Workshops

Broadbent Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator

The exhibition surveys 20th century American and European design. In conjunction with The Kent State University Museum's yearly gala, the exhibition focuses mostly on evening and cocktail wear. 

Numerous celebrity garments from the wardrobes of Marlena Dietrich, Julie Andrew, Dinah Shore, Clodette Colbert and Mona Bismark are out of the Museum's storage by popular demand. Fashions from the house of Dior, Chanel, Lacroix and other European designers are displayed side by side with such American favorites as Halston, Galanos, Bill Blass, Donald Brooks, Adele Simpson and Adrian.

Higbee Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator

The Kent State University Museum was established with the gift of extraordinary examples of historic costume and decorative arts collected by Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman. Instrumental to the formation of Shannon's collection of costume was the friendship, collaboration and expertise of Cora Ginsburg. Cora's Manhattan shop, filled with superb antique costumes and textiles, provided Shannon with many of the most important pieces he acquired. In her turn, Mrs. Ginsburg has been a generous lender and donor to the Museum. Pieces from her personal collection added enormously to our exhibition "Costumes, Quilts and Coverlets, Continuing Traditions", and in 1988 an exhibition featured embroideries from her collection. To honor Shannon during the Museum's 10th anniversary, she presented him with five notebook of painstakingly collected textile samples spanning the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and with 170 bound volumes constituting her impressive library of 19th century ladies' fashion periodicals. It is now our turn to honor Cora Ginsburg for her unselfish mentoring of our founding benefactor and for her exceptional generosity to the Museum.

Anne Bissonnette, Curator

As a new form of genteel undress, tea gowns exhibited early and consistently abundant signs of historicism. By 1873, gowns labeled "robes d'interieurs" appeared with stylistic details that would become characteristic of tea gowns: "Watteau pleats", the draped back pleats set at the shoulders found on the 18th century sack dress, and a center-front panel in princess style which was gathered, draped or heavily decorated and perceived as an underdress. These two 18th century elements were often mixed with other revival styles, a common phenomenon for this eclectic era. 

It was in the Victorian era that the seeds of change for the 20th century silhouette were planted. As in the case for most developments in the evolution of fashion, a series of events had preceded the innovative new styles of 1907 and had made minds ripe for their acceptance. The rage for "Japonisme", the Liberty style and years of revivalist tea gown styles combined to set the stage for Poiret's flowing, corsetless Directoire fashions. Victorian tea time provided a venue for fantasy, historically eclectic and exotic garments, comfort, and, coincidentally, a platform for twentieth century fashions.

Mull Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator

Shirley Kennedy in her book, Pucci: A Renaissance in Fashion, portrays the designer as an innovative and a dynamic force in the fashion world of the fifties and sixties. Explosive and joyful in both colors and patterns, "Puccis" revolutionized the field of textile design and contributed to changing the face of fashion. In the public eye for over two decades, a longevity that was no small feat in itself, part of the energetic appeal of the garments resided in their comfort and modernity.

Born into a noble Italian family in 1914, Marchese Emilio Pucci di Barsento was destined for a life of service in politics and diplomatic circles. Prior to obtaining a Ph.D. in political science, he was a member of the 1934 Italian Olympic ski team. A year later he won a skiing scholarship to Reed College in Oregon where he first ventured into design by creating the ski team's uniform. Unsurprisingly, it was on the ski slopes of St-Moritz in 1947 that the first Puccis were sighted by Harper's Bazaar fashion photographer Toni Frissell. When Diana Vreeland of the editorial staff saw the shots, she asked the Marchese to design a small group of ski clothes to sell in the United States. The jet-setter's life took on a new twist when Lord & Taylor department store bought his line and established a lasting association.

The first member of the Pucci family to work in a thousand years, he spared his family's honor upon entering the clothing business by signing his work with a simple "Emilio". He opened his first boutique in trendy Capri in 1949 and started producing finely drawn and brightly printed scarves and shirts. He later established his business headquarters in his family's ancestral palazzo in the heart of Florence. After his death in 1992, it still remains in operation.

At a time when French couture was highly constrictive and structured, Pucci's silk-jersey dresses, first created in 1954, were light-weight (only 3 to 4 ounces), wrinkle free and supremely comfortable. Identifiable at a glance with 60's pop culture, Pucci's fashions were in fact the forerunners of a generation of active sportswear synonymous with style and status.

Mull Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator

Through this exhibition of Greek costume from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation, the Kent State University Museum and members of the Greek community of Northeastern Ohio, we are pleased to present to the public indications of the many influences that helped to shape the wonderfully diverse, colorful and intricate patterns of Greek traditional dress.

