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Doll Shows Real Picture of Pendleton
When the “What if Mattel made Oregon Barbies?” list was circulated on the web and reprinted by the state’s largest newspaper, the staff at the Pendleton Center for the Arts took exception. The list, descriptions of fictitious dolls and their accessories, was designed to poke fun at the stereotypes of Portland neighborhoods and Oregon’s rural areas.
The description pointed at Pendleton women described a doll “dressed in her own Wrangler jeans 2-sizes too small, steel-toed cowboy boots, a classic Metallica 'T'shirt and a Tweedy Bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has fake fingernails, a six pack of Budweiser.... She can spit over a distance of 6 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's [rear end] when she is drunk...”
Instead of being annoyed, Arts Center Director Roberta Lavadour took it as a challenge. “We thought this would provide a great opportunity to show the REAL Pendleton to a wide audience,” she said. Lavadour worked with Jan MacGregor and Vicky Pearce of Hamley to round up a group of local artisans to create an accessory set for a doll that would reflect the true character of Pendleton. |
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“Pendleton is a community made up of a diverse mix of people and ideas. There are many strong traditions here and we’re all bound together by our love of this place, whether we’re cowboys or not” said Lavadour. “It’s a tradition of craftsmanship that I think makes this place unique.”
The accessory set that the group of artists created turned out to be worthy of any museum in the country.
Mary Bonifer, acclaimed leather apparel designer whose hand-crafted masterpieces have been worn by the Round-Up Queens and Princesses for more than twenty years, created a custom lambskin suede outfit for the doll. Her full-size creations are sought after by Hollywood celebrities and others from across the country looking for impeccably crafted leather apparel.
Native American artist Joey Lavadour, whose baskets have been exhibited and collected by museums across the country, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Portland Art Museum and the Hallie Ford Museum, created a Plateau flat bag for the doll using Pendleton Wool yarn.
Nationally acclaimed rawhide braider Tim George created an exact scale replica of a full-size lasso for the doll that features rattlesnake braid with rolled swivel hondo. The huge demand for George’s work means that most pieces are spoken for before they are even completed.
Zan & Patience Traughber of ZPT Silver & Gold created an engraved sterling silver Round-Up bucking horse logo earring and pendant set for the doll. ZPT creates all the jewelry and buckles for the Round-Up Court and is the only silversmith studio with the rights to reproduce the official logo. “These are definitely the smallest earrings we’ve ever made,” said Patience. “It’s probably the smallest bucking horse, period.”
In addition to the artisan pieces, the doll comes with a host of other accessories that show her as a well-rounded community member, including a vellum degree from Oregon State University, a membership card from the Arts Council of Pendleton, a cloth Pendleton Farmer’s Market shopping bag and a souvenir program from the Oregon East Symphony.
“We have so many fine, traditional and contemporary artists and craftsmen in Pendleton, we really could have had dozens of great accessories for her. “Lavadour added. |
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Congratulations Karen Gould ...winner of the Real Pendleton Doll! |
