Past Exhibits 2002-2004
December 18, 2003 - December 5, 2004
Higbee Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Eighteenth-Century Styles (1700-1799)
Fashion and decorative arts have long been subject to similar design influences.
July 26, 2003 - January 18, 2004
Broadbent Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Are there surviving garments which can indicate that fashionable clothes were worn in the Ohio territory from 1790 to 1840, and what can these artifacts convey about late 18th- and early 19-century Ohio history?
June 5, 2002 - November 17, 2002
Palmer and Mull Galleries | Noël Palomo-Lovinski, Guest Curator
The artistry of Adrian is displayed in the clean lines, dexterity with fabric and his consummate expression of imagination and humor that exists in every piece of clothing, costume, or creation.
July 3, 2002 - November 17, 2002
Higbee Gallery | Anne Bissonnette & Dr. Debbie Henderson, Curators
Elegance rarely comes without effort. Throughout the centuries, a great deal of time, energy and resources has been devoted to this quest. Mastered by those with financial means, fashion was once the privilege of the few.
December 5, 2001 - November 17, 2002
Broadbent Gallery | Dr. Shirley Teresa Wajda and Dr. Terrence L. Uber, Guest Curators
What makes a house a home? For nearly two centuries, American critics and reformers have wrestled with that question.
October 19, 2002 - November 17, 2002
Alumni Gallery | Label text prepared by Lori Harris and Paul Tople
When Paul Tople's parents gave him a photograph processing kit for Christmas when he was 14 years old, he thought that was the "dumbest gift" ever. His mother and father weren't photographers, and he had never taken a picture in his life. He had no idea at the time that the kit would serve as a symbol of his destiny.
October 10, 2001 - November 17, 2002
East Gallery | Dr. John Milton Lundquist, Guest Curator
In Tibet theories about religion, its spiritual power and tenacious hold on the human imagination become reality. Tibet is a repository of some of the most ancient beliefs and rituals.
October 17, 2001 - November 17, 2002
Stager Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
This exhibition examines the variety of garments that were appropriate to wear in different surroundings and times of day in the nineteenth century by women who followed fashion and lived a life of leisure.
February 21, 2001 - September 2, 2002
Stager Gallery
This exhibition features the wearable art works of 55 innovative Korean artists who attempt to show fashion in a new light, not only in its functional and practical aspects but also as an imaginative and contemporary art form. This exciting exhibition is on display in the U.S.
June 29, 2001 - May 19, 2002
Higbee Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
To celebrate the Kent State University Museum's 15th anniversary, we have elected to pay homage to an American original who has contributed in making our museum the one-of-a-kind institution it is. Who better to help us rejoice in style than Arnold Scaasi?
March 14, 2001 - April 28, 2002
Palmer Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Charles Kleibacker is one of the few American designers to have made a name for himself creating intricate garments in the couture tradition. Instead of mass-produced ready-to-wear, he created a limited number of extremely well-crafted garments that accented body shape and enhanced wearing comfort.
November 29, 2000 - April 28, 2002
Mull Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Born in lush oases scattered in a barren desert landscape, Central Asia's spectacular ikat fabrics reverberate with beauty, energy and life. Intricate motifs in hazy patterns glow with scintillating colors.
December 18, 2003 - December 5, 2004
Higbee Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Eighteenth-Century Styles (1700-1799)
Fashion and decorative arts have long been subject to similar design influences. Although these aesthetic links are not always apparent, they are often part of a greater artistic scheme that applies to other visual arts such as textile design, painting and architecture.
The eighteenth century was marked by at least three distinctive styles: the Baroque, the Rococo and Neoclassicism. The Baroque style was strongest during the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) and the forms echoed the strength of this absolute monarch: the style aimed to look grand, impressive and massive. The Rococo style, also called the Louis XV style, was very different and was representative of the reign of this French king (1715-74), although it was most popular before 1750. It was characterized by the presence of scrolling curves and counter-curves which created a strong sense of movement, a love of light colors and a feeling of delicacy. The discovery of Herculaneum (1738) and Pompeii (1748) fueled a love for the styles of ancient Greece and Rome that were to form the basis of Neoclassicism, a style popular through the early part of the nineteenth century.
