Renewing Ideas, Practices, and Community in Charlotte: Costume Society of America’s 2026 Symposium
Costume Society of America’s 2026 Symposium:
Renewing Ideas, Practices, and Community in Charlotte
This year’s symposium reminded us how powerful reuse, repair, and re‑envisioning can be—not only in dress, but in the ways we gather, learn, and imagine the future together. The 52nd Annual National Meeting and Symposium in Charlotte, North Carolina, brought the theme Re‑Cycles of Dress to life through dynamic scholarship, hands‑on exploration, and a community deeply committed to sustainability.
Over five days of tours, plenaries, research sessions, creative works, and collaborative conversations, attendees traced the many cycles that shape our field—material, cultural, historical, and personal—while forging new connections and renewing long‑standing ones.
The symposium began on Sunday, May 31st, with a full day of activity: the Angels Project at Historic Rosedale, two pre‑symposium tours—Costume Craft in Uptown Charlotte and Form, Function, and Fast Lanes: A Charlotte Exploration of Wearable Design—and the Board of Directors dinner.
Monday opened with the announcement that Mary Gibson, Ann Wass, and Leon Wiebers had offered a one-day matching challenge toward fully endowing the Creative Work Award. The first plenary session featured presentations by Isabel Toteda, the 2026 Howard Vincent Kurtz Emerging Theatre Artist Award Winner, and Dennis Wright, the 2025 Costume Design Award Winner.
Attendees then dove into the first round of concurrent sessions, featuring topics ranging from steampunk sustainability to nineteenth‑century dressmaking, aviation fashion, and textile recycling. The day continued with a bustling Silent Auction/Cash & Carry and Marketplace, and the evening’s Welcome, Awards Ceremony, and Keynote Panel. The keynote, Circular South: Labor, Textiles, and Sustainable Futures, brought together Ambriel Pouncy, David Sasso, and Tanjuria Willis—joined by moderator Dr. Sha’Mira Covington—for a powerful conversation on how southern textile histories, labor systems, and community‑based making shape contemporary circular economies. A lively opening reception followed.
Tuesday began with the Scholars’ Roundtable, Generational Practices: Approaches to Sustainability Across the Dress Discipline, followed by another rich slate of concurrent sessions. Presentations examined everything from mending practices and community textile histories to spooky fashion, modest dress, and the cultural legacies of white graduation dresses. The Creative Works Exhibition and In‑Progress Posters opened in full, showcasing an extraordinary range of artistry, and the room celebrated the news that the Creative Works Award campaign had surged past its challenge benchmark, with only $3,300 remaining of the $25,000 needed.
Research Presentations, Professional Development Workshops, and Panel Discussions filled the later afternoon. After the Silent Auction closed, attendees enjoyed meet‑and-greets. The evening’s highlight was the Fundraiser Event: Dinner & Design at the Charlotte Museum of History, where attendees experienced a special pop‑up exhibition of Symposium Co‑chair Margarette Joyner’s A Legacy of Elegance, whose textile works honor African‑American beauty, resilience, and inherited strength through bold prints, modern fabrics, and cowry‑shell adornments.
Wednesday opened with the Annual Meeting and Town Hall, giving members the opportunity to help craft our mission and vision. The morning plenary session featured presentations by Elizabeth L. Block, the 2025 Millia Davenport Publication Award Winner, and Jennifer Nieling, the 2026 CSA Entrepreneur Award Winner. Attendees then moved into the final rounds of concurrent sessions, which explored topics including non‑institutional collections, ocean‑stewardship, wearable art, pockets in dress history, textile waste colonialism, Qing dynasty wedding attire, and fashion activism. The symposium concluded with the Richard Martin Exhibition Award Winners plenary, where Dyese Matthews, Patty Edmonson, and Brian Centrone each presented their award‑winning exhibitions, followed by the final Board of Directors meeting.
This year’s symposium also marked a milestone with our largest group of first‑time attendees to date—over seventy—whose presence brought new perspectives and momentum to the community. Throughout the week, members connected not only in sessions but across Charlotte’s neighborhoods, sharing meals, exploring the city, and meeting for impromptu conversations and collaborations. The social and professional exchanges happening beyond the formal schedule were a reminder of how deeply collegial and supportive the CSA community continues to be.
We extend our sincere appreciation to our sponsors: Silver Level Sponsors Fairchild Books; Bronze Level Sponsors DittoForm LLC Michigan, Paris American Academy, University Products, and Zephyr Preservation Studio; and 2026 Angels Project sponsors University Products, Talas, Gaylord Archival, Archival Methods, and Thrivent.
