WOV member Dominique Scaife is in no way embarrassed to say she plays with dolls. She learned to embrace her passion as a child and never let it or dreams go. But like many WOV members, Scaife had a career long before she considered becoming a full time artist. Then around the age of fourty, with child-raising done, she did as her Kool Image commerical says, and "put her mind" to creating wonderful dolls in the image of real black children.
At first, she had no idea where to start. Many of the best dolls were made of porcelain. Then something changed in the '90s with the invention and wide distribution of polymer clay; doll-making suddenly became more accessible. Polymer, for many years, was her go-to medium. She formed beautifully sculptured busts in images of black women, but soon realized she wanted to create more dolls than just one-offs. She wanted many dolls; the kind every little girl could own."With more education and more means." Scaife was able to begin her journey creating Kool Image Dolls . The support of Origins, a business accelerator, will bring about her first manufactured doll by the end of 2021.
"Barbie came a long way; even black Barbie," said Scaife confident enough to throw no shade on Mattel."Now it's time for the more cuddly doll, one who wears black heritage T-shirts and puts a hair bonnet over her braids at night." Scaife feels black children can identify better with her dolls and will enjoy their play more. "And when you play, you learn," Scaife said, adding that she produces video skits with her dolls. Her recent series gives 8 little known facts in Black History. "The Youtube videos cost nothing, she says, "they are a gift to the community," And she gets to play with her dolls.:-)
