KSUM exhibition
IN BLOOM: PATTERNED SILK DESIGN INNOVATIONS IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY FRANCE
Alumni Gallery | Elizabeth St-George, Guest Curator Early eighteenth century silk design is marked by the evolution of textile motifs towards greater naturalism. While floral ornamentation had consistently appeared in Medieval and Renaissance silk decoration, these forms were heavily stylize…
BELLE ÉPOQUE BRIDES
Higbee Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director The period between 1875 and 1914 was tumultuous in both Europe and the United States. At the time, no one thought of it as a specific era, but in hindsight it has been called the "Gilded Age." In France it has been known rather nostalgically as La…
CARNIVAL GLASS: THE FIRST DECADE
Tarter-Miller Gallery | Jim Measell, Guest Curator Initially called "Iridescent Ware" by the Fenton Art Glass Company in late 1907, this innovative glassware typically featured a vivid metallic sheen of changing hues on pressed glass articles made in highly-patterned molds. The secret behind…
MOOD INDIGO
Broadbent Gallery | Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Curator Blue of indigo is the key to a continuing story that links the past and the present. Considered one of the finest dyes of the ancient world, it continues to be among the most beloved colors. A dominant force in fashion, indigo denim is now ub…
NATIVE AMERICANS THROUGH THE PRISM OF CULTURE: EDWARD S. CURTIS & THE LEGACY OF COLLECTORS
Palmer and Mull Galleries | Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Curator As we gaze upon others, we can learn much about ourselves. Like a beam of light distorted through a crystal prism, our understanding of other cultures is filtered through our own. The inherent transparency of a lens does not infer obj…
INNER SECRETS: JAPANESE MEN'S HAORI
Blum Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director The traditional formal costumes of Japanese men in the modern era continue to reflect an aesthetic that developed as a result of strict sumptuary laws promulgated during the late Edo Period in the eighteenth century. These edicts forced the wealthy …
CHARLES JAMES
Alumni Gallery | Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Curator The body of work created by Charles James from 1926 until his death in 1978 has become a touch stone in the history of fashion. Distinctive, colorful and extreme are terms that describe both the clothes and the creator. While much coul…
VIONNET 2007
Stager Gallery | Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Curator In August 1939, Madeleine Vionnet (1876-1975) presented her last collection in Paris before closing her house of couture. At the age of eleven, she had become a seamstress' apprentice and had discovered the gift of her hands. Talented, inquisiti…
AMERICAN CREATOR SERIES: DEAN HARRIS, JEWELER
A love of the natural world and a reverence for the materials he uses has led Dean Harris to create sculptural jewelry that has struck a cord with his clientele since the inception of his company in 1998. His graceful approach produces organic shapes, fluid lines and geometric compositions that are …
LACE: THE ART OF NEEDLE AND BOBBIN
Higbee Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director When Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman donated their collection of costume and decorative arts to Kent State University, they included an extensive group of fine laces, some of which had been collected by Shannon's mother. Two additional gifts h…
