Jigsaw puzzle:Ocean Symphony

Each year since 1994, jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts, cutters, and collectors meet in an official venue for a Puzzle Parley. Over the course of a weekend the group holds an official program of workshops, lectures and displays; they also visit nearby puzzle-related attractions (individual collections, manufacturers, etc.) and spend time buying, selling and swapping jigsaw puzzles. Participants who cut their own puzzles can also participate in an official "Pagey Elliott Puzzle Exchange," named in honor of Rachel Page Elliott (1913-2009) whose idea for an open exchange led to the first Puzzle Parley in 1994, and who began cutting wooden puzzles in her 70s. 2014 marks the first year that all 18 of the cutters who participated in the exchange donated one puzzle to the collections at The Strong. Jay Hollis of Bogarts Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles in Wells, Maine, produced this example using an abstract art image printed directly on wood. Hollis and his firm alway include a figural "Bogart," a piece representing their Portugese Water Dog, in each puzzle.