In addition to these distinctive European styles, many foreign elements entered the design vocabulary of artists. Discoveries of new cultures, aesthetics and costumes ignited a love of exotic styles that was to have major repercussions in the nineteenth century.
Nineteenth-Century Styles (1800-1899)
Neoclassicism competed with a multitude of design influences early in the nineteenth century. Looking back to previous styles became a strong force throughout this period and, at times, many styles coexisted and created an era marked with eclecticism.
Historicism was one of the most important characteristic of nineteenth century design. The earliest historical style to appear followed a movement called Romanticism, which was once again philosophically opposed to its predecessor, Neoclassicism. Romanticism glorified the exotic and drew from earlier styles, particularly the Middle Ages. As is often the case, literary and philosophical movements ignited new trends in various artistic spheres. The nineteenth century witnessed the renaissance of numerous historical styles from Neo-Gothic to Baroque to Rococo revivals. These styles were to impact fashion and decorative arts equally.
Another important event that impacted design in Europe and America was Japan's international trade re-establishment of 1854. Japanese aesthetics began to seep in and the term Japonisme was used to describe this phenomenon. By the end of the 1870s this word was commonly used in France and was widely known in the Western world. Displays of Japanese objects in several international exhibitions, beginning with one held in London in 1862, enabled people of the middle and upper classes to gain familiarity with Japanese aesthetics. This influence was to have considerable impact on late nineteenth and twentieth century design.
July 26, 2003 - January 18, 2004
Broadbent Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Are there surviving garments which can indicate that fashionable clothes were worn in the Ohio territory from 1790 to 1840, and what can these artifacts convey about late 18th- and early 19-century Ohio history? This research is object-based and focuses on fashionable garments because they make up the majority of the clothing items that survived and were collected. As a result, this exhibition does not claim to illustrate clothing adopted by all Ohioans since not everyone could afford such goods. Artifacts that have survived the passage of time are tangible means of relating to, questioning and interpreting history. Most garments studied and selected for exhibition were drawn from historical societies in the state of Ohio and are displayed on mannequins. Costume collections outside the state of Ohio also lent artifacts that were used to compare and contrast the garments borrowed with other North American pieces. Those are displayed on dress forms and help to acknowledge that the types of fashionable clothes worn within the state were not limited by geopolitical boundaries. The goal of the exhibition was to seek, find and present artifacts unknown to most Ohio historians and to draw from them a meaning that could shed light on the diversity of settling experiences that occurred within the state. The existence and survival of these artifacts, particularly in the first half of the period from 1790 to 1840, is remarkable for different reasons: It serves to indicate the presence of a type of refined social behavior among individuals who immigrated to the territory, and helps shatter the myth of the settler that is firmly anchored in popular culture and consists of the ruffian-farmer dressed in homespun clothing or the trapper in buckskin. It also brings a certain balance to Ohio's early settlement history by incorporating women's history into the equation, through artifacts made for and used by some of them. As the state of Ohio celebrates its bicentennial in 2003, it remembers the people who shaped the land and helped define its character. In an effort to embrace a wider variety of experiences, it is important to make use of all the tools available to the historian to help understand and interpret the past. Bringing to the forefront artifacts that may help scholars and the public in this undertaking is a worthy endeavor that can help us understand the intricacies of the past, their roots in the present, and their ability to shape the future.
June 5, 2002 - November 17, 2002
Palmer and Mull Galleries | Noël Palomo-Lovinski, Guest Curator
The artistry of Adrian is displayed in the clean lines, dexterity with fabric and his consummate expression of imagination and humor that exists in every piece of clothing, costume, or creation. Adrian effortlessly combined garment construction skills, an understanding of the feminine image, and a graphic conception of the body to provide allure in wearable clothing. He shaped young Hollywood actresses into movie stars, transforming perceived figure faults into alluring assets. He galvanized the image of American women on the world stage by combining national feminine vitality with grace and sophistication.
