while bear artist JoAnne O’Hanlon said, “I have never enjoyed such a wonderful weekend as this [event] before. Loved meeting new artists, both doll and teddy bear, and new customers. My sales were also great.” Some of those leaving the Show & Sale said that they had stopped making dolls or teddy bears but were now inspired to go back [home] to make them again because there was now an event that so strongly supports the artists and can create such a large gathering of artists to attract the collectors back after so many years.
The afternoon Auction of signed one-of-a-kind artist dolls and teddy bears was packed. There was standing room only. Each auction piece was offering all three key determinants of value – quality, scarcity and the artist's signature. Another unique aspect of the auction was that the artist received 100% of the winning bid – none of the proceeds were going to a show organizer or a charity. It was just one of the ways this event was trying to financially support the artists in every way possible in order to encourage them to continue making their wonderful creations.
If there was one defining moment at the convention that succinctly expressed what this convention is all about, it was the experience of one young boy who stood out among all of the winning bidders at the Auction on Saturday. At the Auction Preview, 8 year old Christian Lopez singled out one piece that he fell in love with. It was entitled “A World Apart – One Heart” by doll artist Joy Calhoon. It was a portrait piece of two young boys, one from America and one from Uganda. Kacey, the American, is leaning on the top of a world globe showing Gabriel where he lives in Florida, while Gabriel tries to just hold on to his world and to make it a better place. Even though they are from much different worlds, their hearts are still connected through the love they share. Christian, who is called “Little Guy” around the house, was attracted by the fact that the piece contained male dolls, which he finds unusual in the doll world, and it had an ethnic theme, which he has learned to appreciate from his home schooling by his parents Marilyn and Christian Sr. When “Little Guy” heard that they were the highest bidder, he became emotional with tears of joy. There could be no clearer expression of what artist dolls and teddy bears are all about, and that is, they bring joy and happiness to the world. This emotional connection gives us all hope that today’s younger generation do appreciate artist creations. According to doll artist Sherry Goshon, “The convention had the feel of the Old Santa Fe Artist Doll Show, which was many, many artist’s favorite show of the year, and when I mentioned that to others [artists], many said they agreed. There was a very laid-back feeling to the event.” The Quinlans have found that many of the doll and teddy bear shows feature antique or contemporary dolls and bears while the artist pieces are overwhelmed. They felt it was time that these talented and creative people should have a major venue of their own where their work would be showcased in addition to the three leading artist events held by NIADA (National Institute of American Doll Artists), ODACA (Original Doll Artist Council of America), and TBAI (Teddy Bear Artist Invitational). However this is the only show that combines both the artist doll and artist bear world of collectors. Based on the Quinlan’s study, 89% of doll and teddy bear collectors collect more than one type of collectable. The convention also educates collectors about the differences between the artist’s creations and commercial/manufactured dolls and teddy bears. What does this convention hold for the future? Terry Quinlan said, “We never intended this first effort to be the prototype of our future conventions. It was simply the testing grounds for as many activities as possible and crammed into a narrow time window so that Susan and I could get a crash course in the demands of artists and collectors, as well as, what does and does not work.” The next Artist Doll & Teddy Bear Convention will be held on May 3-5, 2012 at the same place – Ramada Philadelphia Airport Hotel. Based on the suggestions from the participating artists and the Quinlan’s observations, an optional full day of workshops will be added; the convention will include friendly critiquing sessions for new artists to learn from more experienced artists; only artists (not vendors) will have tables at the Saturday Show & Sale with two exceptions – a doll artist book publisher (Reverie Publishers) for the doll community and a fur/mohair seller (Mohair Maniac) for the teddy bear artists; the length of the Saturday Sale hours will be increased to eight (8) hours; conventioneers will have four (4) hours of early access to the Sales Rooms; the public also will have an opportunity to access the Sales areas early. Susan and Terry whole-heartedly agree that “This event could never have been nearly as successful without the support of the many artists that so generously offered to distribute the convention promotional material at other events and to their customers by email and postal mail. It only goes to show what can be done by working together. We will always be eternally grateful to all of them.”
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