DISCOVERING
KENTUCKY
“That is amazing!” “I can’t believe the detail!” “I’ve never seen anything like this before!”
These are just a few of the things you hear people say as they leave The Great American Dollhouse Museum in Danville. The museum, housed in a 6000 square foot historical building, showcases over 200 dollhouses, miniature buildings, and room boxes with a focus on social history, architecture, lifelike detail. The Museum unveils a surprise around every corner, with dollhouses that have come from all over the country and Europe. One part of the exhibit takes visitors on a visual journey through United States History from Native American through Colonial, Old West, early Southwest and modern eras. In Copper Hollow, circa 1910, hundreds of antique and artisan-sculpted, historically-dressed citizens interact with family, friends and business associates amid mansions, businesses, retail and factory districts as well as a Shaker village. Another favorite area is the Fantasy Forest, with its fairy houses, walk-in dragon cave and mystical creatures, including faeries, elves, witches and trolls. Each part of the exhibit invites visitors to interact, rather than just view. Historical facts and/or hints to the story going on in the particular miniature world are offered throughout the display. Each house in one section, for example, tells a story of how that house’s occupants are relating to a wedding going on in the town.
2 “The stories are there to create an experience,” explains Lori KaganMoore, Director and Curator of the Museum. The stories attract visitors of all ages, male and female, whether you are a miniaturist or not. “More traditional and formal museums are artifact oriented,” explains Kagan-Moore. “That’s not the focus here. We don’t want people to be admiring the workmanship of a particular item, although the workmanship is there, so much as we want them experiencing it.” Visitors like the exhibits that have the funniest or most meaningful stories. “They are fond of Gregory, who is dyeing the white Persian cat using his Easter egg kit. He’s in his mother’s bedroom, and you anticipate the cat leaping lightly onto the white satin bedspread,” Kagan-Moore says.
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Tiny
Treasures
The Great American Dollhouse Museum delights with unexpected adventure in miniature form
The Museum is constantly changing, as the exhibits are updated and more detail is added or houses and scenes are finished. “Right now I’m enjoying working on the tenement district, because it involves distressing and aging all the miniatures,” says Kagan-Moore. Her daughter, Hannah Kagan-Moore designed and painted the tenement district, and was also the creative force in assembling the Fantasy Forest. She is Assistant Curator at the Museum and is working on her Master’s Degree in Art History. “There are stores downstairs—the old, urban butcher shop, florist, neighborhood grocer, corner cigar store—and upstairs, poor tenants, circa 1910. It provides a striking contrast from the opulent, rich homes of the mansion districts. The clothing, the furnishings—even the foods—are very different.”
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Aside from the exhibit hall, the Museum features a very extensive dollhouse and miniatures store where visitors can purchase furniture, accessories, fixtures and building components in all price ranges. In addition, there is a spacious classroom where storytelling events, miniatures workshops and other events are hosted. “We also host birthday parties, scout groups, schools, senior, church, homemaker and red hat groups, among others,” says Kagan-Moore. “With children’s groups, we do an extensive room box project after the kids have lunch in the banquet room. Each child takes home his or her finished room box.” The Museum was designated one of Kentucky’s top 50 attractions by the State tourism cabinet, in their recent search for globally unique destinations located in Kentucky. For inclusion in There’s Only One, Tourism determined that there was no other place like these fifty anywhere in the world. In addition, the Museum was voted Best Cultural Attraction in the United States in Rand McNally’s 2012 Best of the Road Competition. One major reason the Museum is such a well-loved attraction has to do with the experience based exhibit. Kagan-Moore says, “It’s very warm; it’s very American, because we’re an American story.” 1 Music room by renowned miniaturist Brooke Tucker. Photo credit: Jon Sachs 2 The nanny thinks Gregory is in the kitchen with his stamp collection, but—as is often the case with this Museum’s stories— the viewer finds the truth. Dollhouse by architectural miniaturist Liz LeBosse; “Bad Kitty” by Alice Zinn. Photo credit: Jon Sachs
IF YOU GO: The Great American Dollhouse Museum is located at 344 Swope Drive in Danville, approximately 50 minutes from Lexington and 90 minutes from Louisville. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am-5pm. Call 859-236-1883 or visit www.TheDollhouseMuseum.com for ticket prices and additional information.