Born in 1903 in Naugatuck Connecticut, Adrian's talents at drawing and his vivid imagination were revealed early on. Against his parents' reservations, Adrian enrolled in The New York School of Fine and Applied Arts (currently Parsons School of Design). After a rather lackluster year due to low grades, the school sent Adrian to the Paris affiliate in the hopes that the artistically rich surroundings would be enough to hold the young student's interests. While in Paris, Irving Berlin invited Adrian to create the costumes for his Music Box Review of 1921 after seeing a piece that Adrian had designed and made for a school friend. At the age of 18, less then one year after he started school in Paris, Adrian left school and sailed back to New York to start his costuming career. Natacha Rambova, the actress and wife of Rudolph Valentino, invited Adrian to Hollywood to design costumes for two of her husband's films. Once in Hollywood, Adrian soon began working for the famed movie director, Cecil B. DeMille. In 1928, DeMille merged his production company with MGM and brought Adrian along as costume designer. Adrian stayed with MGM, and quickly became their top costume designer working with the best of MGM actresses in over 200 films.
Adrian was responsible for creating and refining the images of actresses such as Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Jean Harlow and his favorite, Greta Garbo. Highlighting each woman's most appealing traits, he created the illusion of effortless perfection. Known for his extensive research and his understanding of character development, Adrian helped these actresses to explore and understand their character all while looking their most captivating.
By the late 1930s the Hollywood machine was reacting to WWII and the nation's slow recovery from the Great Depression. Gone were the big budgets for over the top dazzling costumes that Adrian was accustomed to and instead a call for more realistic and " down to earth" films and costumes reflecting the sober attitude of a country at war. Knowing that he needed all or nothing, Adrian decided to leave Hollywood and open a private retail business. For years stores had been copying Adrian gowns, such as the dress to the right from Letty Lynton, which is reported to have sold 50,000 units at the Macy's New York store alone. In 1942, Adrian opened his shop on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills and quickly arranged to sell to one store in every major city.
From 1942 to 1952 Adrian created gowns and smart suits that many women treasured years after they bought them. Adrian infused all his pieces with the charm that he learned in Hollywood with the practicality and design innovation that he perceived women needed and wanted. Adrian formed an impressive collection of garments that continue to influence and be seen in the work of today's designers.
July 3, 2002 - November 17, 2002
Higbee Gallery | Anne Bissonnette & Dr. Debbie Henderson, Curators
Elegance rarely comes without effort. Throughout the centuries, a great deal of time, energy and resources has been devoted to this quest. Mastered by those with financial means, fashion was once the privilege of the few. For some it was also an obligation: noblemen were required to appear at court and in battle in elaborate finery. To fight was their birthright; to shine, their prerogative.
December 5, 2001 - November 17, 2002
Broadbent Gallery | Dr. Shirley Teresa Wajda and Dr. Terrence L. Uber, Guest Curators
What makes a house a home? For nearly two centuries, American critics and reformers have wrestled with that question. Although Americans at the beginning of the nineteenth century lived in a variety of dwellings, by the eve of the Civil War architects, social reformers and fiction writers were using their pens to forge an ideal of the suburban, single-family dwelling as the right way of living. The family was the basic social unit of the State, these authors argued; the home was the place in which society and nation could be perfected. Since that time, the nation's printing presses have never stopped in their production of plan books, architectural treatises, decorating and interior design guides, household advice manuals, house trade advertising, and domestic fiction. And Americans have never stopped reading this advice literature. Or building, buying, renovating, or dreaming of, home.
