Children’s Play Space at Mills College Day Care Center–Ironing Board and Doll Bed c. 1977

Editor: Here we have Joanne Leonard's black and white photograph, "Children’s Play Space at Mills College Day Care Center – Ironing Board and Doll Bed" from around 1977. The muted tones and intimate subject matter create a wistful mood. What stands out to you about this piece? Curator: It's the ordinary, isn't it? A moment of suspended play, transformed into something quietly powerful. It whispers of domesticity, childhood imitation, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy. Notice how Leonard frames the scene – almost a stage set – the window acting as a proscenium arch, the toys actors in a silent drama. It makes me wonder what stories these dolls could tell if they only could, what memories linger in the mundane? Editor: I love that perspective. I was immediately drawn to the adult-sized ironing board juxtaposed with the tiny doll bed – such different scales within one scene. Is she making a commentary about gender roles here, do you think? Curator: Possibly! The irony isn't lost. I'd venture beyond a rigid definition, however, to explore how children experiment and engage with what’s possible. There is that lovely light that the dolls, chairs, ironing board, and other artifacts pick up. Did you notice that quality too, or does my sentimentality show? Editor: No, I see it. All the details of that light. It gives me an access point. The window and light are all the picture really is for me. It reframes my viewing experience for sure. What does that suggest to you? Curator: How beautiful you saw all of that as an undergraduate! It suggests how something initially unremarkable – the tools, or tropes of domesticity, can be transformative if we keep at it long enough to discover more light. The beauty, though, is always available, yes? Editor: That's beautifully put. This photograph definitely reveals the poetry hidden in everyday life. I see something so much deeper after our conversation. Curator: As do I! It’s a delightful prompt to stay alert, even—and especially—where we think there’s "nothing" to see!