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LARRY DAVIS / Los Angeles Times
Artist John Outterbridge's finely detailed creations are now on display in the African American Doll Exhibition through Jan. 30.

African American Dolls
From Child's Play to an Exhibition
By JUANA E. DUTY, Times Staff Writer

Some have names like Rasta Woman, Dashoon, Ezmarelda and Sister Mamie. And, some have no names at all.
Some are only a few inches tall, others are almost life-size. Some are decked out in carefully crafted dress attire or detailed costumes, while others sport jeans. And, a few are totally unadorned.
They are the 100 subjects on display in the African American Doll Exhibition at the William Grant Still Community Arts Center through Jan.30.

Arts Center Director
Most of the dolls in the exhibit at the multi-ethnic arts center, a converted fire station at 2520 Westview St. in the West Adams neighborhood, are the works of local black artists, along with some creations from Ethiopia, Liberia, Kenya, Zaire and Algeria.
The Still center is funded by the Los Angeles Cultural Affaires Department.
One of the local artists represented in the exhibit is John Outterbridge, the 48-year-old director of the Watts Tower Arts Center, whose paintings and sculptures have been shown at the County Museum of Art. UCLA and else-where.
Outterbridge's sculptures are painstakingly assembled from found objects and things given to him by friends, and sometimes by people he has never met but who admire his work. 

Replicas of Real Shoes
As an artist working in the black community, Outterbridge says he feels strongly that his work should be relevant to that community.
His dolls reflect that commitment and his background as a sculptor. They are also a testament to his ingenuity in the use of materials.
The hair on almost all of his doll's heads is human hair that he swept from barbershop floors.
Their tiny feet are often adorned in handmade leather shoes, replicas of real shoes, crafted by Outterbridge.
Their clothes are all made by hand, with each garment symbolic of some aspect of what the doll represents.

Please see DOLLS, Page 6

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GEORGE ROSE / Los Angeles Times
Helen Nicholson with her handmade Ezmarelda dolls for children, part of the black doll exhibit at Still Community Arts Center.