Workshops

Alumni Gallery | Elizabeth Morgan, Guest Curator and Jean L. Druesedow, Director

Savanna Vaughn Clark has been wearing, collecting and enjoying hats all her life. She has said that she “never leaves the house without a hat.” For Mrs. Clark, hats create a total look and she selects each one to compliment a specific outfit. A generous donor to the Kent State University Museum, Mrs. Clark has given the museum more than one hundred hats. Those selected for this exhibition date from the 1950s to the present day.

A woman of exceptional accomplishments, Mrs. Clark was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, received her Bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A & M, her Master’s from the University of Oklahoma, and did doctoral studies at Oklahoma State. She taught Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance at Tennessee State, Southern University, Langston University, North Carolina Central and the University of the District of Columbia where she also served on the Presidential Staff for Management, Retention and Recruitment.

Mrs. Clark has been an active contributor to a number of organizations, founding the Washington, D. C. Capital City chapter of The Links, Inc., an organization of black women dedicated to each other and to civic work. She is a founding member of the Women’s Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, a founding member for the Kennedy Center Friends and Volunteers, Golden Circle and Honors Committees; a founding member of the National Museum of African American History and Culture; Vice President of the Women’s Committee of the Washington Ballet; and Chairperson for the Howard University School of Communications Scholarships. Mrs. Clark is a Patron of the Ford Theater and the Kennedy Center, a life member of the Centennial Circle and the Kennedy Center National Symphony Orchestra. She is also a founding member of the Black Women's Agenda and a Patron of the State Department Diplomatic Reception Rooms. She served on the Executive Committee for YMCA Worldwide Refugee Relief. Her awards and citations include the Lou Rawls Trophy for her work raising funds for the National Negro College Fund, and three listings in Who’s Who: in Washington, Among Black Americans, and in American Education. She has garnered five National Best Dressed Women Awards.

We would like to thank the guest curator for this exhibition, Elizabeth Morgan, graduate student in Public History at Wright State University.

The museum receives general operating support from the Ohio Arts council.

Higbee Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director 

Two Hundred Fifty Years of Fashion, Twenty Five Years of Collecting

A survey of taste in silhouette, fabric and trimmings readily reveals enormous diversity. Over the centuries fashion choices have reflected relationships to an array of aesthetic and cultural environments. These choices register individual attitudes to prevailing social mores and reactions to a given artistic sensibility. The clothes we choose to wear when dressing each day become one of our most significant means of communicating who we are and how we feel. Collections of historic and fashionable dress, like that held by the Kent State University Museum, provide a very intimate record of personal choice and give insight into the unique ways individuals have responded to over-arching aesthetic trends.

On September 27, 1985, the Kent State University Museum opened its doors to the public for the first time. One of the nation's finest private collections of costume was given to establish the museum -- the donation of fashion industry entrepreneurs Jerry Silverman and Shannon Rodgers. It included 4000 fashionable and traditional costumes, 1000 objects of decorative art and 5000 volumes for the library. Since that time the collection has grown to 40,000 artifacts. Well over one million people have visited the museum in person, on the Web, or seen our name on objects loaned to exhibitions worldwide. Donors have enriched our collection and our endowment throughout the quarter century of our existence, and we are especially grateful for their continuing support. We embrace our mission to collect, exhibit, interpret and preserve the artifacts entrusted to us and to bring to the university and the greater community exhibitions that demonstrate the artistry and diversity of the world's peoples.

Stager and Blum Galleries | Sara Hume, Curator 

The Kent State University Museum is proud to present this exhibition drawing from its extensive collection of clothing and textiles from India in order to highlight the dynamism, flexibility and variation of the nation's culture. Beyond the impressive assortment of historic garments, which are remarkable examples of "traditional" Indian dress, a sizable portion of the collection was produced in India for the western market. These items include both those pieces designed to be sold in India for the tourist market, as well as a number of pieces, which, while produced in India, were intended for export to and sale in Europe or America.

Rather than simply explore the rich and varied textile traditions of India this exhibit aims to trace the complex influences that Indian textiles have had on fashions in Europe and America. While this exhibit concentrates on objects which were made in India, the cultural exchanges in the realm of textiles and clothing over the past two centuries have gone in both directions. Not only have Indian products and designs traveled to the West and served as enrichment and inspiration, Western designs and goods have, in turn, exerted an undeniable influence of their own.

The history of cultural exchange between India and the West is complicated by the colonial relationship between India and Great Britain from 1858 until 1947. Rather than a free exchange of goods and ideas, Britain hampered Indian production and trade through restrictions and taxation. Through the establishment of unequal conditions for the textile industries, the British stifled the handloom industry in India in favor of its own production of machine woven cotton. Raw materials were imported from India to Britain where they were woven then re-exported back to India for sale. When Gandhi led the movement for nationalization, he chose hand-woven cotton as the symbol of national resistance. The simple, homespun cotton, known as khadi, which he wore for the rest of his life, embodied a symbolic resistance to British power, but the resulting boycott of British goods damaged the economy of the imperial power.

