Through February 28th
The Bard Graduate Center Gallery exhibition on Swedish Wooden Toys represents the first in-depth study of the history of wooden playthings in Sweden from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century. Featuring remarkable doll houses, puzzles and games, pull toys, trains, planes, automobiles, and more, this exhibition explores Sweden’s long and enduring tradition of designing, making and consuming wooden toys – from the simplest handmade to the mass produced forms. The exhibit examines the cultural embrace of the wooden toy as a sign of timelessness and quality. Sweden’s forests provided an abundant natural resource for both the toy industry and amateur toy makers. This exhibition not only reviews the production of Sweden’s toy industries but also explores the practice of handicrafts, the educational value of wooden playthings, and the vision of childhood that the Swedish have promoted worldwide.
Bard Graduate Center Gallery 18 West 86th Street (212) 501-3023 http://bgc.bard.edu