Since today is the last day of National Library Week I wanted to share immersive art experience that our company has begun hosting at libraries in the Bay Area. Most people in the think of us only as a place to buy mannequins.
But for the past few years we have been offering bi-weekly classes where people can make a flower crown or fantasy headdress using our mannequin heads as their canvas. It is our version of paint and sip, but instead of making art for your wall, you make art to wear on your head.
Initially the classes were only held inside our mannequin warehouse. But in 2022 we created a mobile version so we could go to venues that could hold more than the 20 people we can host in our warehouse.
Our first mobile version was at The Exploratorium in SF. When we posted photos of this event on our Instagram account, it caught the attention of Darren Heiber, who was a senior librarian at the San Mateo Country Library system. (He has since taken a position in the San Francisco library system).
I was surprised when Darren expressed interest in having our classes in the library. Back in my day (I know this is something that no baby boomer should say) the only immersive experience at a library was storytelling with a puppet. I had not been inside a library in decades so I was unaware of the broad range of activities they now offer to stimulate imagination and creativity.
And many libraries (at least those in wealthier communities) have a maker space so patrons can experience the therapeutic benefits of making something by hand.
Darren said the headdress making classes is just the type of unique family friendly activity his libraries like, especially since our materials are sustainable. And since the only skill required is the ability to use a glue gun, all ages and differently abled people could participate.
We negotiated a rate for us to go to six libraries over a 4 month period of time. Most classes were held on a weekday in the late afternoon but some classes were on a weekend. We would have 12 -15 people at a time in the class. When they finished (in about 60 minutes) another group of would come in and then another.
In addition to our standard selection of flowers and other embellishments that we provide, we brought supplemental materials based on the season of the year and demographics of the community. This was another way to have a group activity that is highly customizable.
For example during October and November we added fall themed foliage, for the Lunar New Yearwe brought Asian themed embellishments and lots of red and gold.
For the libraries with a large Hispanic community we brought one our flowers that are popular for Day of the Dead events. And we brought a bi-lingual instructor. But this is actually an activity that both native English speakers and non-native English speakers can do together.
While this activity is primarily of interest to girls and women, we did have some boys participate. And frequently a father would come and assist their daughters make their headdress if they were under the age of 8 years (our minimum age requirement)
Here is a video clip to give you a sense of what our mobile library version if like. If you would like to book us at your library send an email at sales@mannequinmadness.com with your contact information and preferred dates and we will discuss our rates and availability.
