Past Exhibitions

A love of the natural world and a reverence for the materials he uses has led Dean Harris to create sculptural jewelry that has struck a cord with his clientele since the inception of his company in 1998. His graceful approach produces organic shapes, fluid lines and geometric compositions that are at times Spartan in a field defined by extravagance. Fascinated by the deeply psychological need we have for adornment, and attentive to fashion's growing informality, he believes that "anything can be jewelry."

Palmer and Mull Galleries | Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Curator As we gaze upon others, we can learn much about ourselves. Like a beam of light distorted through a crystal prism, our understanding of other cultures is filtered through our own. The inherent transparency of a lens does not infer objectivity. The photographs presented in this exhibition are part of the series The North American Indian written, illustrated and published between 1907 and 1930 by Edward S. Curtis.

Alumni Gallery | Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Curator  

Blum Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director The traditional formal costumes of Japanese men in the modern era continue to reflect an aesthetic that developed as a result of strict sumptuary laws promulgated during the late Edo Period in the eighteenth century. These edicts forced the wealthy but non-aristocratic urban population to camouflage their wearing of luxurious colored silks by using them as linings under plain, dark, but expensive silk garments.

Higbee Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director When Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman donated their collection of costume and decorative arts to Kent State University, they included an extensive group of fine laces, some of which had been collected by Shannon's mother. Two additional gifts have had extraordinary examples of seventeenth and eighteenth century lace. The first, in 1995, was the transfer of costumes and textiles from the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College. The second, in 2004, came from Jo A. Bidner of Brooklyn, New York.

Tarter-Miller Gallery | Jim Measell, Guest Curator Initially called "Iridescent Ware" by the Fenton Art Glass Company in late 1907, this innovative glassware typically featured a vivid metallic sheen of changing hues on pressed glass articles made in highly-patterned molds. The secret behind Fenton s Iridescent Ware was a special spray of metallic salts on the glass while it was very hot.

Palmer and Mull Galleries | Fred Smith & Jordan Fenton, Guest Curators Establishing authenticity for African art objects has been a concern of academics, museum curators, collectors and gallery dealers for more than fifty years. The continuing scholarly fascination was reflected in the 1976 special issue of African Arts on "Fakes, Fakers and Fakery". However, the question of what defines authenticity for the visual culture of Africa is complex and only some aspects of the issue have been investigated.

Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, in Lancaster, Ohio | Dr. Anne Bissonnette, Curator Split between nature, culture and sculpture, hair is a multifaceted topic and a medium of expression that is often overlooked. It can speak loudly and it did when, at the end of the 18th century, democratic ideals caused major social and political schisms that literally changed the face of fashion. By the 1790s, wigs and towering hairdos were going out of favor and new styles rooted in classicism ushered in an era of increased individuality.

Alumni Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow, Director On February 25, 1978, Shannon Rodgers purchased a "blue silk robe and petticoat brocaded in silver, English, 1750," from Cora Ginsburg Antique Textiles in New York City. At the time, the dress was configured in a style approximating the 1770s, although the textile was probably created around 1750. It was included in the original Silverman/Rodgers gift that established the Kent State University Museum.