Especially in eras of increased opportunity and prosperity, home ownership and stylish decoration have come to define what it is to be "middle class." Designing Domesticity: Decorating the American Home Since 1876 explores the relationship between interior design and family reform in four decades of relative growth the 1870s, the 1920s, the 1950s, and today. In these decades, room arrangement changed and new rooms were created, reflecting changes in the nature of family. How the family created the hospitable home - for their guests and for themselves - figures prominently in advice literature and in the types of goods American families purchased. Style bespoke the family's knowledge of the canons of taste, and may be analyzed through the selection of wall treatments, furniture, ceramics, and dress. As consumers, middle-class Americans balanced their quest for betterment by choosing affordable interpretations of high style, but they also remained true to the tenets of frugality, applying their own hands to create household furniture and other embellishments. Balanced between the prescriptions of reformers and individual creativity, middle-class Americans made houses into homes by dint of hard work, helping to create - and renovate - a distinctly American ideal.
October 19, 2002 - November 17, 2002
Alumni Gallery | Label text prepared by Lori Harris and Paul Tople
When Paul Tople's parents gave him a photograph processing kit for Christmas when he was 14 years old, he thought that was the "dumbest gift" ever. His mother and father weren't photographers, and he had never taken a picture in his life. He had no idea at the time that the kit would serve as a symbol of his destiny.
After working his way through college by photographing weddings and working part-time at the Barberton Herald, Paul graduated from Kent State University in 1970. A photojournalism major, he worked for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication's Chestnut Burr magazine and yearbook, as well as the Daily Kent Stater. After graduation, he began a notable career as a photographer at the Akron Beacon Journal. During his 30 years at the newspaper, he was a member of distinguished news teams that won three Pulitzer Prizes. When asked to describe his career in a few words, he said: "Without a doubt, it has been an interesting journey in photojournalism."
"I remember the days of walking into the back shop at work when you couldn't hear yourself talk because the linotype machines were so loud - they were deafening," he said. "The camera I used was a 2¼" x 2¼" format RolleiFlex. Today, we hear only the soft tapping of the computer keys, and I have a digital camera that I'm still learning how to use." Paul said the changes in technology throughout the past 30 years have been almost unbelievable, yet they have provided him with new opportunities. It was change, he said - and the fact that Knight-Ridder has constantly invested in new technology - that kept him interested in the profession.
Throughout the years, Paul has had many mentors such as former photojournalism professors Charlie Brill because "his enthusiasm was contagious" and Henry Beck, "who looked at me and said, 'I except to see great things from you.'" Paul also considers Bill Beers, a fellow Boy Scout leader, as his mentor. "He showed me that I could accomplish anything by practicing leadership skills." Perhaps Paul's most influential mentor was his father, Clarence, who died in 1995. "He showed me that I shouldn't be afraid to do something. He also taught me to respect people and that all things are possible if you work hard," he explained.
And his strongest supporter over the years is his wife, Terri. Because he didn't have a "9 to 5" job, Terri was primarily responsible for raising their two young sons, Edward and Michael. Paul says he is grateful that she was willing to support him as his career was taking off.
Kent State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication holds a special place in Paul's heart. "We were all family; we worked together and we played together. And we had a great darkroom, good photography equipment and professors who prepared us well." Paul said receiving the William Taylor Distinguished Alumni Award is a privilege. "I feel very fortunate to be included in the long line of professional journalists who have attended Kent State. Obviously, William Taylor set the standard, and to be in the same class with Fran Murphy and many others is a true honor."
For Paul, the future holds many new challenges, although he would like to continue working with and being a mentor to photojournalism students. And with a glimmer in his eyes and that famous smile, he adds: "I still feel that there's another Pulitzer in me someplace, somewhere."
October 10, 2001 - November 17, 2002
East Gallery | Dr. John Milton Lundquist, Guest Curator
In Tibet theories about religion, its spiritual power and tenacious hold on the human imagination become reality. Tibet is a repository of some of the most ancient beliefs and rituals. It houses temples such as the magnificent Jokhang in Lhasa, the ethereal national cathedral of Tibetan religion, where one can immerse oneself in an atmosphere that evokes the great temples of antiquity.
