The exhibition was funded in part by The County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program.
_*ARTFUL ARMADILLOS*_ was a playful companion to the Museum’s other exhibition _*ART OF PLAY— Kinetic Toys of the World*_. Primarily small figures that come from Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Suriname, Mexico and the USA, the armadillos were fashioned from materials that were easily available to their makers, many of whom are anonymous. Wood, clay, gourd, horn, coconut, metal, seashells, pine cones, straw and toothpicks formed the animals’ bodies, while paint or glaze and, in one case, a felt pen decorated these charming creatures. Also on view were a handsome print portraying an almost abstract armadillo and a once-living, now-stuffed armadillo.
Drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection, the majority of the exhibition was once the quirky, whimsical collection amassed during many years by the late Katarina Real-Cate, an authority on the folk arts of Brazil and a longtime member of the Museum’s International Advisory Board. In June, a large, painted wood armadillo from Brazil—a recent donation to the Museum’s collection—was added to the exhibition.
Artful Armadillos: A Clay Workshop for Families took place on Saturday, May 10, 2008.