Caplan Collection facts for kids
The Caplan Collection is a huge collection of folk art and childhood items. It is kept at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. In 1984, Frank and Theresa Caplan gave this amazing collection to the museum. They owned a toy company called Creative Playthings.
The museum started adding the items to its records in 1985. The collection has almost 32,000 objects! These include toys, dolls, games, musical instruments, masks, clothes, and folk art. The items come from over 120 different countries.
The museum even created a special exhibit for the collection. It was called "Passport to the World" and opened in 1986. The Caplans had first wanted to start a new museum for their collection. But this plan did not happen, so they gave their collection to the Children's Museum instead. The Caplans spent about $1 million buying these objects. They collected them from around 1965 to 1985. Many items come from countries like Japan, Mexico, Russia, Germany, Indonesia, and India.
Contents
How the Collection Arrived
Theresa Caplan carefully organized the entire collection. She used 20,000 detailed notecards. These cards were kept in 28 shoe boxes. All the cards were sorted by country and type of item.
The collection was moved from a warehouse and the Caplans' home in Princeton, New Jersey. It took three large semi-trucks to carry 1,500 boxes to Indianapolis. All the objects were first stored at Eli Lilly & Co.. Here, they were treated to make sure no insects entered the museum. It took museum staff 10 months to move and unpack all 50,000 pieces.
"Passport to the World" Exhibit
The Caplan Collection was a big part of the "Passport to the World" exhibit. This exhibit opened in 1986. The main idea of the exhibit was: "All people celebrate, communicate, imagine and create, but in different ways."
The exhibit had four areas. Each area showed items that explained how these ideas are seen in cultures around the world. The opening party was held on December 6, 1986. Frank and Theresa Caplan were there with their family. Also present were important local people and diplomats from the United Nations. More than 500 guests and international performers attended.
Members of Pedro Linares' family from Mexico showed how to make alebrijes. These are unique, fantasy creatures made from papier-mâché. Groups of musicians and dancers from different countries also performed.
Folk Art and Toys from Around the World
The collection has many interesting items. Some highlights include:
- Shadow puppets from Indonesia and India.
- Carved wood puppets from Mali and Burma.
- A gourd helicopter from Mexico.
- A gamelan orchestra from Indonesia.
- A beaded stool from Cameroon.
- A castanet rattle from Portugal.
- Cornhusk figures from Czechoslovakia.
- Toys made by children from Zaire, Tanzania, and Brazil.
- Weavings from Egypt.
- Carved figures from Poland.
- Ceremonial masks from Sri Lanka, Japan, Guatemala, Nepal, and Burkina Faso.
Growing the Collection
Since the Caplans first gave their collection, the museum has kept adding new items. These new pieces make the collection even better. Some important new additions include:
- A raven transformation mask from the Kwakwakaʼwakw people of British Columbia.
- Day of the Dead figures from Mexico.
- Unique coffin sculptures made by Kane Kwei and Paa Joe. These artists are from the Ga people of Teshi-Accra, Ghana.
Artists in the Collection
The collection includes works by many famous artists from around the world. Some of these artists are:
- Paper machéalebrijes by the Linares family of Mexico.
- Soft sculptures by Andjelka Filipovic of Yugoslavia.
- Carved wood figures by Tadeusz Adamski of Poland.
- A doll by Sasha Morganthaler of Switzerland.
- Clay figures by Teodora Blanco of Mexico.
- Native American storyteller figures by Dorothy Trujillo. She was from the Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico.
The collection also has thousands of items made by unknown artists. The Caplans bought these works in markets and bazaars during their travels.
Images for kids
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A Dogon dancer
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Female ere ibeji twin figures
See also
In Spanish: Colección Caplan para niños