The land of Tibet is given its deepest imprint of spirituality by the Tibetan people, whose pilgrimage fervor and devotion to Buddhism can never be quenched. The followers of this Indian doctrine, attributed to Gautama Buddha, believe that suffering is inseparable from existence but that inward extinction of the self and of the senses culminates in a state of illumination beyond suffering and existence.
Tibet is also a land of "power places," as a Tibetan phrase expresses: mountains, valleys, rocks, caves, rivers and lakes are scattered with sacred Buddhist structures such as temples, chapels within monasteries and chortens, which are shrines also known as stupas. These sanctuaries have become consecrated because of the miraculous visitation or intervention by Buddha or one his holy followers, the Bodhisattvas. The sacredness of these structures also could have resulted from their having been touched, visited or sanctified by one of the great Indian or Tibetan saints, or because they reflect some aspect of Tibetan Buddhist cosmology.
The photographs exhibited at The Kent State University Museum come from a number of my visits to Tibet, beginning in 1994, through my most recent visit in the summer of 2000. In them we can see a land of high mountain desert, which is covered for much of the year by wind-blown sand. Vast drifts of sand cascade down the mountain slopes and spill onto the roads into the river bottoms like billowing brown glaciers. This harsh terrain also nurtures verdant valleys, fabulous flowers, fruits and grains which blossom and grow in the spring and give the countryside color and vitality into the fall. This striking country and its people have suffered terribly under the oppression carried out by the regime of the People's Republic of China, and they still lack full expression of their beliefs. But much about this mysterious high mountain land remains intact, or is being rebuilt. There is a deeply moving and magnetic sense of spirituality in Tibet that irresistibly draws me back.
October 17, 2001 - November 17, 2002
Stager Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
This exhibition examines the variety of garments that were appropriate to wear in different surroundings and times of day in the nineteenth century by women who followed fashion and lived a life of leisure. The nineteenth-century witnessed the propagation of periodicals aimed at a wide array of individuals and social classes on both the European and American continents. Within different types of publications, the fashion plate was found to be a popular feature that informed audiences of the changes in styles and was also partially responsible for the dissemination of certain genres. These plates became an important mode of communication that helped codify existing rules and regulations regarding how garments were to be worn and in what surroundings they were suitable.
The women depicted in the fashion plates were not the same as those targeted by today's fashion industry. Instead of the pre-pubescent ideal, the wife and mother was the glorified role model. Body types depicted illustrated this difference well: in keeping with female anatomy, hips, bellies and buttocks were much admired and necessary to attain the fashionable silhouette, as was the bearing of a generous bosom. These components helped to create the illusion of a smaller waist, which was also made possible by the wearing of corsets. Although literature abound describing the horrors of tight-lacing, we must remember that, as is the case today, some people succumb to societal pressures, but not all victimized themselves to an unhealthy degree. Will future generations think we all dieted ourselves to death due to the massive amount of literature dedicated to this subject? Where the nineteenth-century woman used an external aid to achieve a matronly figure, today's population has internalized the process to achieve the ideal silhouette.
With the societal changes that followed the industrial revolution, the middle classes gained greater access to leisurely activities and life-styles. Where European nobility had dictated the codes and organization of social functions in previous centuries, wealth instead of birth enabled individuals from the upper middle class to participate in these activities. Although women still represented a large percentage of the middle and lower class workforce, fashion plates were aimed at those individuals that had attained the much sought-after life of leisure.
February 21, 2001 - September 2, 2002
Stager Gallery
This exhibition features the wearable art works of 55 innovative Korean artists who attempt to show fashion in a new light, not only in its functional and practical aspects but also as an imaginative and contemporary art form. This exciting exhibition is on display in the U.S. at only three venues: Parsons School of Design in New York, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and the Kent State University Museum.
