exhibitions
Phoenix Art Museum has a dedicated fashion gallery where multiple exhibits take place annually. Inside the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Gallery, patrons will experience exhibitions that focus on clothing both as an art form and cultural phenomenon. Objects featured in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Design Gallery are from the permanent collection as well as on loan from international fashion houses, collectors and museums.
Special-Engagement Exhibition
Barbie®: A Cultural Icon
02/14/2024 to 07/07/2024
Located in Fashion-Design Mezzanine
Trace the evolution of Barbie, from child’s toy to global icon.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Created by Illusion Projects and Mattel, Inc., Barbie®: A Cultural Icon examines the Barbie brand’s 60+ year history and the doll’s global impact on pop culture. Across six distinct sections, visitors experience more than 250 vintage dolls—including the original Barbie—from the collections of private collector David Porcello and Mattel, life-size fashion designs, exclusive interviews, and narrative sections that consider the style trends, careers, and identities that Barbie has embodied and popularized over the decades.
The major exhibition begins with the Barbie origin story and presents all 22 original ensemble outfits, while subsequent areas consider the influence of the Space Age; the creation of Christie, the first Black doll; the arrival of Ken; and the creation of the Barbie Dreamhouse™. Barbie also appears in the iconic fashions of the 1970s, including Groovy Style, beachwear, and disco-themed designs, while sections on the 1980s and 1990s present a selection of diverse Barbie dolls that represent a range of ethnicities, body types, and careers. The exhibition culminates in the 2000s, spotlighting the continued diversification of characters within the Barbie universe and connecting them to contemporary fashion trends, perspectives, and identities.
In addition to vintage dolls, historical objects, and life-size fashion designs, Barbie®: A Cultural Icon features video interviews with Barbie designers on five custom-made Barbie Dreamhouse TVs and five unique photo opportunities, including a life-size Barbie Mirror-Pink Corvette with which guests can interact.
The exhibition is complemented by original PhxArt exhibitionThe Power of Pink, which is drawn exclusively from the Museum’s expansive fashion-design collection. The Power of Pink explores the history, science, and associations of the color synonymous with the iconic Barbie brand.
Images courtesy of Illusion Projects, Inc. and Mattel Inc. ©2020 Mattel Inc. All rights reserved.
BUY TICKETS
(included in PhxArt General admission, complimentary for current Museum members)
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Barbie®: A Cultural Icon was created by Illusion Projects and curated by costume historian Karan Feder, in collaboration with Mattel. The exhibition’s presentation at Phoenix Art Museum is coordinated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design.
The Phoenix premiere of Barbie®: A Cultural Icon is made possible through the generosity of:
The Opatrny Family Foundation
Arizona Costume Institute, Men’s Arts Council, and My Sister’s Closet
Shamrock Farms, Miriam and Yefim Sukhman
All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.
The Power of Pink is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Helen Jean, the Jacquie Dorrance Curator of Fashion Design at Phoenix Art Museum.
The Power of Pink is made possible through the generosity of:
The Arizona Costume Institute
All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.