Past Exhibitions

Stager and Blum Galleries | Sara Hume, Curator Pleating is one of the most basic fabric treatments as it serves to create three-dimensional clothing out of two-dimensional cloth. Folds and draping occur naturally when cloth is wrapped around the body. As tailored clothing developed in the West, these folds were stitched down, creating pleats. Pleats can also be produced through heat treatment of fabric to form intentional, lasting creases.  Box, inverted, kick, knife, sunburst, accordion, cartridge, tuck…

Higbee Gallery | Jean Druesedow, Director "Raiment for Liturgy: Vestments in the Kent State University Collection" will highlight a variety of religious garments and textiles from the KSU Museum's permanent collection, many of which are made from lavish materials.

Alumni Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator  Fans are among the earliest accessories because they perform a critical function. In the days before air conditioning, the cool breeze created by a fan came as welcome relief. Far from purely functional, fans became highly ornamented and beautiful. Over the centuries and across continents, a number of different basic forms of fans developed. This exhibition explores these different shapes and styles.

Broadbent Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow The defining characteristic of any fashion period is the shape of the silhouette. Shape is largely determined by what is worn underneath the fashionable garment and next to the skin. Why silhouettes have often had so little to do with the shape of the human body is one of the mysteries of fashion. It is influenced by economic, political and social circumstances as well as attitudes toward sexuality and the ever-present desire for novelty.

Stager and Blum Galleries | Sara Hume, Curator Cultures around the world have developed an array of resist dye techniques. Dyeing provides rich colors but once the fabric has been colored in a dark shade, lighter color patterns will not show up. In order to allow lighter colors to come through, areas have to be blocked from receiving dye. Any of these techniques of blocking the dye are referred to as a “resist.” Sometimes these techniques have arisen independently; sometimes the techniques have been passed across cultures through trade and exchange.

Higbee Gallery | Linda Öhrn-McDaniel Concept, problem solving and material process are the fundamental starting points for all my creative work as a designer, artist and educator. The act of exploration and discovery consistently inspires me to create new ideas. Narrowing my field of options in theme or color expands the need to use craft technique, fit or surface design to solve creative issues within each garment. A primary example of this approach is the circles and hearts that feature prominently in this exhibition.

Alumni Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator The image of women at the seaside in elegant white gowns was a popular subject for Impressionist painters. This exhibition explores the reality of summer tourism with a selection of actual garments of the style that would have been worn near and at the beach between 1865 and 1915. The practice of vacationing was once the exclusive domain of a wealthy elite and did not become accessible to the middle class until the mid-nineteenth century.

Broadbent Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator  You refer to Annie’s mourning dresses. She wore black at the funeral, but so many deaths are now occurring at home and in the army, that black apparel is not so generally worn as formerly. It is not pleasant to wear somber black for long periods, and besides it is far costlier than before the war.  — Mrs. Thomas J Anderson to Mrs. James H Anderson. Marion Ohio, Dec 8, 1863  

Stager and Blum Galleries | Noël Palomo-Lovinski, Guest Curator  The exhibition "Sustainable Fashion: Exploring the Paradox" is a comprehensive look at sustainable practices in fashion. The multi-billion dollar fashion industry is in a powerful position to make significant changes to the social and physical environment that we all live in. The problems in creating clothing are overwhelming and systemic in all facets of production, retail, maintenance and then disposal, causing a crisis for environmental concerns.