Virtual Gallery
Virtual Gallery
Jill Barber
The Color and Cuddle Washable Doll originally was not a gay doll. Over a million dolls were sold which gave pleasure to thousands of children, and perhaps many of them may have had gay or lesbian, transgender, parents. She emerged, came out, as many of us have during this current political climate of anti-gay and transgender prejudice and recent hateful laws. As a toy designer, I created the Color and Cuddle washable doll series, licensed by Alex Toys to comfort children. Since the dolls are my intellectual property, I am able to change the design. This year of moral crises has inspired me to make this statement, Color Me Gay.
As a native New Yorker, Jill Barber earned MA in art from New York University and studies at the Institute Staggio Staggi in Pietra Santa, Italy. Her sculptures and marble tables have been described by Designer Quarterly magazine as space-influenced, futuristic-styled. They have appeared in TV Guide, NBC News, galleries in Italy and New York and an article in The New York Times. She designed greeting cards including the UNICEF 1974 PEACE card that sold worldwide. Barber has been a restorer of antiques in marble and terracotta. Some of her clients include Robert Mapplethorpe, Billy Joel and Christie's auction house. in 2005, she designed the prototype of the "Color and Cuddle Washable Doll," which was licensed to Alex toys. Over a million dolls were sold. Currently, she is marketing a soft interactive children's book which was created and illustrated.
Artist Bio
COLOR ME GAY
Jill Barber
2023, tyvek cloth, fleece, acrylic stuffing
15"×9"×3" Online & In-Person