Wearable Art is an art form that began in the early 1970s as "Art to Wear": one of a kind pieces of clothing made outside the mainstream of fashion. Artists would use clothing simply as a medium without reference to current commercial fashion. In the 70s, true "wearable art" was meant to be worn. Today, wearable art has transformed to become more sculptural, in other words, artwork that is in the shape of clothing but is not generally meant to be worn. Most of the pieces in the show are not meant to be worn but are meant to be viewed and enjoyed as a work of art.
Media used in "Air of East" clothing designs include: textiles, wire, paper, tape, horse hair, metal, beads, twine, newspaper, tree bark, mirrors, ornamental birds, yarn, cork, rubber, glass, silk flowers, wood, Chinese ink, sponges, dried flowers, and much more. These various types of media allow each artist to create their own spectacular garment. For example, one of the more "wearable" pieces in the exhibition is a lovely, willowy green satin high-necked gown embellished with handmade rosettes on the bodice which were crafted by folding and interlocking together satin bias and horse hair bands. There is also a dress called "Web Dress in White" that's fashioned completely from wire, beads and twine. In another example, large shavings of wood bark are used with leather to form a skirt.
This idea for the American debut of this exhibition was conceived in a very interesting manner. Museum Director Jean Druesedow was interested in bringing Korean wearable art to the U.S., and to Kent. Prior to joining the KSU Museum in 1993, Ms. Druesedow was with the Costume Society of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where she taught fashion history classes at NYU. One of her former students, Ms. Kyoung Hee Cho, is the assistant professor and chair of the fashion department at one of the Korean women's universities.
Every other year, Kyuong and 55 other Korean women who are mostly professors in departments of fashion design and clothing & textiles, have done a large exhibition of wearable art. They also publish a catalog. Jean suggested to Kyoung that the next time they do a catalog of their works, they should bring an exhibition based on the catalog to the United States on "tour." She would commit to having the exhibition at the Kent State University Museum, where one of the Museum's key missions is to provide diverse exhibitions of world culture through fashion and decorative arts. (Other recent Asian art exhibitions have included "Japanese by Design – Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto," a current display of stunning Ikat Robes from Central Asia, and an on-going exhibition of gold and ivory carvings from China; an upcoming exhibition of Photographs of Tibet is planned for October 2001).
The Parsons School of Design in New York and The Fashion Institute for Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles also agreed to host the exhibition. This is the first time the works of the Korean artists/professors have been shown in the United States: it is currently at the Parsons School of Design Gallery (thru Jan. 16, 2001), then at the Kent State Museum (Feb. 21 to Sept. 2, 2001) and then on its final destination at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles (October to Dec. 17, 2001) before returning to Korea.
June 29, 2001 - May 19, 2002
Higbee Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
To celebrate the Kent State University Museum's 15th anniversary, we have elected to pay homage to an American original who has contributed in making our museum the one-of-a-kind institution it is. Who better to help us rejoice in style than Arnold Scaasi? With his passion for fashion, he has left his indelible, exuberant and glamorous mark on many American celebrations, from private family weddings to public presidential inaugural balls.
Born Arnold Isaacs in Montreal, he was exposed to the garment industry from an early age as the son of a furrier. At 14, he traveled to Australia to visit his Aunt Ida, a woman of style and substance, who helped him decide on a career in fashion. Upon his return to Montreal, Arnold studied at the Cotnoir-Capponi School of Design, which was affiliated with Paris' Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne where he completed his formal design education. After an apprenticeship at the House of Paquin, he returned to America and obtained a position with designer Charles James in New York, where he worked for just over two years. James' sculptural gowns and demanding clientele helped to forge his skills as a creator and in public relations. A superb colorist whose designs aimed for maximum impact, he freelanced on numerous occasions and his clothes appeared in magazine ads for a wide variety of products in the early 1950s. While his creations were being used in a General Motors ad campaign, his friend Robert Denning reversed his name to give it a fashionable Italian flavor: Arnold Isaacs had become Scaasi!
