Curated by David Rios and Judith Berman, Toys: Embracing Play encourages you to find the child within yourself; a spot that is safe and secure and that prompts you to visualize fantasy, creativity, and growth. David Rios is the Director of Public Programs and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM). Judith Berman is a Fountain House Gallery artist and conceived of the show's theme.

Play is an important part of our cognitive development, and toys allow that development to flourish while serving as artifacts of our deepest memories. These memories can be reminders of joy and happiness but also trauma, as toys may have played a part in getting us through difficult moments in our youth. Regardless of what toys elicit in us, we are drawn to them no matter how old we are, and in this exhibition the artists excitingly display the various ways this manifests."

(David Rios)

Participating artists include: Madeleine Hope Arthurs, Elizabeth Atlas, Judith Berman, L.B. Berman, José Carcamo, Nancy Caton, Jenny Chan, Danielle Concepcion, Rich Courage, Mario Fontenla, Guiomar Giraldo-Baron, Maybellene Gonzalez, Fiona Heeran, Zeus Hope, Shelia Horne, Issa Ibrahim, Roger Jones, Louise Kavadlo, Kerry Kennedy, Valerie Kerr, Ray Lopez, Je'Jae Cleo Mizrahi, Ariel Navarrete, Tanya Nickolan, Saverio Penza, Jared Rem, Angela Rogers, Tara Sue Salusso, Rene Santiago, Barry Senft, Arturo Sitjar, Susan Spangenberg, Alyson Vega, vermilion, and Boo Lynn Walsh.

This program is funded, in part, by generous support from the Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.