Far from being conservative or unchanging, these costumes were a bold statement of one's individuality, age, social ties and beliefs.   Greek history is palpable in these garments which are the products of political ties and economic diversity and echo the powerful story of the nation.  The costumes presented here are primarily from the second half of the 19th century to 1945, a period of time that corresponds to the liberation of Greece from Turkish rule.  As modern Greece emerged from foreign domination, the migration of populations, foreign invasions, trade and the influence of Western European fashion all contributed to the evolution of Greek costume.

Each region, town or village developed specific types of costume with several variations, distinguished by dramatic color schemes, lavish ornamentation and numerous accessories.  The nature of the costume worn also depended upon local materials and trade.  There were essentially three types of costume: basic dress for daily wear, festive attire and bridal garments.   Politically driven fashions also developed, for example the National Guard uniform which was worn chiefly by the armotoloi and klephtes, the guerrillas of the Greek uprising against the Turks.  This uniform later was established as court dress by Otto, the first king of Greece and subsequently became synonymous with Greek national dress for the world at large.  We have entered an era where traditional costumes change minimally because they are no longer an integral element of daily life.  Now embraced as an important aspect of Greek heritage, these garments testify to the Mediterranean's colorful character.

This exhibition would not have been possible without the generous support of Mrs. Ioanna Papantoniou and the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation in Nafplion, Greece.  We also would like to thank the Greek Ministry of Culture, the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hellenic Preservation Society, and Serge and Yanna Hadji-Mihaloglou.

Higbee Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator

This exhibition comes from the collection of Helen O. Borowitz, donor, friend and supporter of the Kent State University Museum. Although her collection includes costumes and accessories ranging from the 1860s to the present day, we focus here on objects from the 1920s and early 1930s, an era famous for the sophisticated lifestyle captured in the pages of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. These are the ensembles that might have been worn by Daisy Fay Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, ensembles that represent the jazz age and reflect the changing aesthetic at the beginning of the second quarter of the 20th century.

Broadbent Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator

The exhibition surveys 19th century Indian and European shawls.  To highlight their intricate patterns, twenty-three shawls are displayed flat on easels.  An additional twenty shawls are draped on mannequins to show how these prized textiles were worn.  The exhibition traces the west's fascination with Kashmir shawls beginning in the late 18th century and demonstrates their use as both a practical outer garment and as a status symbol.  Cross-cultural influences between east and west are explained and the complexity of various methods of weaving is illustrated with close up photographs of the shawls on display.

Shawl weaving was a prestigious profession in India, and was reserved for men.  It was extremely  time consuming: two Indian weavers, sitting side by side at the loom, could take up to three years to produce a top quality shawl, the price of which might be equivalent to that of a house.  When western women started their love affair with these Indian imports, European weavers attempted to produce a similar product at a lesser price, a quest which resulted in the invention of the Jacquard loom.

In the first half of the 19th century, Europeans copied the designs of Indian shawls.  One of the towns where the shawls were produced was Paisley, Scotland, whose name became synonymous with both the shawls and the Asian teardrop or pinecone motif which decorated them.  By the mid 19th century, European aesthetics came to dominate the design of the paisley shawls, and Indian weavers were forced to imitate western patterns and to adapt their traditional weaving techniques to compete in and international market.  Paisley shawls fell from popularity in the 1870s, when the proved incompatible with the silhouette of the bustle.

Stager Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director, and Anne Bissonnette, Curator

Gone with the Wind: Women, Race and Material Culture in the 20th Century seeks to explore the influence of both the novel and the film since the publication of the novel in 1936 and the first release of the film in 1939, through documents and objects on loan to the Kent State University Museum for this exhibition.  The popularity of these two works of the imagination does not mask their more controversial aspects, particularly as they depict the complex of American social relationships in the era of the Civil War.

Specifically, the exhibition seeks to question the representation of these relationships and how these representations have affected our perception of ourselves historically and in the present moment.  Written by a woman born in 1900 and steeped in the tradition of the South after Reconstruction, read and viewed by countless women since, what is it in this story that still speaks so forcefully to women of the late 20th century, and is the nature of the appeal the same?  The depiction of racial relations in both works has always been offensive to African-Americans who have long fought stereotypes found in the characterizations.  Have these images contributed to the current racial climate in the United States?  Finally, the exhibition explores the need to possess a piece of this romance that has witnessed a continuing industry in Gone with the Wind ephemera.  Throughout the exhibition, documents pertaining to the creation of the novel and the film serve to emphasize the people who made the stuff of legend.

Walter B. Denny, Curator

In 1998 the Kent State University Museum presented an exhibition entitled "Court and Conquest: Ottoman Origins and the design for Handel's "Tamerlano" at the Glimmerglass Opera" featuring costumes designed by Judy Levin. The exhibition was organized by the Museum and the AXA Gallery (formerly the Equitable Gallery) with the cooperation of the Glimmerglass Opera, Cooperstown, New York. The AXA Gallery is sponsored by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States.

