Hey, millennials - make paper dolls and drink beer after work!

Do you remember dressing your favorite paper doll? Choosing a robe from today or times passed, anything to mask the blandness of her undergarments? Bending the lean, short strips over edges just so, so the garment would dangle along her body like clothes hung from yours?

For those who spent hours playing with paper friends as children, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is offering a blast from the past during its third, and final, Crafty Hour. On Aug. 18 at the PHS pop-up beer garden at Viaduct Rail Park, the get-together encourages young professionals to play with paper dolls for two hours after work.

But these dolls are a far cry from your average children's playthings and their proper Victorian disposition. In honor of Thomas Eakins, they will be nude, based on Michelangelo's David but without gendered anatomy. That's right: PAFA is essentially inviting you to play with naked, androgynous mini-people, all in the name of art.

Lindsey Gearhart Nevin, PAFA's manager of public programs, said she and her colleagues brainstormed how to "highlight the nude" while "being a little tongue-in-cheek." Far from profane, the event celebrates Eakins and his contributions to artistic curricula, constantly pushing the boundaries of nudity in the classroom. Eakins taught at PAFA between 1876 and 1886, when he was forced to resign because he allowed a fully undressed model in a studio with female students. Devotion to anatomical precision was one of Eakins' signatures: He frequented local medical schools and dissected corpses alongside professors, the better to understand the human body.

Anna Marley, curator of historical American art at PAFA, called Eakins "the most important realist painter in the history of the United States" and explained his significance as an instructor in Philadelphia. "He was really revolutionary in his teaching," she said. "He almost ushered in the 21st century before it happened."

While adults craft their own dolls, covering the nude bodies with ornate raiment as Eakins rolls in his grave in protest, Nevin will regale them with some "tall tales" about the artist's years at PAFA. "When we talk about them, we like to glamorize them a bit for the audience," she admitted. "Most of them are rooted in truth and are fun ones to tell, and get people interested in PAFA's history."

The evening is in anticipation of the Academy's new exhibit, "Thomas Eakins: Photographer," which opens in October. According to Marley, "he really was interested not only in anatomical science but also in photography to understand time and motion," and he used photographic imagery to signify movement in his paintings. Nevin and Nora Granahan, PAFA's membership manager, wanted to take advantage of Thursday's event by encouraging partakers to stop by the collection in a few months, dolls in hand.

This summer, Nevin and Granahan cofounded Crafty Hour as another way to inspire young Philadelphians to get involved with PAFA. "We recognize that most people want to be outdoors and having low-key fun, so we wanted to capture some of that audience this summer and try something new," Nevin said.

The first gathering was held in June, when crafters made colonial-style wigs while sipping on a beer. July's session featured screen printing. "It's super-messy, so we were all definitely covered in paint," Granahan said.

When she and Nevin conceived of Crafty Hour, they branded it specifically for millennials.

Instead of dry, academic speeches, they wanted hands-on, snappable experiences, aesthetically eye-catching and Instagrammable. Nevin said she hopes participants will take photos and upload them: "If you're thinking about people who are documenting their lives via social media, posting a picture of your artwork as opposed to posting a picture of someone lecturing at you is more engaging and fun to share."

avillarreal@philly.com
@allyevillarreal