Thanks also to our marketplace participants and advertisers: Conscious Costume, CSA Series at Kent State University Press, DittoForm LLC Michigan, Dress at Taylor and Francis, Fairchild Books, Folkwear, Fountainhead Museum, Margarette Joyner, Muro Jewelry, Paris American Academy, Treva Gilkey Designs, University Products, and Zephyr Preservation Studio, LLC.
Attendees also showed their individual support through sponsorships inspired by the flora of Charlotte. At the $500 Dogwood Level: Lesley Heller and Adam MacPhàrlain. At the $200, Azalea Level: Virginia Wimberley. At the $100, Camellia Level: Deborah Brothers, Judi Dawainis, and Melissa Gamble. At the $50 Hydrangea Level: Lalon Alexander, Theresa Alexander, Susan Boyd, Jennifer Brown, Patty Edmonson, Mary Gibson, Deborah Miller, Colleen Muscha, Marie Schlag, and Ann Wass. At the $25, Fern Level: Ashley Bellet, Colleen Callahan, Michaele Haynes, Mansoureh Nikookar, Barbara Parent, Constance Spotts, and Sara Wilcox. At the $10, Periwinkle Level: Heidi Cochran, Danielle Reaves, and Arlesa Shephard.
As we recognize the many hands and minds that shaped this year’s symposium, we extend our deepest gratitude to CSA’s Southeastern Region for their hard work in organizing such a successful event—led with exceptional vision and dedication by Symposium Co‑Chairs Margarette Joyner and Sha’Mira Covington.
We also thank the teams who brought each component of the program to life, including Abstracts Administrators Katie Baker Jones, Deborah Brothers, and Hali Hutchison‑Houk; Abstracts Editors Margaret Ordoñez and Danielle Reaves; Creative Works Exhibition lead Deborah Brothers and her team of Abra Flores, Hali Hutchison‑Houk, and Mackenzie Sholtz; Angels Project coordinators Margaret Ordoñez, Marie Schlag, and Leon Wiebers and volunteer coordinator Charlene Gross; First Timers Meet‑and‑Greet hosts Laura Camerlengo and Monica Sklar; Student Meet‑and‑Greet organizers Sofia Beraldo and Nallely Rangel Vázquez; Scholars’ Roundtable coordinator Emily Oertling; Tours and Fundraiser team Margarette Joyner and Shaylynn Adams; Marketplace coordinator Kim Jones; Silent Auction and Cash & Carry lead Newbie Richardson; Social Media manager Nadia Abdallah; Evaluations lead Kristian Hogans; and the many Southeastern members and friends who volunteered throughout the week.
We are equally grateful to CSA leadership—President Leon Wiebers, Vice President for Symposia Ann Wass, Vice President for External Relations Deborah Miller, Executive Director Kristen Miller Zohn, and Database and Member Services Administrator Kate Ahn—and extend our sincere appreciation to all the Abstracts Reviewers whose expertise shaped the program.
Abstracts of this 52nd Annual Meeting and Symposium can be downloaded on the members-only site. We want to hear from you! Whether you attended this year’s symposium or not, please give us your thoughts by clicking here. Your feedback is valuable to us as we plan for the future.
Next Year’s Plans
Our Northeastern Region will host the 53rd National Annual Meeting and Symposium in Burlington, Vermont, June 6 through 10, 2027. Mark your calendars!
Images top row left to right:
(Now Past) President Leon Wiebers celebrated with the President’s Award Winners Deborah Brothers, Theresa Alexander, and Dyese Matthews; Erin Howell Gritsch proved the Silent Auction and Cash & Carry were simply too good to resist; the Southeastern Region was in full force, including members Vice President Education & Programs Monica Sklar, CSA Fellow Patricia Hurst-Hunter, Symposium Co-chair Sha’Mira Covington, and Symposium Evaluation Coordinator Kristian Hogans; there was a full house for this year’s Scholar’s Roundtable, Generational Practices: Approaches to Sustainability Across the Dress Discipline, with Jennifer Harmon, Sara Idacavage, Katie Baker Jones, and Katrina Orsini, and moderated by Emily Oertling.
Images bottom row left to right:
Abra Flores worked her magic in the Re-Fabricate: Transforming Scraps into Custom Yardage workshop; fundraiser attendees gathered close to share in the joy of Margarette Joyner’s pop‑up exhibition, A Legacy of Elegance; keynote speaker David Sasso, Mark Hutter, Leon Wiebers, Tory Laitila, and Dennis Wright represented the gentlemen of CSA at the opening reception; Kim Phung Nguyen wowed attendees with her Creative Work Honor winning piece, LEGO‑Inspired Transformable Quiltwear.
Images courtesy of Nadia Abdallah and Monica Sklar