Textiles and clothing in India are more than striking representatives of the nation's creativity and ingenuity; they have played an integral role in the cultural, political and economic shifts that the nation has faced through the twentieth century. The array of items selected for this exhibition demonstrates the reciprocal exchange of goods and styles that occurred between India and the West, but moreover attests to the central role that textiles have had in this oftentimes fraught relationship.

Broadbent Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director 

Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003)

Renowned actress, role model, fashion icon, outspoken, independent and feisty, Katharine Hepburn is listed by the American Film Institute as Hollywood's greatest screen legend. During a career that spanned six decades, Hepburn was nominated 12 times for Academy Awards as Best Actress and won four. Her sense of style influenced countless women, fashion designers, and the informal, elegant approach to American style seen on today's runways.

Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen

In 2008, the Kent State University Museum was honored to receive Katharine Hepburn's personal collection of film, stage and television costumes, as well as clothes worn by her for publicity purposes.

In celebration of the Museum's 25th anniversary year, Hepburn's performance clothes will be displayed in a very special exhibit including: stage costumes from The Philadelphia Story, Without Love and Coco; screen costumes from such classic films as Stage Door, Adam's Rib and Long Day's Journey Into Night; and many of her television movies, such as Love Among the Ruins. In addition, Hepburn's "signature look," an ensemble of tailored beige trousers and linen jackets, will be spotlighted, as will vintage posters, playbills, photos and other Hepburn-related artifacts.

The exhibit will also be supported by special events and programming on Hepburn's career, influence and life. These will take place at the Museum, across the Kent Campus and throughout Northeast Ohio.

This exhibition has received support from the following generous sponsors:

Dillard's
H/L Communications
Nordstrom
Time Warner Cable
WCLV

Alumni Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator 

The Kent State University Museum’s collection of costumes is already one of the finest in the country, and it continues to grow and improve thanks to the generosity of our donors. The objects on display in the Alumni Gallery through October 2011 have all been given to the Museum since 2002 and have been selected because they attest to the great diversity and exceptional quality of the objects that are accepted into the collection.

This exhibition of new acquisitions coincides with the observance of Kent State University Museum’s 25th anniversary. While we look back and celebrate our first quarter century, we are also continuing to strengthen our holdings and present exhibitions that take advantage of the remarkable diversity and range of our collection. Just as the title says, these garments are all new, at least to us, and noteworthy.

The selections on view range from a man’s dressing gown and woman’s day dress, from the 1830s to a space suit from astronaut Carl Walz that he wore in the International Space Station. The items cover two centuries of clothing styles and include items as varied as children’s clothes, outerwear and military uniforms. In contrast with objects that come into collections through the intermediary of collectors or dealers, these recent acquisitions almost without exception have been donated by the original owners or their descendents. Thanks to such personal connections, the donors were able to supply the museum with stories of the clothing’s original function and, in some instances, even pictures of the original wearers.

Higbee Gallery | Vincent Quevedo 

Our physical and emotional states are layers upon layers of independent planes stacked but separated in opaque and sometimes translucent elements that make up who we are.  These layers build character that defines the uniqueness of an individual.  Sometimes, these layers build a visual facade concealing internal elements.  My work is about exposing the internal elements and revealing the parts that make the whole.   My body of work is a unique blend of ideas and materials reflecting contemporary culture and my translations of it relative to the attitudes and reactions connected to emotions.

“Beyond Fashion: Fiber and Fashion Art by Vincent Quevedo” are pieces from my past collections that are not an attempt to persuade viewers to accept my personal ideologies, but to recognize and distinguish the power of clothing relative to beauty, intrigue, intimacy and complexity.  Although wearable, their intent includes a theatrical presence demanding a certain level of attention beyond that of ordinary clothing or art. This compilation also examines the potential of clothing as a sculptural entity dependent on visual cues in space.  This is not to say these pieces have no meaning, indeed they do, but the literal or abstract presentation I leave for the viewer to define.  These pieces are not conceptual in idealization but realized with the assuredness of my skillful eyes and hands.  Each one is meant to have a story and/or provoke you to make one up.  It is this story, limited only by your imagination, that gives importance to these pieces.

Furthermore, I am interested in blurring the demarcation of art and fashion masterfully using texture, proportion and volume to articulate the substance and delineate the boundaries of my designs. My interests include dissecting components only to redefine and reconfigure them into another form that may have had some similarity to the original.  I tend to defy current aesthetic values related to fashion while creating art. An important ingredient in my work is the relationship between the body and the material while exploring the space created between the two.  It is about the body and the relationship it has to the environment and allowing it to be interpreted by others.  I only present my interpretation of an ideal wearer that seems to have an answer to all questions but in reality only prods for new answers hence provoking questions that continue to be asked yet never answered.  Art, like fashion, responds to so many challenges from the mundane to the thought provoking that leave you full of emotion.  It is the past that feeds the soul while the present and future form the queries that trouble or intrigue us.  It is my passion to respond with both doubt and confidence.  Interrogated by self worth and existence I find the barriers to react less threatening than most.  It is that realization that makes me react with such intensity and desire making my art sensual, sexual, and exaggerated.  This compilation is a response to questions that are not answers, but just another way of asking questions the way I would ask.

