The African Wrap Doll
Boyden Cases
Wellness Center
Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity
August - January 2025
The African Wrap Doll is the signature creation of the National Black Doll Museum, a small, family-run Black cultural center located South of Boston. Inspired by family legend, the African Wrap Doll is simple in structure, composed of everyday items, and always handmade. Children can make them, and in fact, thousands of children have.
But the simplicity, the template? That's just the bones.
The spirit, the heart and soul of the doll? That comes from its creator. That comes from you. Your worries, in the form of pebbles, go into the base of the doll. Your take on African aesthetics brings together the personality, the style. Your attention and care make the doll complete. The doll really belongs to you. And maybe, in a way, you belong to the doll.
Over the years, the African Wrap doll has become the perfect vehicle for The National Black Doll Museum's three-fold mission: to nurture self-esteem, to promote diversity, and to celebrate the art, craft and history of the Black doll. Thousands of workshops have brought children and adults together with an opportunity for creative expression, learning and community.
And in all this time, not two dolls have ever been exactly the same-after all, no two people have ever been exactly the same.
And this is what makes the African Wrap Doll special. The dolls, like people, gain their beauty and power from their uniqueness-and from the love that's invested in bringing them to life.
On behalf of The National Black Doll Museum, welcome to The Art of the African Wrap Doll!
