Sherry Brody and Miriam Schapiro's "Dollhouse Room"

Brody, Sherry & Miriam Schapiro. Dollhouse Room. Assemblage.

The show would close with images from Dollhouse Room by Miriam Schapiro and Sherry Brody. Originally part of the Womanhouse art collective, Dollhouse Room was an art piece which featured a full furnished dollhouse into which viewers could peer. While at a glance the dollhouse appears to be serene, closer inspection reveals many dangers lurking in the shadows. Schapiro states that “there are birds pecking at rocks in the seraglio, a rattle snake curled up on the hardwood floor. Outside the nursery window, a grizzly bear stares at the monster in the crib, while the real baby sits near by in an alabaster egg menaced by a scorpion, unmindful of the alligator resting on the shelf in the bookcase. Ten men stare in at the kitchen window, representing a mysterious menace from outside”. (Brody and Schapiro) Dollhouse Room represents the fear that many women are taught to feel towards the outside world while they ignore the dangers hiding within their assigned sphere, their home. Brody, whose delicate lacework garnishes many of the rooms, states that all her art is “inspired by a sense of intimacy”, furthering the initial feelings of safety and security within the house only to make the discovery of hidden hazards more startling. (Brody and Schapiro)
This piece would serve to close the show because of it's important statement on women as dolls and the dangers of following gender roles as opposed to fighting them. It was also an important part of the feminist art movement, and would sustain interest through the exhibit as it is one of the more notorious collections.