*********** CSA E-News Volume 2 No. 10 August 2003 Edition Costume Society of America http://www.costumesocietyamerica.com CONTENTS: 1. Runway Madness 2. Folk Art 3. Costume In Trouble! 4 Unlacing Performances 5. New & Old In Phoenix 6. Artistic Invitation 7. Golden Exhibitions 8. Requests From Members 9. Palm Springs Couture Workshop 10. Textile Calls 11. Vintage Mayfair 12. Shoes In Cooperstown 13. A Felt Feeling 14. Thailand Tour 15. Website Update ****************** 1. RUNWAY MADNESS Beginning August 16, 2003 experience the excitement of New York's Fashion Week extravaganza as seen by Pulitzer Prize winning "Washington Post" photojournalist Lucian Perkins at the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, MA. Over 60 images dating from 1987 to 1998 capture the drama both on the runway and behind-the-scenes. The Museum's director of interpretation, Diane Fagan Affleck, says the Museum rounds out the exhibit with a display of fashionable pieces from its collection of historic costumes as well as a special juried show called "Future Fashion." These are creations by fashion design students from area colleges and the show is produced by John DiStefano, Director of Fashion Group International, Boston. The exhibition continues through January 4, 2004. For information, call 978-441-400 ext. 244 or see http://www.athm.org. ************ 2. FOLK ART Norma Greene has been elected co-chair of the Folk Art Council, a support group for the Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles (CAFAM). CAFAM, located across the street from LACMA, presents exhibitions and related programs of craft, folk art and design from Los Angeles and around the world. As a member of the Program committee, Norma will attempt to have more costumes and textiles included in the exhibition schedule. CAFAM's current exhibition is "Maestros de Plata: William Spratling and the Mexican Silver Renaissance" showing until September 14, 2003. (Norma reports that there are some wonderful pieces of silver jewelry available in their Museum Shop!) "Vintage Halloween Costumes" will be on exhibit from September 20 - November 30, 2003. For more information: 323-937-4230 or http://www.cafam.org. *********************** 3. COSTUME IN TROUBLE! This from Pat Warner who attended the Costume Society of Great Britain symposium in Bath in June: Anthea Jarvis, Curator of The Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall in Manchester, revealed at the meeting that the museum has been closed, apparently because of financial contingency. It will still be available by appointment for researchers who want to use its wonderful resources -- it is one of the finest collections of costume in Great Britain -- but it will no longer be open for general visitation. See http://www.manchestergalleries.org/html/costume/goc_info.html. CSA members who would like to support the museum and its work may write to: Mrs. Virginia Tandy, Director Manchester City Galleries Manchester Art Gallery Mosley Street Manchester M2 3JL UK ************************* 4. UNLACING PERFORMANCES Region II member, Barbara Darlin will present her program "Unlacing the Victorian Woman" at the William Jeanes Library, Lafayette Hill, PA (a suburb of Philadelphia) on August 4, 2003 at 7:30 pm. The phone number for the library is 610-828-0441. Another presentation on August 20, 2003 at 12 noon is at the Spotswood Public Library, Spotswood, NJ; the phone is 732-251-1515. The CN8 television morning show "Your Morning" -- broadcast from Baltimore to Boston -- is doing a feature on Barbara on August 22 sometime between 9:00 and 11:00 am. Contact Barbara at mailto:mladydarlin@hotmail.com for more information on all of the above and see her website at http://www.swarthmore-boro.com/unlacing.html. ************************ 5. NEW & OLD IN PHOENIX A. SEVEN: The Fashion Design Gallery at the Phoenix Art Museum features Seven, New York's haute-hip fashion boutique founded in 2000. Seven's mission is to be NYC's epicenter for progressive fashion. A locus and laboratory for young independent designers from around the world, Seven maintains a position that identifies fashion trends at the very beginning of their cycle. The exhibition features American and European designers and runs through November 2, 2003. See http://www.phxart.org. B. SCULPTURE IN SILK: The magic of Japan's 600-year-old performance art, Noh theater, is celebrated in a current exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum showing through September 21, 2003. Over 