CSA Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

The CSA Scholars’ Roundtable recognizes those who exemplify high standards in costume scholarship and charges them with leading a National Symposium event that stimulates consideration and discussion of an issue pertaining to costume scholarship.


The Scholars’ Roundtable was formed in 1997 to enhance costume scholarship, taking it in innovative and interdisciplinary directions through a program at the CSA National Symposium. Presented in various formats throughout the years, under the current format a complex or potentially contentious topic relating to the field of costume studies is chosen for discussion each year. Three to four scholars, selected for their varied insights, experiences, and viewpoints regarding that topic, each briefly explore aspects of the subject and then encourage attendees to join the discussion.

2027 Scholars' Roundtable

Watershed Moments: Epiphany through Discovery


This year’s Symposium’s theme, “Watershed Moments in Dress,” forms the basis for the Scholars' Roundtable. The term watershed describes moments of significant, often momentous, change. The goal of the roundtable is to showcase the work of dress scholars who have discovered technological, cultural, or political revolutions through their dress practices, and to demonstrate the breadth and depth of impact driven by CSA’s members. Members are encouraged to view the concept of discovery as a process that yields epiphanies and to reflect on the magnitude of processes undertaken by the CSA membership that reshape how we create, wear, and understand dress.

 

All members of CSA are invited to apply to participate in this roundtable discussion. Applicants and nominees will contextualize their discoveries and/or process of discovery within their work in a discussion guided by questions such as: 

  • How do costumers, recreationists or other practitioners yield epiphanies through their process of making?
  • What discoveries about dress can be learned from conservators?
  • How do museum curators, and educators engage and shape discovery?
  • How do new discoveries affect creative and production processes (e.g., technological accelerations, production techniques, cultural shifts)?
  • What watershed moments can or have risen from community-centered approached?  
  • How can we best instruct on the strategies for discovery and learning across the dress discipline? 
  • How do intersectional approaches to fashion and dress studies yield greater accuracy and representation?
  • What can we learn about revolutions from dress history, and how does dress history shape our understandings of revolutions?
  • How has dress affected the progression of countercultural, gender, or race movements?
  • What epiphanies have shaped technological, cultural, or political knowledge in dress studies?


This year's committee co-chairs are Emily Oertling and Alyssa Opishinski.

  • Nomination Procedure

    To nominate someone for this honor, please seek their permission, then send the person’s name and contact information along with a brief statement of why this nominee is a good candidate for this year’s roundtable. Interested scholars are welcome to nominate themselves by submitting the information outlined above.E mail this information to Committee Chair Emily  Oertling at oertling@csus.edu.


    Once nominations have been received, nominees will be asked to submit a 200–300-word essay explaining how their experience and/or scholarship contributes towards the selected topic and how they plan to contribute toward the panel discussion.  A curriculum vitae or resume will also be requested (not to exceed 10 pages). 

  • Eligibility

    Nominees should be those who:

    • Are members of the Costume Society of America
    • Have particular experience in or insight into as aspect of the elected scholarly issue
    • Are interested in considering and debating the issue from many angles
    • Have done or who are doing innovative work in the field of costume
    • Are willing to work collaboratively and help to lead a dynamic discussion

  • Rubric

    Nominees will be evaluated on:

    • The work’s alignment with the CSA mission of fostering an understanding of appearance and dress practices of people across the globe through research, education, preservation, and design.
    • The ability to advance CSA’s strategic goal of increasing diversity in subject matter and research, including hidden, overlooked, and marginalized topics or perspectives. The applicant’s contribution significantly expands upon previously understood knowledge.
    • The submission's ability to provide unique and applicable approaches valuable to those in dress studies and adjacent fields, with the potential to spark ideas about practices, strategies, methods, and technologies that can positively impact sustainability.
    • The relevancy of the contribution to most CSA members, including but not limited to educators, costume designers, curators, historic interpreters, fashion historians, entrepreneurs, emerging scholars, and CSA enthusiasts.
    • Evidence of experience working in a collaborative environment to foster an engaging discussion or conversation. Examples of experience could include leading seminars, hosting workshops, or participation in other venues for public speaking.




  • Award Schedule

    The application deadline for the 2027 Roundtable is November 1, 2026. Eligible nominees will be contacted, and the additional information as outlined in the "Nomination Procedure" tab will be due December 1, 2026. Applicants will be notified of the results by February 15, 2027.

