Object/s of Play: The Work of Cas Holman and Karen Hewitt explores the creative processes of two award-winning American toy designers—a generation apart—who interpret the concept of open-ended play in their own unique ways. Instead of providing step-by-step instructions or written rules about how to engage with their toys, both Holman and Hewitt design playthings that encourage children to use their own imaginations, fostering creativity, ingenuity, and independent thinking.

On view in the Pizzagalli Center’s Diana and John Colgate Gallery, this interactive exhibition will be organized into four playful sections. The exhibit begins with a selection of blocks and construction toys from the Shelburne Museum’s collection. In many ways, these play objects are precursors of the designs of Cas and Karen and provoke questions about the changing views of childhood, education, gender roles, and the problematic nature of exhibiting the material culture of children and childhood in museum settings.

The second section will focus on Karen Hewitt’s prolific fifty-year career as the founder/designer of the Learning Materials Workshop (Burlington, VT and New York, NY), featuring a range of her famous toys, including, Thingamabobbin, Arcobaleno, and Coloraturo and some never before seen recent playful experiments with materials. The third section will examine Cas Holman’s iterative design practice and will include displays of her unique sketching and model making process for her award-winning Rigamajig play set and new concept, The Critter. The fourth and final section will consist of an interactive Rigamajig play space with specially built workstations designed to accommodate children of all ages and physical capabilities.

This exhibition is made possible thanks to generous support from Donna and Marvin Schwartz,

Inflated objects have long been at the forefront of innovative design and advancement. Since the 18th century, pneumatic structures have filled our skies and sprung up from the ground, defying traditional forms and, at times, gravity. Inflated structures began as aviation inventions, intended for warfare, surveillance, or travel. Today, inflated objects are ubiquitous in our daily lives, frequently incorporated into play and decoration, such as children’s bounce houses, pool or beach toys, and blow-up chairs.

Pop Up: Inflated Sculpture celebrates contemporary inflatable art’s versatility of design, materiality, and technology. Featuring three artists and artist teams leading the field of pneumatic sculpture—Claire Ashley, Pneuhaus, and Tamar Ettun—Pop Up will fill space both inside and outside Shelburne Museum. Every two months, a different artist will transform the museum’s grounds, placing a new outdoor inflated artwork in conversation with nearby historic structures and environments. Additional multimedia artwork by each artist will create dialogue with the museum’s historic collections at various indoor locations throughout the duration of the exhibition. With their large sensuous forms and bold pops of color, these sculptures convey playful humor and wonder while also facilitating discussions about larger sensory, sociopolitical, and cultural topics.

To learn more about this exhibition and view additional images, please visit this website for updates throughout the duration of the exhibition.

Due to the vulnerable nature of the materials, the outdoor sculptures will not be on view on days with excessive wind.

Pet Friendly celebrates the diverse multimedia work of Stephen Huneck (1948–2010), one of New England’s most well-known and celebrated artists. The exhibition features a selection of hand carved and painted furniture, sculptures, relief paintings, bronze sculptures, and more on loan from the Estate of Stephen Huneck, Friends of Dog Mountain (St. Johnsbury, Vermont).

This exhibition is made possible thanks to generous support from Donna and Marvin Schwartz

Right Under Your Nose features selections from the collection of J. J. Murphy and Nancy Mladenoff, a compendium of more than 3,200 children’s printed handkerchiefs and related ephemera gifted to Shelburne Museum in 2020. Usually carried close to the user’s body, these intimate, everyday objects taught lessons, instilled predominant social and cultural standards, and sometimes even inspired a giggle or happy memory while providing soothing relief for a runny nose. Close examination of these objects reveals technological innovations in manufacturing, shifts in understandings of children and the idea of childhood, the development of ideas like nationalism and cultural identity, the evolution of gender norms and racial stereotypes, and more.

Built from the Earth: Pueblo Pottery from the Anthony and Teressa Perry Collection highlights important items from the Perry collection. The exhibition focuses on the skill and artistry of potters from eight of the Pueblo communities in New Mexico: Acoma, Cochiti, Laguna, Santa Ana, Santo Domingo, San Ildefonso, Zia, and Zuni. Built from the Earth will introduce visitors to the techniques of creating these works of art, discussing the historic methods rooted in the land and materials of New Mexico.