KANSAS CITY, MO—July 2025—The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces that The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures is the recipient of an Award of Excellence for Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 80th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
The exhibition featured 135 handmade Black dolls dating c. 1850 – 1940, as well as almost 60 period photographs and paintings depicting dolls posed alongside both children and adults. A selection of more recent Black dolls from the Museum’s collection provided additional perspectives on the exhibition’s themes to consider. Little is known about this vast collection of Black dolls, which allowed space for viewers to create their own narratives and inspire dialogue around the themes of race, gender, and identity.
The exhibition, conceived as a Learning Lab, served as an open space for conversation that invited a multitude of ideas and perspectives to be considered through varied lenses. This approach encouraged people from all disciplines to consider what the Black dolls mean, observe visual changes to Black dolls over time, and consider how this impacted meaning, audience, and use. Organized with an advisory group of Kansas City Black women, the Museum invited the community to respond to the exhibition thoughtfully and critically by attending the Museum’s robust programming schedule which included facilitated conversations, public lectures, workshops, and film screenings. Notably, a two-day symposium on Black dolls was hosted in February of 2025 consisting of a keynote from Dr. Tiya Miles (New York Times best-selling author; Michael Garvey Professor of History, and Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at Harvard University). The exhibition will culminate in an academic publication, contributing to the limited research on handmade and manufactured Black dolls and advancing understanding of these unique objects.
This year, AASLH confers 54 national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history.
The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203 or go to www.aaslh.org.
The American Association for State and Local History is a not-for-profit professional organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history. From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH provides leadership, service, and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all people. AASLH publishes books, technical publications, a quarterly magazine, and maintains numerous affinity communities and committees serving a broad range of constituents across the historical community. The association also sponsors an annual meeting, regional and national training in-person workshops, and online training.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF TOYS AND MINIATURES
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures educates, inspires, and delights people of all ages by collecting, displaying, and interpreting toys and miniatures that illuminate diverse narratives and cultural heritage. Located on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, the Museum exhibits the world’s largest collection of fine-scale miniatures and one of the nation’s largest collections of historically significant toys on public display. For more information, call 816.235.8000 or visit www.toyandminiaturemuseum.org.