It was with this catchy new name that Scaasi made the much-coveted cover of Vogue magazine in December 1955. The dramatic red evening coat featured on the Christmas issue was a forerunner of the numerous high-spirited and sculptural garments that were to become Scaasi trademarks. He opened his own ready-to-wear business in 1956 with a seamstress, a tailor, a small Manhattan studio, and $2,000 in savings. Highly creative and hard working, he also proved himself to be a talented businessman. Just two years after his business debut, he won the prestigious Coty Fashion Critics Award in 1958 and, from then on, the great ladies of the era flocked to his door, from Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy to the First Lady of the day, Mamie Eisenhower.
When social trends began to change in the 1960s, Arnold Scaasi went against the current and decided to change his business from a ready-to-wear to a made-to-order enterprise. In an era when even Parisian couture had to redefine itself, he closed on Seventh Avenue and opened his own couture salon in 1964. There, he catered to women who wanted luxurious clothes made to fit their bodies and lifestyles to perfection. His boundless creativity enabled him to design for a very eclectic clientele. From First Lady gowns for Lady Bird Johnson to Barbra Streisand's scandalously sheer 1969 Oscar overblouse and pants, Scaasi's name remained on everyone's lips.
His ready-to-wear label and mass availability reappeared with the affluence of the 1980s. Arnold Scaasi returned to Seventh Avenue in 1984 with a line called "Scaasi Boutique." This helped expand his sense of style beyond the socialites and entertainers such as Blaine and Ivana Trump, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Lauren Bacall, Diahann Carroll, Elizabeth Taylor and Mary Tyler Moore who were at the core of his couture clientele. His success triggered a series of licensing agreements, some of which had started in the 1950s, with furs, jewelry, accessories, fragrances, ties, bridalwear, sleepwear, and even QVC "dresses at a price." With great pride, he created for his existing client, First Lady Barbara Bush, her 1989 inaugural dress, which is now part of The Smithsonian Institution's collection. To add to the numerous awards he received over the years, including the 1987 award for Creative Excellence from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Mrs. Bush presented him in 1997 with the most prestigious accolade in the fashion world, the CFDA's Lifetime Achievement Award.
In the ephemeral world of fashion, Scaasi's sense of style, color and shape have endured. An art collector whose passion permeates his work, he knows what American women want and remembers their desire for fantasy. Although he has tried to take a step back to enjoy his success, his talent and energy push him to the forefront and, with First Lady Laura Bush enlisting him into her service, we can look forward to seeing more of his sumptuous creations.
March 14, 2001 - April 28, 2002
Palmer Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Charles Kleibacker is one of the few American designers to have made a name for himself creating intricate garments in the couture tradition. Instead of mass-produced ready-to-wear, he created a limited number of extremely well-crafted garments that accented body shape and enhanced wearing comfort. Unsatisfied with industrial construction methods, he specialized in hand-sewn assembly techniques that enabled him to produce remarkable designs, many with highly complex bias-cut construction.
Brought up in the ready-to-wear department of his family's department store in Cullman, Alabama, Mr. Kleibacker first worked as a reporter in his native state after receiving a degree in journalism from the University of Notre Dame. Employed as an advertising copywriter upon his arrival in New York City, he subsequently landed a job working for the singer Hildegarde, who provided him with a glimpse of the world of Parisian haute couture. From that moment, a passion for design revealed itself and Kleibacker embarked on a lifelong journey of discovery.
After spending three years learning the trade as an assistant designer to Antonio Castillo in the house of Lanvin in Paris, Mr. Kleibacker returned to New York in 1958. He designed for Nettie Rosenstein before opening his own studio in 1960. Located at first at 26 West 76th Street, he later moved to larger premises at 23 West 73rd Street. For the next 25 years he devoted himself to the creation of fluid garments with a distinctive couture character. A great admirer of Madeleine Vionnet's 1930s construction techniques, Kleibacker explored ways to use all the potentialities of his medium, cloth, by laying out his pattern pieces in several directions to take advantage of the effect of grain on fit.
