May 15-17, Florence, Italy
By Shawn Duthie
The International Art Doll Registry (IADR) is holding its first convention May 15-17, 2025, at the Hotel Albani Firenze in Florence, Italy. Shine the Light is the convention theme, signifying the quest for enlightenment and discovery through art. It is by shining the light within and creating art for others to experience that all are illuminated. From the 14th to 16th centuries, Florence was that shining light to the world, with residents like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante, Machiavelli, Amerigo Vespucci, and Galileo.
The three-day convention will start with an all-day workshop hosted by author and realistic portrait sculptor Mark Dennis (mad-sculptor.com), followed by another two days of workshops and open-to-the-public sales tables. The IADR Convention will also conduct a juried show, with the winners to be announced at the Friday awards banquet.
The full-day workshop by Dennis is titled Putting Your Best Face Forward: Adding Expression to Your Art. It will explore not only the range of emotions that can be added to sculpted faces but also dive deeper into the underlying structures that facilitate these expressions. Attendees will work with nondrying clay on a 4-inch resin skull so pieces can be reworked as much as needed. Upon the skull, muscles, fat pads, skin, and skin textures will be applied, and it will be demonstrated how activating certain facial muscles create expressions on the final layer of the face.
Additional workshops will be available to register for during the conference. These include Sculpting a Face Without Molds by Patrizia Cozzo, A Portrait on a Frame by Palma Battaglia, Creating a Silk Doll Dress by Elisabetta Bernardi, Modeling a Foot and Hand by Loredana Salvo, and Creating a Magical Mushroom Character by Elisabetta Visentini.
Open-to-the-public sales tables will have IADR artists’ one-of-a-kind dolls. Those who stop by will have a chance to talk with the artists themselves.
The IADR juried show will be open to all convention attendees. IADR juried shows are for OOAK handmade dolls that are human or fantasy animals acting like humans with human characteristics. Dolls may be made in any medium, including polymer, porcelain, or paper clay. There will be a special category for fabric and/or needle felted art dolls. Awards will be given for the five skill levels: novice, intermediate, advance, professional, and master. As a special gift from Dennis (the banquet guest speaker), one registered convention guest will take home the Catch of the Day, which will be awarded after the winners of the juried show are announced. To see how to win the Catch of the Day, check out IADR’s website.
Convention registration opened October 15, 2024, on the IADR website. The sign-up for convention workshops, rules for submitting a doll for judging, and information about requesting a sales table in the convention center are available.
Join us in Florence — the birthplace of the Renaissance — for days filled with fun OOAK doll experiences and the opportunity to see art and sites around the city!
Learn more at international-art-doll-registry.com
