A Look Into the Fashion Museum
KENT, Ohio — Kent State University Museum, founded by Jerry Silverman and Shannon Rodgers, is filled with 40,000 exquisite garments and pieces of art allowing visitors to find their own favorite piece.
In 1959 Jerry Silverman and Shannon Rodgers began collecting costumes, starting from the 18th century all the way to the ’60s and ’70s. The initial collection was 4,000 pieces and has grown to 40,000 pieces.
Kent State University students have access to these beautiful garments but many do not know the treasures of the Fashion School. The museum has had a Fashion Timeline on display for years, containing two centuries worth of garments. This exhibit allows visitors to see the changes in silhouettes throughout the decades and it also allows them to have a better understanding of the evolution of fashion. In addition to the timeline there is an exhibit featuring a variety of glass pieces that the museum has acquired. Both exhibits allow students and visitors to view the foundation of the museum.
“There’s a lot of influence of the 1980s in the contemporary fashion scene.” — Jean Druesedow, Director of Kent State Museum
The museum currently has three temporary exhibits on display. The first is called, The 1980s: An Age of Excess, which is on display until September 3, 2017. This exhibition features a variety of garments from the ’80s including: Yves Saint Laurent, Versace and Procmownick, and Christian LaCroix. Fashion students have been commenting on how trends today reflect trends from the ’80s. Because of these current trends the museum decided to pull out their garments from this decade.
The second exhibit is on display until March 4, 2018. This exhbit is titled Fashion of the Forties: From World War II to the New Look. This exhibition features garments, magazines, and accessories from the 1940s. Some designers include Hattie Carnegie and Christian Dior. This exhibition is timely because of its historical content. When visiting this exhibit, you can find everything from an old Boy Scout uniform to bathing suits from the ’40s. The atmosphere of the ’40s music playing in the background and the garments takes students and visitors back in time.
The third exhibit on display is called Fashions of Southern Africa. Recently Kent had a conference sponsored by the Geography Department on race, ethnicity, and place. This conference allowed the Fashion School to have this exhibit take place. The garments are made by designers from South Africa and Namibia. Two of the designers featured are Laduma Ngxokolo and Thabo Makhetha. This exhibit allows students and visitors to see how people in southern Africa dress and think about clothing. The exhibit can be seen until July 2, 2017.
In addition to these lovely exhibits the museum has some special treasures. One of the treasures of the Kent State Museum is a silk, blue ombré dress by Chanel made in the 1920s. Because this dress is such a special piece it is currently on loan to Cooper Hewitt in New York and then it will travel to the Cleveland Art Museum in Ohio for a joint Jazz Age exhibition. Many garments from the museum are able to go on loan to other museums and schools. The Kent State University Museum also acquires garments from other areas.
“It is one of the more important dresses in the collections.” — Joanne Fenn, Collections Manger and Museum Registrar
All of these exhibits can be seen by students and visitors on their own time but sometimes professors bring their students to see the exhibits. Dr. McLeod, a professor at Kent State’s Fashion School, is one of many professors that utilize the museum and its contents for their classes. Her classes often go to the museum to do scavenger hunts to find different parts of the garment. These scavenger hunts are a good way to let the student see how the museum functions. Dr. McLeod also brings garments from the archives into the classroom to show students the differences between high craftsmanship and ready to wear garments. In addition to professors using the garments in the classroom students can make an appointment to study a specific piece from the collection.
“To me it is just exquisite, both in terms of imagining it on a person and how a garment would move, as well as the craftsmanship. To think about the technical details that were included to make such a fabulous garment.” — Dr. McLeod commenting on her favorite piece in the museum.
The Kent State University Museum is a wonderful resource for students, professors, and visitors. Explore the museum and find your own favorite pieces.
Visit the museums website at https://www.kent.edu/museum , to see what exhbits are on display, their hours, and to see the online collection.
