CHICAGO, ILL. – About 600 antique and modern dolls collected by Joe E. Orozco are on display at the Illinois State Museum’s Illinois Art Gallery through September 15.

Joy E. Orozco was a founding member of the Lake Michigan Doll Study Club in Chicago and an active participant in United Federation of Doll Clubs conventions and competitions. For many years her encyclopedic knowledge of dolls was tapped as a U.F.D.C. judge. After her death in 1994, her husband Entique H. Orozco donated her outstanding collection of over 1,000 dolls, assembled over a period of 50 years, to the Illinois State Museum.

The museum, recognizing the tremendous potential of this collection for education on many subjects, has organized a traveling exhibit and has published a catalogue celebrating the collection. The exhibition is titled “Dolls in the Looking Glass.” Dolls not only mirror the human form, they mirror the human experience. Individual dolls reflect small details that viewed collectively reveal larger stories.

The exhibition is organized around three revealing subjects: Reflections of Childhood, Reflections of Industry and Artistry, and Reflections of Collecting. The presentation reflects the museum’s mission to educate the public about the cultural and artistic values of objects. It also discusses the importance of collecting, both publicly and privately, as a way to preserve our heritage.

Portions of the exhibit will travel next to the Illinois State Museum’s Dickson Mounds Museum near Havana in 200½002. A catalog of the exhibit is available with many color pictures of dolls on display.

The Illinois Art Gallery is located at 100 W. Randolph on the second floor of the James R. Thompson Center. Admission is free and the gallery is wheelchair-accessible. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. For information 217/782-7152.