Large, layered pieces—ranging from sculptures to textiles— stitch together personal memorabilia and found materials to explore the deliciously complicated terrain of girlhood.

Ribbons, pink, mirrors, and religious icons weave through the rooms, echoing the sweet loss of innocence and turning the world’s uninvited gaze back on itself. Here, adorable meets horror, and the absurdity of being a girl is laid bare. Play Date is a grown-up game of show-and-tell where the toys are symbols and the stories are…complicated.

The journey begins at the gallery’s entrance with Have Mercy, Princess Bride, Princess Playboy, Birth Control Altar, and Don’t Let the Bastards Set You Down. Elsewhere, 4-Letter Word and McCrèche perch on pedestals, daring visitors to look closer. In the “baby’s room,” nestled near the windows, a not-so-sweet nursery is furnished with I Am My Own Baby, Daddy Stitch, Baby Mobile, and Babygate.

But this exhibit isn’t just for looking—it’s for playing. Public programming includes open studios, workshops, show-and-tells, and an ongoing art supply swap. Using secondhand and found materials, visitors of all ages are invited to create, to reflect, and to become artists in this space.

Location: 526 W 26th St #807

Dates:

Opening Party:

6-8PM

Friday, March 14

Open Studios + Art Supply Swap:

Tu-Sat, 12-6PM

March 15,

March 18-22

March 25-27

Closing Party:

6-8PM

Friday, March 28

Come ready to play!

elizabethstilwell.com