November 26, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:

Barbara Hollander, SAMA-Altoona Coordinator

(814) 946-4464

Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

ANNUAL HOLIDAY FAVORITES RETURN TO SAMA-ALTOONA

            Altoona – The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Altoona is pleased to announce the return of one of its most popular annual exhibitions, Antique Dolls: A Holiday Celebration. The exhibition is on view now through January 7.

            In celebration of the exhibition, the Museum will be hosting another annual favorite, its Holiday Tea Party, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 2. Cost is $5 per person. Reservations are required by November 30 and can be made by calling the Museum at (814) 946-4464.

            Over the years, the dolls exhibition has become a favorite holiday event within the Altoona community. This year’s exhibition features 62 dolls, including a collection of Lenci dolls, all-wool felt dolls made near Jurin, Italy. Lenci dolls are made by Italian artists and each one is a work of art. The exhibition also will include several China half-figurines, or pincushion dolls. Despite their name, these figurines were never meant to be playthings, nor were they intended to top pincushions. Instead, half-figurines were made to be used on powder boxes, clothes, brushes, perfume bottles, candy boxes, small lamps, umbrella handles, and tea cozies. For more than a quarter century, half-dolls flourished and large quantities were manufactured, primarily in Germany.

            “The doll show is eagerly awaited every Thanksgiving season because it is a completely new exhibit from previous years,” said SAMA-Altoona Coordinator, Barbara Hollander. “The half-dolls featured in this year’s show have never been seen in this area before. The Russian tea cozy dolls, made in Germany in the 1980s, are so life-like with their glistening porcelain skin and elaborate costuming. We also have on display a doll house with eight rooms, fully furnished, including a full kitchen and bath. You do not have to be a child to enjoy this exhibit, but it doesn’t hurt to be young at heart.”

            The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Altoona is located in the Brett Building at 1210 Eleventh Avenue. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. The Museum is a handicapped-accessible facility and is open to the public free of charge. For more information, call the Museum or visit www.sama-art.org.