Please contact Committee Co-chair Emily Oertling for more information:

Contact Emily Oertling

Recipients

2026, Generational Practices: Approaches to Sustainability Across the Dress Discipline

Jennifer Harmon, University of Wyoming


Sara Idacavage, Southern Methodist University


Katie Baker Jones, West Virginia University


Katrina Orsini, The GW Museum and The Textile Museum

2025, From Zoom to Lectra: The Tools, Theories, and Technologies That Move Dress Forward

Laura Camerlengo

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco


Daniel Drak

Parsons School of Design


Alyssa Ridder
Metropolitan State University of Denver


Dina Smith-Glaviana
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

2024, 1973 to 2073: The Past, Present, and Future of Dress Studies

Marilyn DeLong

University of Minnesota


Clarissa Esguerra

Los Angeles County Museum of Art


Monica Sklar

University of Georgia


Elizabeth Way

The Museum at FIT

2023, Crossroads of Dress and Adornment: Creativity, Culture and Collaboration

Shelly Foote

National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, retired (Organizer)


Adam MacPhàrlain

Missouri Historical Society


Kelly Reddy-Best

Iowa State University


Petra Slinkard

Peabody Essex Museum


Leon Wiebers

Loyola Marymount University

2022, Innovation in the Fashion History Curriculum

Linda M. Welters,

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, Rhode Island


Abby Lillethun

Montclair State University

Montclair, New Jersey


Lauren D. Whitley,

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

2021, Design and Curatorial Scholarship: Purpose, Place, Present, and Future

Co-Chair: Dr. Kelly Reddy-Best

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa


Co-Chair: Dr. Carmen Keist

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois


Karen DePauw

Indiana Historical Society

Indianapolis, Indiana


Kristen Morris

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, Colorado


Linda Pisano

Indiana University Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana


Eulanda Sanders

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa


Sarah Scaturro

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, Ohio

2019, Do we really study diversity and dress?

Dr. Michael Mamp (Moderator)

Central Michigan University

Mt. Pleasant, MI


Nancy Deihl

New York University

New York, NY


Tameka N. Ellington, Ph.D.

Kent State University

Kent, OH


Carmen Keist, Ph.D.

Bradley University

Peoria, IL


Kelly L. Reddy-Best, Ph.D.

Iowa State University

Ames, IA

2018, Engaging Labor, Acknowledging Maker

Laurie Brewer

Rhode Island School of Design

Providence, RI


Dr. Michael Mamp

Central Michigan University

Mt. Pleasant, MI


Sara Bernstein

Pacific Northwest College of Art

Portland, OR


Ariele Elia

FIT, Fordham Law

New York, NY

2017, Technology: Friend and Foe?

Denise Nicole Green

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY


Virginia Heaven

Columbia College

Chicago, IL


Abby Lillethun

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ


Ingrid Mida

Ryerson University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2016, Everyone Their Own Curator: Professionalism and Authority in the Digital Age

Jo Paoletti

Chair, Scholars Roundtable Committee


Virginia Heaven

Columbia College

Chicago, IL


Sara Hume

Kent State University Museum

Kent, OH


Deborah Kraak

Independent Museum Professional

Wilmington, DE


Ingrid Mida

Ryerson University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2015, Credit Where Credit is Due

Jean Parsons

Associate Professor, Department of Textile and Apparel Management, University of Missouri

Columbia, MI


Sara Marcketti

Associate Professor, Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management; Associate Director, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University

Ames, IA

2014, Beyond Material Culture: Sources for Scholarship

Dr. Kimberly Chrisman Campbell

Dr. Jo Barraclough Paoletti

Petra Slinkard

2013

Sara Marcketti

Christina Johnson

Dr. Ann B. Wass

2012, Mind the Gap!

Dr. Elizabeth J.W. Barber

Cynthia Cooper

Mark D. Hutter

2011, Innovations in Fashion and Dress Scholarship

Anne Bissonnette

Marilyn DeLong

Howard Kurtz

2009 – 2010:

Hiatus of Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

2008

Tina Bates

Joseph Hancock

Gayle Strege

2007

Catherine Amoroso Leslie

Jean Parsons

Dennita Sewell

2006

Hiatus of Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

2005

Sandra Buckland

Jacqueline Field

Elaine Pedersen

2004

Hiatus of Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

2003

Hiatus of Scholars’ Roundtable Honor

2002

Nancy Bryant

Edward Maeder

Charlotte Jirousek

Laurel Wilson

2001

Joanne Eicher

JoAnn Stabb

Sally Helvenston

Margaret Spicer

Naomi Tarrant

2000

Patricia Anawalt

Beverly Chico

1999

Patricia A. Cunningham

Jane Farrell-Beck

Valerie Steele

1998

Linda Baumgarten

Claudia Brush Kidwell

Elizabeth J. W. Barber

Joy Emery

1997

Jean Druesedow

Jo B. Paoletti

Phyllis Tortora

Patricia Campbell Warner

Linda Welters