Courtesy of Squibbles Ink + Rotofugi
From left: Frank Kozik, White Stached Labbit, 2015. Courtesy of Kidrobot; Mab Graves, The Dreamer, 2017. Courtesy of Kidrobot; Travis Lampe, Tear Drips – Garth, 2009.
Last week, Wild Vinyl: Designer Art Toys opened at Cranbrook Art Museum, showcasing more than 400 designer toys.
The exhibition, which opened on Saturday, takes a look at the vinyl collectables craze that started in Asia in the late '90s and went on to take hold of designers the world over throughout the 2000s, becoming a kind of postmodern art form combining mass-production and customization, and mixing elements of anime, street art, and hip-hop culture. Metro Detroit's own Tristan Eaton has even contributed heavily to the genre as a designer for the popular Kidrobot vinyl toy brand.
On Friday evening, you can try your hand at making your own custom toy. The museum will host a DIY Vinyl Art Figures workshop and happy hour, where visitors can sketch ideas for their own custom toy while enjoying cocktails. Blank Kidrobot vinyl toys — basically the canvas for custom vinyl collectibles — will be available for purchase, so you can then later make your sketch a reality.
From 5-8 p.m. at Cranbrook Art Museum; 39221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; 248-645-3323; cranbrookartmuseum.org; Event is free with museum admission. The exhibition runs through April 21, 2019.
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