Our February Curator Profile features Tory Laitila, Curator of Textiles and Historic Arts of Hawai‘i in the Textiles Collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Prior to this position, Tory worked as the registrar with the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts and Assistant Curator at the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.
Before starting his career, Tory studied art history with a focus on historic costume, gaining his bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His interest in historic and vintage costume began long before his university days. Inspired by his love of vintage, Tory also learned to sew. With this skill, he created vintage-inspired pieces in the face of limited garment choices in his size. Once he entered college, Tory discovered the study of historic
dress. After leaving college and entering the workforce, he eventually made his way to his current position. While there is a limitation of jobs pertinent to costume and clothing on O’ahu, Tory was drawn to the role of Curator of Textiles and Historic Arts of Hawai‘i. A previously established knowledge of those who once held his position and the collection solidified the Honolulu Museum of Art as a perfect fit for his professional progression.
In his role as curator, Tory feels that his work ultimately contributes to the “greater good” by preserving and displaying textiles and costume. “Textiles, particularly clothing,” he explains, “are the most intimate of artifacts and can tell of a specific individual.” In order to perpetuate the cultural and historical value of these objects, his day is filled with a variety of tasks. These include meetings with colleagues, visiting scholars or donors, writing, researching, prepping upcoming exhibitions, and more. When exhibitions are up, this list extends to promoting and presenting work related to the exhibition through appearances and lectures. And, of course, more writing. One interesting task he has had to perform was the preparation of a hyper-realistic sculpture entitled Secretary by Duane Hanson. The startlingly realistic work resides in the contemporary art collection, but the clothing she wears was prepared by Tory for an exhibition last year.
The varied work required can be the hardest aspect as there are so many projects to prioritize. However, the ability to work hands-on with the collection is by far his favorite facet. He deeply values the work he does with textiles and clothing as historical and cultural material. “Our art and cultural objects make up our history, helping define who we are.” he reflects. Tory finds pride in acting as stewardship of these artifacts, adding “I am honored to be a caretaker of our cultural legacy.”
In addition to his love of textiles and costumes, Tory is also an avid lover of vexillology–the study of flags. “I like to consider myself a vexillologist,” Tory admits, shining a focus on an “area of textiles that often gets overlooked.” To learn more about vexillology, listen to his
episode of Ologies, a podcast hosted by Ali Ward.
When asked for advice for his younger self, Tory admits that he wishes he would have started his “textiles career earlier.” Despite not working in museums until college, he “actually sold Halloween costumes for National Theme Productions, right after high school,” an early indicator of the textile influence in his career.
In March 2022, Tory was featured in a Dress & Drinks webinar that can be seen on our YouTube channel. You can check out all of our Curator Profiles by clicking here.
~Profile written by Stephanie Ray