100 stunning examples of historical Edo period and contemporary costumes, masks, sashes and striking theater photographs are on view. This is the first venue in the U.S. to feature this exhibition. For more information: http://www.phxart.org/Exhibitions/index.html. *********************** 6. ARTISTIC INVITATION FLATFILEgalleries in Chicago announces the opening of "Eia Hat Art" featuring the work of award-winning Chicago milliner Eia Radosavljevic of Eia Millinery Design. The exhibition opens with receptions for the artist on August 23, 2003, 4 to 9 pm and August 24, 11 am to 4 pm. The show continues through August 30, 2003. Check the gallery for more information at 312-491-1190 or http://www.flatfilefoto.com. Eia and the gallery combine artistic efforts for a benefit for Mt. Sinai Medical Institute on Thursday evening, August 28, 2003 at the gallery. For more details see http://www.msmic.org/flatfilehat.htm. Eia's website is http://www.eiahatart.com. ********************** 7. GOLDEN EXHIBITIONS A. A SEPARATE SPHERE: DRESSMAKERS IN CINCINNATI'S GOLDEN AGE, 1877-1922. Dressmaking was one of the most common and lucrative employments for women in the 19th century. In 1897, the Cincinnati city directories list over 1,500 women as dressmakers and the costume collection at the Cincinnati Art Museum holds over 80 examples of their work. In conjunction with the opening of the museum's new Cincinnati Wing, Costume Curator, Cynthia Amneus has organized an exhibition of the exquisite work of dressmakers who worked in Cincinnati in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Opening on October 14, 2003 and on view until January 4, 2004, 53 pieces of period costume from the permanent collection will be shown. Created by women who were independent entrepreneurs of great artistic and technical skill, their designs were worn by the wealthiest and most socially prominent women in Cincinnati. http://cincinnatiartmuseum.org The beautiful full color catalog co-published by Texas Tech University Press will be available in October -- and be sure to order yours from the CSA Website Amazon.com Bookstore: http://www.costumesocietyamerica.com/Bookstore/index.html. B. LUXURY TEXTILES EAST AND WEST: DRESS AND IDENTITY. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the museum's Department of Costume and Textiles by showcasing some of its finest treasures in an exhibition opening October 30, 2003 through July 5, 2004. (Note that these are new dates for this second rotation of three installments.) The exhibit highlights more than 75 outstanding objects, from the 14th through the 20th centuries, that demonstrate the importance of textiles to ceremonial occasions, public and private spaces, and social identity. For more info: http://www.lacma.org. ************************* 8. REQUESTS FROM MEMBERS A. Jill Lasersohn in East Hampton, NY collects Western European textiles from the 16th through 19th centuries (toile, printed florals, velvets, silks, tapestries, lace, linen, antique trims and costume.) Jill, a former student at Michigan State University, is currently developing a textile study collection and/or an archival loaning library of samples from her collection, intending to be a help to educators and students. Jill's request: "I am hoping that a CSA member will have advice, information or wisdom to share. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge pertaining to an idea like this? I would appreciate any help in setting up a study collection!" Contact Jill at mailto:jillklasersohn@hotmail.com. B. Christine Sparta has an extension to August 15 for her costumer burnout survey mentioned in the July 1st CSA E-News. If you are a costumer and would like to assist her story for "Stage Directions" magazine, contact Christine at mailto:csparta@aol.com for a copy of the short survey quiz. ********************************* 9. PALM SPRINGS COUTURE WORKSHOP "Sewfari with Claire Shaeffer" in Palm Springs, CA on January 6-11, 2004 is a workshop designed to teach the art of haute couture. Claire, author of 15 books, is internationally recognized for her knowledge of haute couture and high fashion sewing. The workshop is limited to 10 participants and the fee will include everything needed to complete an elegant pin bag and all samples so you won't waste valuable time looking for hard-to-find supplies. Early bird fee of $875.00 is due on October 1, 2003. For more information contact Claire at 760-325-7906 or mailto:sewfari@earthlink.net. ****************** 10. TEXTILE