What do toys have to do with the CCA? Between 1990 and 2000 the CCA produced a series of thematic exhibitions based on the acquisition of over 300 archival and architectural toys and games to its collections. Nearly 30 years have passed since the last toy exhibition, and the world of children and toys has changed substantially. The outsized impact of digital technology in the new millennium and more recent developments in social media have fundamentally re-shaped childhood. Yet, across generations, many of the same anxieties, hopes, and aspirations for children as stewards of the future remain present across generations.

This presentation by Amanda Zhang looks at toys, as both didactic instruments and historical artifacts, to explore how they—much like architecture—are a kind of world-building  technology that can offer valuable insights into the ideals and imaginaries of the people who make, play with, and collect them.

This event is part of the Friday in the Collection series, where guests are invited to explore our collection with one keyword, and to curate a selection of objects they will present in the study room for one afternoon. Through findings, expected or not, and storytelling, they draw relationships between the objects, the audience, and their own stories and interests.

This event will be held in English and is free of charge. However, as space is limited, registration is recommended.

Amanda Zhang is an independent researcher and arts worker whose interests include education and pedagogy, material culture, and the social lives of objects. Currently part of Concordia University’s inaugural cohort of the Curatorial Studies Graduate Certificate Program, they are particularly interested in how institutions shape trajectories of knowledge production. Previously, they have contributed to research and public programming at institutions including the Madison Children’s Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK. They have been living and working in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal since 2024.