DOLLS OF PRIDE\Exhibit shows African-American life mirrored in miniatures.

Byline: Kevin Ainsfeld Daily News Staff Writer

Miriam Ferguson hopes her African-American doll exhibition commemorating Black History Month will evoke many emotions.

It was her own hurt feelings that prompted her to create the exhibition 15 years ago for the William Grant Still Arts Center in Los Angeles. She remembers watching a television show in which an African-American girl was told to choose an African-American doll or a white doll.

The girl chose the white doll.

"We set about to show black dolls in a good light so kids can have good feelings about the representations of ourselves put into a positive context, to show how proud we are of our accomplishments," said Ferguson, who is African-American.

This year's exhibition, called "Adventures in Dollhouse Land," features more than 300 dolls in a homey setting, with light-hued murals painted on the surrounding walls. Ferguson created the murals - delicate, outline-style depictions of each room's furnishings - with the help of her husband, Cecil, and the Friends of the William Grant Still Arts Center.

"They create the environment that you are in someone's living room; it is to make you feel comfortable," Ferguson said.

The exhibit, which has been presented at the William Grant Still Arts Center every year for the past 15, will be on view daily through March 3. It includes dolls made from mop heads, whisk brooms, glass, ceramic, shells, beads, bottles, brushes, sticks, soap pads  and pipe cleaners.

"Together, the dolls are symbols of life, the things we want to be and the places we want to go," she said.

The exhibition shows the evolution of African-American dolls not only to celebrate the past but to build a sense of pride and hope within the African-American community, Ferguson said.

She hopes some of the dolls will inspire the good in people.

"They are the things that you would like to project, images of African-Americans trying to be the best that they can be," she said.

THE FACTS

The show: 15th annual Black Doll Exhibition, "Adventures in Dollhouse Land."

Where: William Grant Still Arts Center, 2520 S. West View St., Los Angeles.

When: Noon to 5 p.m. daily through March 3.

Tickets: Free.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Photo (1--Color) Dollmaker Susan Senior looks at the ballerina she created. (2--Color) Dorothy Taylor and Jacqueline McKnight's dolls rest comfortably in one of the exhibit's chairs. (3--Color) Dolls on display in the "Adventures in Dollhouse Land" exhibit include Floyd Bell's Blue Boy, left, Donna Damaly's Shelf Sister, and creations by Carrie Sargent and Michelle Buicher. (4--Color) "We set about to show black dolls in a good light so kids can have good feelings about the representations of ourselves put into a positive context, to show how proud we are of our accomplishments," says exhibit curator Miriam Ferguson, with husband Cecil. (5--6--Color) The William Grant Still Arts Center exhibit includes an African queen with lion mask from Regina Williams' collection and John Outerbridge's Sister Mamie. (7--Color) Revalyn Gold tosses a coin into a pond representing the Atlantic Ocean to get rid of a bad memory, part of an installation called "The Most Mutinous Leapt Overboard," which represents the conditions on slave ships and how some leapt overboard rather than be forced into slavery. David Sprague/Daily News