CALLS A. The Textile Society of America's Ninth Biennial Symposium is in Oakland, California on October 6-9, 2004. The theme, "Appropriation, Acculturation, Transformation" is intended to encourage presentations and discussions about the many ways in which textile traditions have been transformed throughout history by outside influences. These include sources as varied as trade, colonization, war, and technology. The deadline for papers is December 1, 2003. See their website for more information and submission guidelines: http://textilesociety.org/symposia_2004.htm. B. A reminder that the early bird registration for the North American Textile Conservation Conference in Albany, NY is September 1, 2003. The conference is November 6-8, 2003 and the program title is "Tales in the Textile: The Conservation of Flags and Other Symbolic Textiles." Contact is Ruth Potter at mailto:Ruth.Potter@oprhp.state.ny.us. ******************** 11. VINTAGE MAYFAIR This from Robin Saikia in England: During London Fashion Week, Grays Antique Market presents Britain's top 20 vintage dealers in a one-day-only fashion extravaganza on Sunday, September 21, 2003 at 26 South Molton Lane in London. Market telephone is (44) 207-629-7034. For more info, contact Robin at mailto:robins@itlab.co.uk. ************************* 12. SHOES IN COOPERSTOWN The Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY currently has the exhibit from the Bata Shoe Museum, "Heights of Fashion: A History of the Elevated Foot." According to Jacquie Hamblin, "The show is well mounted and informative and may be more accessible to some members than the Bata in Toronto -- although obviously not as many shoes!" The exhibit is on view through December 28, 2003. Call toll-free 1-888-547-1450 or see http://www.fenimoreartmuseum.org. ******************* 13. A FELT FEELING The Royal Ontario Museum's original exhibition, "A Felt Feeling: From Home to Handbag" is opening October 25, 2003 and will be on view until March 28, 2004. This exhibition explores the history and nature of felt making and demonstrates the many ingenious ways in which this versatile fabric has been used throughout history and continues to be used to the present day. Drawn mainly from the ROM's own collections, the exhibition is augmented by several external loans, notably creations by Kathryn Walter, a Toronto-based designer/artist. Among the highlights of the approximately 50 objects on display are a white and red wool felt hat designed by Sally Victor for Mamie Eisenhower and worn to Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1953 presidential inauguration as well as a traditional Iranian felt coat, commissioned in 1973 by the ROM's Veronika Gervers. Curator of the exhibit is Dr. Ed Keall of the ROM's Near Eastern and Asian Civilizations department. See http://www.rom.on.ca. ****************** 14. THAILAND TOUR The Mongol Global Tour Company is offering a Thailand tour with a costume emphasis. They are not calling it a costume tour as they are offering enough general interest features to make it appealing to everyone -- including spouses, children and friends. For costume and textile lovers, there will be stops at the Thai silk stores, visits to see local weaving and embroidery, and a stop at the Burmese border where there are trapuntos to die for. The 14-day tour is only $2,480.00 including all tours, 4-star hotels, and the international airfare from LAX, SFO or Newark. They currently have two dates planned: Nov. 1-13, 2003 and Dec. 27-Jan. 8, 2004, both with optional Angkor Wat extensions for a week. Contact http://www.mongolglobaltours.com for more details. ******************** 15. WEBSITE UPDATES A. Kathi Martin, VP of Technology, announced that Maryann Sadagopan has been appointed the Regional Websites Manager. This is a new position with the CSA Website -- a coordinator working with liaisons from each region to keep the regional websites current and standardized. Kathi adds, "Maryann has been Region I website manager since April of 2001 and has done an excellent job. We welcome her talents and professionalism to the national team." Congratulations and thank you, Maryann! We look forward to seeing the updated regional sites soon. http://www.costumesocietyamerica.com/regsym.htm B. Sally Queen, CSA Website Bookstore Manager, says: "Check the surprises on the August Top 10 Bestseller List and check your library for the winning titles!" See http://www.costumesocietyamerica.com/Bookstore/index.html for shopping and costume book news.