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Children's Toys, Clothing and Quilts
Provide a Glimpse Into Amish Life
Made By Loving Hands: Amish Children's Clothing, Toys and Quilts from the Thomas and Marsha French Collection will be on display from April 26 - July 8, 2001, at the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery. Organized by the Kent State University Museum and curated by Jean Druesedow, Made By Loving Hands features Amish children's articles made from 1870 to 1960. Included in the exhibition are dolls, stuffed animals, toy furniture, quilts, sewing accessories and boys and girls clothing including shirts, trousers, dresses, pinafores, bonnets and stockings.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 26, from 5-7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The Riffe Gallery will present two special events in conjunction with this exhibition.
May 6 at 2 p.m. there will be a lecture by Dr. Wayne Weaver, a Holmes County physician raised in Amish country. Weaver will provide insight into the Amish lifestyle and discuss his memoirs, Dust Between My Toes: An Amish Boy's Journey.
Family Day will be held on May 20, from 2-4 p.m. Activities for kids and families include traditional Amish crafts and samples of Amish food. The event is free and open to the public.
At a time when people seek to rediscover the value of family and community within the context of contemporary life, it is helpful to examine the ways of the Amish as they strive to protect a simple way of living. This exhibition helps the viewer to understand Amish children as they explore a world free of technology but full of color, free of material wealth but full of imagination, a world defined by the strict discipline of faith tempered by love.
All aspects of Amish life reflect their belief in a simple and humble life. Clothing, their most immediate visual symbol of a life apart from Western urban culture, is functional and modest. Colors are subdued, but brighter colors are sometimes used in private circumstances.
The colorful girl's stockings in this exhibit rarely would be seen under long skirts and high-topped shoes. Buttons are used for children's clothes and some work clothes, but the majority of adult clothes are fastened with hooks and eyes or straight pins.
Amish children's lives include work, play and school. They are taught to prize practical, hands-on work that contributes to the welfare of the family and community, and begin to help with chores from the time they are able to walk. Although work predominates in Amish life, other activities of the extended family and community offer many opportunities for children to play together. Amish children are given presents of games, toys and dolls on special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas. They enjoy swimming and ball games in the summer, and sledding and skating in the winter. A Supreme Court decision in 1972 allowed the Amish to create their own school system, and therefore preserve their way of life. Amish children attend one-room schools without electricity, and are taught by Amish teachers from books published by the Amish.
Descended from the Anabaptists of Zurich, Switzerland, who had branched off from the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the Amish split from the Anabaptist Mennonite group to follow the views of Jacob Ammann. The Amish beliefs include a strict obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the function of church members as accountable to one another and separate from the world, and an ethic of love that rejects violence in all spheres of human interaction. For Amish children, these beliefs are an immediate influence on their lives. Children begin attending worship at six weeks of age. Attending services helps children develop patience, obedience, humility, and a sense of unity.
Jean Druesedow , author, lecturer and scholar of costume history, has served as the director of the Kent State University Museum since 1993. She curated for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute from 1978 to 1984, and has held faculty positions at numerous schools across the country, including New York University and Miami University in Oxford.
Made By Loving Hands: Amish Children's Clothing, Toys and Quilts is supported by the Ohio Building Authority. Media sponsors include Columbus Alive, Small Business News, and Time Warner Communications.
The Riffe Gallery, operated by the Ohio Arts Council, showcases the work of Ohio's artists and curators and the collections of the state's museums and galleries. The gallery is in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, State and High Streets, Columbus, OH. Hours are Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 12-8 p.m. and Sunday 12-4 p.m. Admission is free. For information or to schedule a tour call the Riffe Gallery at 614/644-9624.
The Ohio Arts Council, a state agency established in 1965, builds the state through the arts—economically, educationally and culturally—preserving the past, enhancing the present and enriching the future for all Ohioans. The Council believes the arts should be shared by the people of Ohio. The arts arise from public, individual and organizational efforts. The OAC supports and encourages those efforts.
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