Curate an Exhibit
Design/curate a clothing exhibit for a new American history museum. Your exhibit is focused on the time period from 1940-2000 and will feature eight items of clothing. Which eight items will you display and why? You must write captions for each clothing item on display, explaining why you chose it and how it fits into American history.
What makes fashion so popular is its democratic accessibility: everyone participates in the process of dressing and adornment, experiencing its pleasure and pain; and expert or not, everyone feels confident to pass judgement. Similarly, museum spaces have also created democratic accessibility; in recent years, museums have embraced the popularity of fashion in American history.
In the role of museum curator, you will select and analyze a collection of garments, stressing the historical aspects of each piece. Importantly, you will think carefully about what museum visitors can learn about American history from each item of clothing in the exhibit. The captions you write will tell viewers why the item is important and what it reveals about the time period that produced it.
As all designers testify, fabrics are fundamental to their art.
Be sure to examine both the materials of high/low fashion and the influential synthetic inventions of the designers throughout the period.
Your selections do not have to be specific items (i.e., the ruby slippers from the Wizard of OZ or Jimi Hendrix’s fringed jacket). The items can be representative samples of a clothing style, such as the New Look style or a luxury dress from the 1980s. Representative samples of clothing may, in fact, be easier to analyze because you will write about broad important trends or pivotal changes in American history, not specific one-time events. For example, if one of the items is a pair of womens denim work overalls from 1941, the caption would explain a little bit about Americas entry into WWII, the roles women played in WWII and the reason why these roles are historically significant.
Make sure to include a title for your exhibit
Your paper should be 1000 – 1250 words (about 4-5 pages of double-spaced text, not including images).
Include proper citations for all sources. You may choose from APA, Chicago, or MLA style formats. You may refer to the Interactive Timeline: Fashion in U.S. History, located in the Timelines section of the course, to help you consider fashion trends and their relationships to historical events. You should not, however, use the timeline itself as a scholarly source for your written assignment.
