International Doll Convention 2026

Hello, everyone!

A few days ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the International Doll Convention 2026, supported by the Doll Artisan Guild. This year’s convention theme was “A Walk in the Garden,” and it took place from April 29 through May 2, 2026, at the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel in Knoxville.

As I promised, I would love to share a detailed story — along with photographs — about this truly fascinating event, especially since this was my very first time attending as a participant!

I came home with an incredible number of impressions and unforgettable memories. I met so many talented and inspiring people: artists, artisans, collectors, dollmakers, and simply passionate lovers of dolls and doll artistry expressed in so many different forms. And the dolls themselves… absolutely breathtaking. Truly beyond words.

But let’s begin from the very beginning.

First of all, the Crowne Plaza Hotel has an extremely convenient location. Even during your free time away from the convention, there is so much to discover and enjoy nearby. Visitors could extend their stay and explore historic Knoxville, known as the birthplace of Tennessee and the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Knoxville Museum of Art is absolutely worth visiting, and the pedestrian-friendly Market Square has been a lively gathering place for locals and tourists alike since the 1860s. There are wonderful restaurants and shops near the hotel, close to the University of Tennessee campus, the Tennessee River, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Historic home tours, riverboat tours, and countless attractions make this area full of life and charm.

The convention itself occupied four large halls within the hotel:

Workshops, Sales Room, Official Welcome & Souvenir Presentation Room, DAG Competition Exhibit Room.

Let’s start with the Workshops. What exactly are the Workshops?

Long before the convention begins, award-winning artists, talented DAG instructors, and experienced dollmakers volunteer to teach anyone interested in learning their craft. Participants can sign up in advance for various workshops and spend the convention days creating beautiful projects while learning new artistic skills. It is truly a wonderful opportunity to study under gifted teachers and artisans from all around the world.

This year’s catalog featured a large variety of workshops, and here are just a few examples.

And in these photographs, which I took myself, you can see the unique creative process in action.

The Workshops room also hosted a raffle throughout the convention. During all four days, attendees could purchase as many raffle tickets as they wished and place them into the bags corresponding to the artwork they hoped to win. The raffle featured truly amazing pieces of doll artistry. On the final day, just before closing, independent representatives drew one winning ticket from each bag.

I participated as well — and I actually won! I can’t wait to turn my prize into a beautiful completed doll someday. :)

Now let’s move on to the Sales Room… The Sales Room was filled with treasures! Of course, there were dolls everywhere — and attendees could purchase any doll displayed there. The variety was incredible: antique dolls, reproductions, OOAK (One Of A Kind) creations, rare collectible pieces, and true works of doll art representing different eras and artistic styles. I will share only a few photographs here.

I was not only a participant at the International Doll Convention 2026, but also a vendor, and this is what my table looked like.

There was a little bit of everything:

hand-sewn and knitted doll clothing, a variety of doll shoes, porcelain doll-making supplies, and porcelain bisque kits.

And of course, most importantly, my own hand-painted dolls, which you can also view and purchase here.

I also brought sample chips of every color of Ultra Chic and China Silk Porcelain Slip, available for purchase in both pint and gallon sizes.

Moving on…

The Sales Room also offered ready-made doll clothing in many different sizes, vintage fabrics, beautiful trims — both vintage and modern — as well as accessories for dolls and doll costumes.

Visitors could also purchase rare and highly sought-after molds for creating both large dolls and tiny miniature dolls.

And there was so much more that I simply cannot fit into one post. Honestly, this is something that truly must be experienced in person.

You should absolutely plan to attend next year! As far as I know, the dates for the 2027 convention have already been scheduled for May 19–23.

Convention website: dollyfun.com

Now let’s continue on to the DAG Competition Exhibit Room.

This is where the real magic began.

This hall featured nearly one hundred dolls that had received various awards and recognitions: medals, ribbons, diplomas, certificates, and placements in numerous doll artistry categories.

And finally, on the last evening of the convention, there was a beautiful gala dinner attended by organizers, participants, vendors, award-winning artists, creative DAG instructors, and dollmakers.

Inside the large elegant ballroom were about ten beautifully arranged tables, each seating eight to ten guests. Alongside the delicious dinner and elegant table settings, every table displayed handmade doll-related art pieces that were also included in another raffle. These beautiful works of art were later won by convention participants.

After dinner and the raffle, a special jury selected winners in the “A Walk in the Garden” themed costume competition, including categories such as:

Best Hat - Best Walk - Best Costume

And here are the winners! :)

The entire experience was absolutely unforgettable.

New emotions, meaningful experiences, fresh inspiration, and wonderful memories — everything we lived through during those few days left a lasting emotional imprint and a truly warm aftertaste in our hearts.

Tired, but incredibly happy, we returned home to Colorado already knowing one thing for certain: next year, we will absolutely come back again. *And now I have already begun working on a brand-new project, currently titled “We Are Dolls — A World of Shades.”

As many of you know, Ultra Chic Porcelain Slip comes in 28 beautiful shades, ranging from Magnolia White to Cappuccino, and all of these colors are available for purchase in my shop.

For this project, I will be creating 28 unique dolls, each standing 11 inches tall, using different molds by Dianna Effner. Every doll will be made in a different porcelain shade, meaning there will be 28 dolls — each with a unique skin tone represented by one of the Ultra Chic colors.

The project is already underway, and here I photographed three of the dolls especially for you:

• Little Darling #3 — Magnolia White

• Little Darling #2 — Soft Champagne

• Molly — Arizona Sun
  

This collection will be available for sale in my Doll online store or in my eBay shop.

It was wonderful seeing you all.

Until next time! Marina-AllforDoll-MAFD