NEW AND NOTEWORTHY: RECENT ACQUISITIONS TO THE COLLECTION

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.