Stager and Blum Galleries | Noël Palomo-Lovinski, Guest Curator 

The exhibition "Sustainable Fashion: Exploring the Paradox" is a comprehensive look at sustainable practices in fashion. The multi-billion dollar fashion industry is in a powerful position to make significant changes to the social and physical environment that we all live in. The problems in creating clothing are overwhelming and systemic in all facets of production, retail, maintenance and then disposal, causing a crisis for environmental concerns. The designers featured in this exhibition are approaching these problems in their work; offering design solutions that are both aesthetically pleasing and viable as a fashionable option to the status quo.  Information will be provided about the environmental issues that the fashion industry is grappling with, as well as possible solutions for future designers to contemplate in their own work. The exhibition hopes to inform the general public and encourage everyone to re-think their clothing purchases for a more sustainably stylish future.

Tarter/Miller, Palmer, and Mull Galleries | Sara Hume, Curator

What drives an individual to acquire ever more objects of a certain type? Some people collect out of a specific interest – Chinese art or first edition books. Others collect to fill their homes with beautiful things, things that demonstrate their taste and refinement. Once these collections find their way to museums, often their original coherence is lost. Rarely is the initial passion that first assembled the pieces documented – few collectors clearly record their motivations or even their personal memories connected to the objects. Museum exhibitions often aim to create a narrative about the function and production of the objects on display. However, part of the story of these objects involves their inclusion in a collection. This exhibition explores the peculiar phenomenon of collecting – this passion some people have to amass related objects.

Museums ultimately result from the desire to collect but their collections are not exactly comparable to those of individuals. When a private collection is absorbed into the larger collection of a museum, its original integrity and internal logic is obliterated in favor of the mission of the larger whole. While the original donor of each item is always acknowledged when the object is displayed, rarely is the coherence of the original collection evoked. Museums generally have clearly articulated guiding principles that govern what they collect: their mission. Integral to a museum’s mission is the educational purpose of the institution. A museum makes its collection available to the public through exhibitions formed of carefully selected items drawn from the larger whole.

In sharp contrast to a museum collection, rarely does the purpose of the private collection involve being viewed. For many collectors, the acquisition and possession of related objects is a goal in itself. In becoming part of the collection, the objects lose any meaningful function. Not only are they not used for their original purpose, but, in many instances, they do not even serve a decorative purpose. Collectors who amass too many objects often have no reasonable way to display their pieces. The objects must be stored in whatever space is available – such as in boxes and under beds. “Collectors and Collecting” aims to explore the peculiar qualities of individual collections.

Broadbent Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator 

You refer to Annie’s mourning dresses. She wore black at the funeral, but so many deaths are now occurring at home and in the army, that black apparel is not so generally worn as formerly. It is not pleasant to wear somber black for long periods, and besides it is far costlier than before the war. 
— Mrs. Thomas J Anderson to Mrs. James H Anderson. Marion Ohio, Dec 8, 1863

As Americans observe the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, the Kent State University Museum will present an exhibit about the material circumstances and domestic life during the Civil War and in the years that followed. Through the display of women’s and children’s costumes, which will be supplemented with related photographs, decorative arts and women’s magazines, the exhibit “On the Home Front: Civil War Fashions and Domestic Life” will focus on the daily life and experiences of the American civilian population during the Civil War. Far from being a simple trivial diversion during such a critical period, fashion provides a unique window into the lived experience of Americans who despite being far from the battlefields were deeply and immediately touched by the conflict.

Alumni Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator

The image of women at the seaside in elegant white gowns was a popular subject for Impressionist painters. This exhibition explores the reality of summer tourism with a selection of actual garments of the style that would have been worn near and at the beach between 1865 and 1915. The practice of vacationing was once the exclusive domain of a wealthy elite and did not become accessible to the middle class until the mid-nineteenth century. At the same time that transportation and leisure time increased, so did the range of activities deemed acceptable. During the late nineteenth century, women’s participation in sports was hampered both by public notions of decency and fashionable clothing styles. Beaches were not yet for frolicking and sunbathing, but rather offered opportunities for strolling and taking in the sights. Although the garments on display in this exhibit might strike the modern eye as cumbersome and constricting, they represent the range of casual clothing options available during the period.

This exhibition is designed to coordinate with the exhibition "Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism" that will be on view at the Akron Art Museum from October 29, 2011-February 5, 2012.