In 2001, the exhibition will be on display at The Brunei Gallery of The School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. The London venue is sponsored by Continental Airlines.

Curated by Dr. Walter B. Denny, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the exhibition focused on the original Ottoman and European Orientalist sources used by Miss Levin as inspirations for her designs. Included were Ottoman textiles, armor, illuminated manuscripts, sultan portraits, Orientalist prints, clothing and jeweled buckles juxtaposed with the opulent opera costumes created for the 1995 Glimmerglass Opera production.

Composed by Handel in 1724, just 25 years after the Treaty of Vienna concluded peace between Eurpoean states and the Ottoman empire, the opera's story of the Central Asian conqueror Timur's epic battle and defeat of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I, in 1402, had great currency for Handel's audience. The director of the Glimmerglass production, Jonathan Miller, felt that the design of the production should reflect the eighteenth century view of the Ottoman empire and of the historic fifteenth century battle. The challenge met by set designer John Conklin and costume designer Judy Levin was to create a contemporary opera production that fulfilled Dr. Miller's concept for the opera.

The Kent State University Museum published a fully illustrated catalog to accompany the exhibition with essays by Dr. Denny, Dr. Aileen Ribeiro of the Courtauld Institute, London, Judy Levin and Jean L. Druesedow, Director of the Museum.

Jean L. Druesedow, Director

A Brief Passage

Erin Rachel Pincus was born June 10, 1981, younger by 47 seconds than her twin sister Jessie Amber, to Mike and Kathy Pincus. As their mother has written, "The first night home, a never to be forgotten dream came to my husband of a mischievous leprechaun sitting on top of a big bookshelf. As Erin grew, clearly she represented this elf-some spirit, obviously here on a great lark with her winsome sister who cheerfully sang her way through the house and our life." On the Fourth of July, 1989, Erin suffered an excruciating headache, and before the week was out a brainstem tumor was discovered and removed as far as possible. Benign at first, but ever threatening, Erin's cancer forced her through numerous additional surgeries and treatments. Each time, no matter how difficult, her mother noted, ". . . Erin's love and exuberance would bring her to a new level of recovery. She amazed us and her doctors, event after event." Fighting to retain a normal life, her cheerful optimism kept even her school friends from knowing of her condition. But when Erin was fifteen, the growing tumor was found to be no longer benign. Even after more surgery, and a new type of treatment, immunotherapy, which did seem to kill the cancer cells, Erin's condition was so weakened that she could not survive. She died on January 12, 1997. 

A Disney Fan

From her earliest childhood, Erin had loved Disney cartoons and wanted to be a Disney animator. Kathy Pincus writes that "early on, with her future so uncertain, we wrote to the Disney people, and asked if she could meet one. In 1992, when she was ten, we were lucky enough to be ever so cordially received at the Florida Disney Animation Studio. She got to meet Mark Henn, who had just drawn Jasmine for the upcoming animated feature Alladin. We got a tour, she got to see how things were done . . . . Mark told her she could write to him, so she did; in fact, all through the years. And somehow Mark found time to write back. She would send her artwork, he would tell her about their movies to come. She hoped to be Staff one day . . . . In the last months before Erin died . . . Mark Henn's wife, Pam Henn . . . found a way to try to grant Erin's wish to be accepted as a Disney Staff Animator. She made Erin a beautiful Staff Bag, with Staff t-shirt and hat, and most importantly a book signed by all the Disney animators with signature drawings. It was probably one of the last things Erin really saw. . . ." 

A Dress for Erin

On June 25, 1997, Christie's, an auction house with offices in London and New York, conducted a charity auction of 79 dresses from the collection of Diana, Princess of Wales, that raised more than $5.7 million dollars for charities devoted to AIDS and cancer research. Such an unprecedented event was the idea of Prince William, who suggested that such a sale might raise funds for his Mother's favorite causes. At the time of the sale, Princess Diana was quoted as saying, "Words cannot describe my absolute delight at the benefits which the results of this auction will bring to so many people." Shortly after Erin died, the catalogue for the Christie's sale arrived at Pam Henn's home. "Her parents had just informed me of her death, and here was this catalog advertising the auction of Princess Diana's dresses to benefit, among other causes, cancer," she said. "I thought, if I could purchase one of the dresses, then I could use it in the same way. I'd honor a wonderful child and raise philanthropic funds." Bidding by telephone, she successfully acquired Lot 9, a pale pink evening dress embroidered in pearls, designed by Catherine Walker, worn by Princess Diana on a state visit to Pakistan, and recorded by Lord Snowden in an official photograph. Pam Henn purchased the dress in Erin's name and memory.