Many of Kleibacker's garments are cut out on the bias with the pattern pieces set diagonally on the cloth. Were these pieces placed parallel to the fabric selvedge edge or perpendicular to it, the longitudinal warp threads would provide strength, as would, to a lesser degree, the horizontal weft threads. Pieces set diagonally have no direct support threads, and the warp and weft tend to contract and retract in a diamond pattern when the garment is worn. This bias cut allows better fit and greater ease. It also demands superior engineering skills from the designer, since the structure of bias-cut cloth changes with gravity over time and the seams must be planned to allow for this growth. These design difficulties explain why production of such garments is limited and better achieved in a couture setting.
Although at odds with his contemporaries in the 1960s, Mr. Kleibacker's vision of soft clothes that followed body contour without constricting it returned to the forefront of fashion in the 1970s. Painstakingly engineered and often individually fitted to the wearer's body, his designs were created mostly in neutral colors and high-quality fabrics. They were sold for $1,200 to $3,500 in such stores as Hattie Carnegie, Bergdorf Goodman, Bonwit Teller, Henri Bendel, Martha, Nan Duskin and Neiman-Marcus. Kleibacker's clientele included such celebrities as Gertrude Lawrence, Lady Iris Mountbatten, Diahann Carroll, Mrs. Nelson Rockefeller, Mrs. Richard Nixon during her days as First Lady, Hildegarde, Mary Travers, Jane Pickens Hoving, Regina Resnik, Mrs. Rebekah Harkness, Mrs. Irving Berlin, Mrs. Alfred Drake, Alicia Markova, Zita Davidson and Mrs. L.V. Dodge, to mention but a few.
Charles Kleibacker's name is synonymous not only with superb technique but also with educational outreach. Over the years, he has shared his knowledge with a multitude of students in colleges throughout the United States, and he continues to do so to this day. In September 1984, he accepted a position as designer-in-residence at the Department of Consumer and Textile Sciences of The Ohio State University, where he acted as director and curator of the historic costume collection until October 1995. As designer, collector and curator, Charles Kleibacker has contributed to several exhibitions at the Kent State University Museum. Adjunct faculty member at The Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising at Kent State University, he continues to empower students by sharing his technical skills and by encouraging their quest for individuality.
November 29, 2000 - April 28, 2002
Mull Gallery | Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Born in lush oases scattered in a barren desert landscape, Central Asia's spectacular ikat fabrics reverberate with beauty, energy and life. Intricate motifs in hazy patterns glow with scintillating colors. Their textile artistry is created through a process of dyeing and weaving called abrdandi or "banded cloud." These chromatic experiments echo the ultimate mirage in arid Central Asia, the reflection of clouds on water.
The Malay-Indonesian term ikat, used in the West to describe these fabrics, is derived from the verb mengikat, which means "to bind, tie or wind around"(1). A technique popular in many parts of the world, including Southeast and Central Asia, Japan and Yemen, ikat is created by binding threads to form areas that will resist coloration. The more colorful and complicated the motifs, the longer and more elaborate the binding and dyeing process before the weaving of the cloth can begin. Despite meticulous care in binding, resist dyeing inevitably results in motifs with blurred edges, as the dying and weaving processes cause unpredictable distortions.
Although evidence for their earlier existence is scant, Central Asian ikats emerged as a compelling art form during the region's urban renaissance, which occurred in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Springing from a long history of trade and traditions going back as far as the fabled East-West trading path known as the Silk Road, the most brilliant ikats were the result of complex inter-ethnic cooperation. Muslim and Jewish artisans joined forces to create these fabrics, which remain to this day a symbol of national identity and pride.
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(1) Johannes Kalter, ed., Uzbekistan: Heirs to the Silk Road (Thames and Hudson, 1997), 216; Kate Fitz Gibbon and Andrew Hale, Ikat: Splendid Silks of Central Asia: the Guido Goldman Collection (Lawrence King Publishing in Association with Alan Marcuson Publishing, 1999), 14.