With a genuine interest in preserving different cultural representations of the world, María de Lourdes began collecting dolls in traditional costumes more than 30 years ago. Through research of the origin of these dolls and their materials, María has found a myriad of stories that connect social, cultural, and environmental aspects of several ethnic groups, allowing us to better understand our present. To this day, María’s collection comprises more than 500 dolls from 60 countries, nurtured by a network of family and friends interested in this collection as a research project. With this, María seeks to preserve these pieces as historical and cultural testimonies, especially from women — makers of most of these dolls — aiming to disclose the gender relationships embedded in different communities of the world. Most of the dolls you see in this exhibition represent inspiring stories of Indigenous peoples and local communities and their relationships with their lands, families, and societies.

This collection is the result of a collaboration between María de Lourdes and the University of Toronto Scarborough Library to digitize her collection, spread stories of Indigenous peoples and local communities through dolls. 

The project has been made possible through the efforts of members of the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, the Department of Arts, Culture and Media, the Sociology Department, and U of T Scarborough Library's Digital Scholarship Unit, as well as support provided by the University of Toronto’s School of Cities.