Past Exhibitions

Broadbent Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator The flapper is widely seen as the epitome of 1920s glamor and decadence. The term refers to the generation of young women who came to age just as World War I ended and shocked the older generation with their short hair and short skirts, their drinking and smoking and swearing.

Stager and Blum Galleries | Curators: Koon Hwee Kan and Janice Lessman-Moss We initiated this project as a celebration of more than three decades of diplomatic ties between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. This exchange exhibit serves as an experimental channel for direct connections among contemporary studio faculty members in both cultures. Gravitating toward uniqueness is typical in new artistic creation and cultural expression, which may inadvertently overemphasize contradictory outcomes stemming from differences.

Higbee Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator The art of creating beautiful custom clothing has always entailed beautiful workmanship that is hidden when the pieces are worn. This exhibition showcases these secret inner-workings that are usually out of sight. Weights, pockets, quilted linings, boning, ruffles and labels all come to light when the garments are flipped inside out. 

Broadbent Gallery | Jean Druesedow, Director American designer Geoffrey Beene (1927–2004) was respected throughout the American fashion industry for the high technical quality of his work and his innovative, modernist designs. Although very fashionable, Mr. Beene’s collections were never trendy and always original. He took an artist’s approach to turning two-dimensional fabric into a three-dimensional shape for the body and was considered a designer’s designer. Garments from the Museum’s collection will trace his 40-year career.

Alumni Gallery | American Jewelry Design Council (AJDC) The most compelling work of the American Jewelry Design Council (AJDC) is their annual design project, which began in 1996. Each year the distinguished group chooses a design theme for which members create one-of-kind pieces. The themes are chosen with considerable care to inspire many meanings, and the projects are meant to stimulate both the artist and the viewer to think beyond common limits and regard the jeweler’s creation beside other works of art as an object of contemplation.

Broadbent Gallery | American Tapestry Alliance The American Tapestry Alliance is pleased to sponsor the 10th iteration of American Tapestry Biennial. Launched in 1996, this premiere, international exhibition highlights the best of international contemporary hand woven tapestry. From 118 artists who submitted 230 tapestries, juror Dr. Jessica Hemmings, Professor of Visual Culture and Head of the Faculty of Visual Culture at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin, selected 37 tapestries for the show. She says:

Stager and Blum Galleries | Sara Hume, Curator  SPECIAL UPDATE: The exhibition "The Great War" will be closing June 7, 2015 rather than July 5, 2015 as previously advertised. The Museum will be undergoing renovations starting June 8 and will have to be closed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. From 1914 until 1918, the world faced war on a scale never before seen. In addition to the loss of millions of lives, this period saw tremendous technological, social and political upheaval.

Higbee Gallery | Sherry Schofield and Sharon Kilfoyle The Kent State University Museum is pleased to host this invitational exhibition of felted work by fifteen contemporary textile artists from the United States and Canada. Felt is legendary as one of the oldest materials from which garments have been made. Created primarily of wool fibers that have been manipulated with pressure and moisture so that the fibers interlock, traditional felt is non-woven.

Alumni Gallery | Jean Druesedow, Director Architect/sculptor/jeweler: all describe the work of Arthur Koby whom Vogue Magazine described as “one of the masters of collage.” Designer Geoffrey Beene asked Koby to provide jewelry for his runway collections as did Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karan throughout the 1980s. He combines, manipulates and assembles unexpected materials, found in his worldwide travels, into necklaces that his clients can choose to wear in full evening dress or with jeans and T-shirts.