The National Institute of American Doll Artists (NIADA)

Last year I was attended a conference of the National Institute of American Doll Artists - NIADA. For several years, I wanted to attend this conference, but somehow it never worked out… until last year.

The theme of the conference was "The Turbulent Twenties" - a dedication to the revolutionary times of the 1920s. The age of jazz, radio, cinema, daring outfits and dancing, the time of the Great Depression, Prohibition and great writers. And, of course, the reign of the great Art Deco.

The hotel in which the conference took place was specially selected in accordance with the theme, the Phillips Hotel in downtown Kansas City. The hotel was built in the 1930s in an Art Deco style and was completely refurbished a couple of years ago. The NIADA conference with its themed dolls of the turbulent 20’s fit perfectly with the hotel's interiors.

The first evening of the conference began traditionally with a gallery of art displays by NIADA’s artists and a “get together” party of artists and guests in a very informal, almost Parisian, atmosphere. There were champagne, elegant snacks, ladies in evening dresses of the Great Gatsby era, "flappers" of all ages, elegantly dressed men, and even live jazz and vocals. Everything was conducive to stimulating conversations about art. The party was a beautiful way to meet new acquaintances and kindred spirits.

NIADA is nearly 70 years old and has earned a reputation as being an exclusive “club like” organization to which membership admission is rather difficult. It is not surprising as the works of NIADA artists are distinguished by their master skills and recognizable style, and their art is highly valued worldwide by art dolls collectors. Currently, only about 60 artists carry the prestigious title of being a NIADA member.

One of these artists is well known to those interested in the fine art of dollmaking - Tatiana Baeva, the very first Russian artist who became a member of NIADA in 1999. Now Tatiana is the Vice President of NIADA, and I chose her to interview about NIADA.

- Tatiana, there are not many members in your organisation. Does NIAD have plans to expand and attract new artists?

- NIADA's tradition is selectivity. We always welcome new artists and are ready to consider all applications we receive. But the selection process in our organisation is thorough and long. First, every artist who would like to become our member must come to the conference and undergo the so-called critique, when his works will be studied and evaluated by NIADA artists.

The next stage is that the applying artist must send photographs of several of his artwork for consideration by the NIADA Standard Committee. The artworks are evaluated according to many criteria, including originality and composition. If the majority of the committee members positively evaluate an artist’s submitted works, then the next steps are the following: the artist sends photos or videos of the step-by-step creation of his doll, as well as photos of his other works and a completed detailed questionnaire. All members of the NIADA give an assessment of the submitted work. If this review is also successful, the artist is invited to a conference with his works, where the final decision about his membership is decided by a vote of the NIADA present members. The process takes at least a year and very often artists are not approved at their first attempt. I myself applied twice for a membership in NIADA before I was accepted by the organization.

- So those who really want to become a member of NIAD need to be patient and not give up if the first attempt is unsuccessful?

- Yes, and the first, and the second and sometimes the third. There are artists who became members of our organisation after the fifth or more attempts.

- What is the most important thing to look at when evaluating papers?

- In addition to skill and talent, we want to see the individual, well recognisable style of the artist. This shows that the artist has found himself and will be consistent in his work. This is also a big plus for collectors. In my first unsuccessful attempt to become a member of NIADA, I sent in such a diverse body of work that you would have thought they were by different artists. I wanted to show that I could do anything: all my doll characters were made in different styles. But, as it turned out, an eclectic style is not a virtue or an expression of skill.

- As I realised, many Russian-speaking artists are members of NIAD. This is certainly not a coincidence, as Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are famous for their masters. What advice would you give to Russian-speaking artists who would like to become NIAD members?

- First of all, I would like them to really assess their capabilities and decide for themselves why they need membership in our organisation. Yes, being a member of NIADA is an honour. It shows a high level of skill of an artist. But we want our members to take an active part in the activities of NIADA. And that means organising, preparing and actively participating in annual conferences, teaching classes and participating in educational activities, promoting the art of the author's doll and educating the public in this direction.

The objectives of our annual conferences are not limited to introducing the public to the work of our masters, we are all ready to share our experience with emerging artists and exchange detailed information. The programmes of our conferences are always carefully planned and thought out, making them extremely interesting and memorable for the guests and artists. This is a huge effort by the whole organisation. And we all work on a voluntary basis, everything is based on the enthusiasm of the members, so there is always plenty to do and enough projects for everyone.

Membership in NIAD can present certain difficulties for Russian-speaking artists. Firstly, it is not easy or cheap to travel to the US for conferences, which is mandatory for members. Secondly, if one does not speak English, it is difficult to be involved in an English-speaking organisation and to take full advantage of all the opportunities that NIAD membership offers. The same classes that NIADA members teach at conferences are all designed for English-speaking audiences. In general, you need to really assess the situation and your capabilities.

- This year the NIADa conference was held virtually for the first time. How do you see the future fate of the conferences?

- Next year -2021- we will be having a virtual conference again. From my point of view, nothing can replace real communication between people, but what can we do? Maybe things will be back to normal in 2022. At least we hope so.

However the virtual conference, as our first experience has shown, has its definite advantages. First, of course, participation in such a conference is many times cheaper. For a very small fee, a conference participant can virtually attend all classes and presentations of guest speakers, see the gallery of artists, and take part in an auction. We are developing many interesting projects, which are described on our website www.niada.org . In addition, each registered conference participant can return to the virtual conference again and again and review the classes and presentations of the conference guests. We are still registering new visitors to the 2020 conference, which has already occurred. Access to all materials is open to everyone 24/7. Thus, NIADA is becoming more affordable to many more people. www.niada.org... In addition, each registered conference participant can return to the conference again and again and review the classes and presentations of the conference guests that he liked. We are still registering new visitors to the 2020 conference. That is, access to all materials is open to everyone and constantly. Niada is becoming available to many more people.

Alla: What's new in NIADA plans and projects?

- In January, we are launching the NIADA Virtual Academy, which is open to everyone. We will write more about it on our Facebook page and website. Don't forget to visit them regularly.

We also decided to establish a new form of membership in our organization - an associative artist membership. This is for those artists who would like to become members of NIADA in the future but are already interested in participating in the organizational activities, projects, and other aspects of our activities. Details about this new membership can be found on our website. www.niada.org. www.niada.org.

- Thank you, Tatiana, for an interesting interview! I hope that if our readers have any questions, they will be able to contact you?

- Of course, I'd be happy to answer them.

Alla Berezhkova