Director's Letter

Spring 2023


Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Kent State University Museum’s website. This Museum boasts an extraordinary collection of historic dress, fashion, textiles, and decorative arts, much of which you can search in the collections section of our site. The true value and purpose of the Museum is revealed as we spend time with the objects-- looking, thinking, relating, and discovering. One of the many aspects that I love about our collection is how this array of garments or textiles, glassware or accessories can delight us, transport us, and help us understand stories or reconcile events, past and present.

Like the rest of the world, museums are actively seeking new ways to better serve our communities. We must acknowledge this moment polarizing politics, racism and economic strife. Through our cultural artifacts, we have the opportunity to engage, to promote and to provoke discussions, while we listen to new and diverse perspectives. In this regard, the KSU Museum is a work in progress, but I promise that we will maintain our commitment to change.  

When you visit us, you will encounter works from the permanent collection or borrowed from other sources presented in thematic exhibitions. Here you can find an overview of past, present and future exhibitions.

I often say, we need to change from the inside out, that I want our community to use us as they use libraries, that we need to always be thinking about our relevance. Join us on this journey. Be part of the change, let us hear your voice. Visit, respond, engage with us and with others. Whether virtually or in person. This is YOUR museum.

Sincerely yours,

Sarah J. Rogers
Director