"The Marvelous Toys and Fabulous Things Show"

H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art
Dec. 1-17, Jan. 5-22

The H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art presents "The Marvelous Toys and Fabulous Things Show” Dec. 1-17 and Jan. 5-22. Explore the magical world of toys as imagined by artists Kathy Weaver, Bill Reid, Valerie Weberpal, Rachel Klees Anderson, David Holmes and Marilyn Ward.

An opening reception was held on Friday, Dec. 3.

About the Artists

Kathy Weaver

Chicago artist Kathy Weaver creates large, exotic quilts depicting robots that address the intersection between technology and art. "By using the labor-intensive quilt medium, nostalgic materials and the robot persona, the pieces have layers of meaning about time, personal and political conflict, and memory," she states on her web site. "The robot represents scientific and technological improvement resulting in change to the status quo."

Humor, satire and whimsy add human aspects to the robots, making the quilts enigmatically fun to look upon. "The humor underscores the suspicion that more is afoot than suggested at first glance. ... There is an incongruity in the use of soft materials for hard objects and sharp thoughts."

Born in Sunbury, Penn., near Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Ms. Weaver was trained as a painter and taught art in the public schools. In her paintings, she involved issues of apartheid, feminism and anti-militarism. In 1998, she began using fabric to engage a larger audience. An example of her early fiber work is a series of three quilts titled "Guns are Us," portraying the number of children killed by violence in Chicago in one year. These quilts are in the collection of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.

Bill Reid

Recognized around the world as one of the leading fabulists in a fabulousy world, Wisconsin artist Bill Reid creates brightly painted steel "extravagonzo" sculptures: Imaginary beasts, whimsical pedal cars, and experimental musical instruments.

His creatures inhabit their own little utopia and follow an uncommon logic. Whether they have mechanical movement, make music, or can even be driven on the street, Mr. Reid's works require us to erase our perception of what is, and ask ourselves instead, "What could it be?"

Mr. Reid has been making his sculptures for more than 20 years. His work can be found at galleries across the country including the Racine Art Museum, V. Breier Gallery in San Francisco, Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee, Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago, and Hitchcocks in Bath, England.

Valerie Weberpal

Illinois artist Valerie Weberpal has developed a line of handmade stuffed monster dolls in her studio, Harvest Moon Designs. One doll has become a character in an ongoing blog titled "The Adventures of Caruthers P. Davenport."

David Holmes

David Holmes' work has been shown at the Smithsonian Institute, Art Institute of Chicago, Milwaukee Art Museum, and American Craft Museum, and at other art centers and college art galleries around the country. Born in Newark, New York, a small city near Rochester, he attended the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, graduating cum laude. He worked with cognitively disabled children at an institute in upstate New York before moving to Wisconsin, where he earned his M.F.A. at the University of Wisconsin.

Over the years he has made a number of works that are meant to be seen as self-contained settings: "The Alchemic Emporium" had a national tour from 1990 to 1996. More recently, "The Mystical Mechanical Menagerie" has been on display at nine museums and universities since 2000. His latest work is a series of small, whimsical robotic characters with the working title of "Sins of My Old Age." He has been a professor of art at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside for the past 30 years.

Marilyn Ward

Marilyn Ward grew up, surrounded by dolls, in a big white and red house on the Lake Michigan shoreline, reading Cinderella, Dr. Seuss, Heidi, Eloise, Alice in Wonderland, and books about ballet. Today, she teaches about those books and many more, two miles south of that house on Lake Michigan, at Carthage College. She has created 15 dollhouses based on children's books and characters, including Caledcott House and House for an Art Lover.

Prof. Ward joined the Carthage education faculty in 1990, where she teaches courses in children's and young adult literature, creative arts, social studies methods, poetry theatre, gifted and talented education, and dance.

The story of dollhouses is a tale of a miniature world filled with heroes, villains and anecdotes. It is also filled with chairs that will stand in the palm of your hand, and teacups that would disappear from sight in a thimble. Miniatures have an irresistible fascination for both adults and children: adults are intrigued by the skill and artistry involved in the creation of tiny objects while children are simply entranced. When the doors of a dollhouse are opened, revealing comfortably furnished bedrooms, an elegant drawing room, and a kitchen equipped with every utensil imaginable, the magic is complete.

Rachel Klees Anderson

Rachel Klees Anderson lives and works in Kenosha. Her job as curator of exhibits has allowed her to apply her exceptional skills as a sculptor and designer of exhibition displays to many of the museum and public art works of Kenosha. In addition to her full-time curatorial job, she paints and creates delightfully realistic dolls using polymer clay, real hair, glass eyes, and a careful selection of fabrics found in thrift stores. Many of these character-type dolls have such unique features that you feel as if you have caught a glimpse of wood spirit from the side of your eye.