Brian McCarty: Art-Toys

January 6 – August 7, 2022

In the late 1990s, a group of talented young designers started self-producing small runs of their own, original toys. Using the exact same materials and manufacturing techniques as any mass-market product, they elevated toy design to an artistic medium and created brilliant, highly personal work. The decade that followed was filled with cutting-edge designs produced by independent artists. At the center of it all, LA-based artist Brian McCarty was trusted by the toymakers and artists behind the characters to play with their creations. Pepperdine Libraries is pleased to showcase a selection of McCarty’s art-toy photographs alongside professional work he’s created for well-known brands.