Beyond Books Community Artshare: Spirit Dolls and Thailand Tribal Handiwork

The Beyond Books Community ArtShare exhibit entitled Spirit Dolls and Thailand Tribal Handiwork is currently available for viewing and will be on display through the end of June 2025. Located on the second floor of the T. B. Scott Free Library in Merrill, the collection includes unique and colorful pieces owned by Lincoln County residents, Peter and Dian Ritter.
Spirit Dolls
The idea of spirit dolls evolved from a childhood reading of folklore based on the Slavic witch named Baba Yaga.
Baba’s magic hut had chicken legs and could relocate at will in the tale. Dian has always found cultural myths fascinating and enjoys occasional humor in art, she said.
In the fall of 2023, Dian was pulling out old geraniums with crazy roots, shook off the soil, and thought what fun hair that would make for an art doll. The idea blossomed. Dian had always enjoyed collecting and saving interesting materials of all kinds, she said, and she found it satisfying to recycle and repurpose remnants of fabric, fibers, old jewelry, metal bits, and items found in the natural world. The spirit dolls she created, which are included in this display, have some of their hair made from garden roots, while other dolls have hair made from unraveled yarns, twines, and carpet fibers. She constructed their hands and feet from twigs and dead branches she collected in their yard.

Thailand Tribal Handiwork
Peter and Dian were teaching at the International School of Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand, from 1990-1996. While there, they purchased a pickup truck and customized it for camping they said, using it to travel extensively throughout the entire country of Thailand. Northern Thailand particularly held their interest, with its beautiful scenery and colorful and industrious people who were always welcoming.
On their many trips upcountry Peter and Dian met several unique Hill Tribes. Along the way, they collected numerous examples of the tribes’ handiworks and personal adornments they proudly display on their clothing. The collection at the library includes samples of the traditional clothing they collected from these Hill Tribes in Thailand.