Kent State University Museum
Features Dean Harris

What: The exhibition—American Creator Series: Dean Harris, Jeweler

When: August 9, 2007, through January 27, 2008

Where: East Gallery in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus.

Background: American Creator Series: Dean Harris, Jeweler presents to the public the work of an emerging creator whose body of work is both art and industry. His work with gold, platinum and silver and with precious and semi-precious stones links art and fashion and is imbued with a love of the natural world. From his signature hammered gold wire minimalist hoop earrings based on geometric and organic shapes to his collaboration with German lapidaries and Belgian diamond traders, Dean Harris has succeeded in making a place for himself in a highly competitive field in less than a decade in business.

Upon the inception of the company in 1998, Mr. Harris was immediately recognized by the fashion establishment: his jewelry adorned what would be the first of a long series of magazine covers starting with the September 1999 issue of Harper's Bazaar. Since then, his work has appeared in a multitude of magazines and newspapers including American, British, Australian and Italian Vogue, American and Russian Harper's Bazaar, L'Officiel, L'Uomo Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle, In Style, Marie Claire, GQ, Allure, Self, Elegant Bride, Travel + Leisure, Town and Country, T (the New York Times style magazine), W Magazine and Women's Wear Daily. In 2000, Dean Harris' talent was recognized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which bestowed upon him the Perry Ellis Award for best new accessory designer.

In 2004 Mr. Harris was the only jeweler among the ten finalists for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, a new initiative that was the focus of the documentary film Seamless by Douglas Keeve. This inclusion of a jewelry designer in the world of fashion reoccurred when Mr. Harris was featured in the book Sample: 100 Fashion Designers - 010 Curators - Cuttings from Contemporary Fashion, published by Phaidon Press in 2005. Called upon by American designers such as Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam, Doo Ri, and Ralph Rucci to design jewelry for their runway shows, Dean Harris has become part of the world of fashion and among the creators to watch in the new millennium.

The exhibition will open on August 9 and will continue through January 27, 2008. On September 27 Mr. Harris will present a lecture and gallery tour from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. This will be followed by a reception. The jeweler will discuss the diversity of materials used in his work as well as his inspirations and journey. A geography lesson is bound to occur since the jeweler's body of work includes beetle wings from Thailand, agates from Brazil, opals from Australia, porcupine quills from Africa and many exotic woods. Natural history and the effects of global warming also will be discussed through Dean's work with horn, fossilized ammonites and the growing availability of fossilized mammoth ivory, unearthed as a result of the thawing of glaciers. While traditional materials such as pearls and diamonds will be addressed, plastics and aluminum also will be part of the presentation. The September 27 events will be free with museum admission. Entry will not be restricted although seating will be limited.

The Kent State University Museum is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 4:45 p.m. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The museum is located in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus. Special guided tours are available for groups by reservation. Free on-site motor coach parking is available.

For additional information about the Kent State University Museum, go to http://www.kent.edu/muusem/, or call (330) 672-3450.

LINK TO HARRIS WEBSITE

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What: The exhibition—Native Americans through the Prism of Culture: Edward S. Curtis & the Legacy of Collectors - is open at the Kent State Museum.

When: June 22, 2007 to June 15, 2008

Where: Palmer and Mull Galleries in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus.

Background: The exhibition Native Americans through the Prism of Culture: Edward S. Curtis & the Legacy of Collectors is a collaborative effort between two Northeast Ohio cultural institutions, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens and the Kent State University Museum. The exhibition features photographs of Native Americans by Edward S. Curtis, as well as artifacts from different tribal groups. The exhibition includes items from the collections of Stan Hywet Hall founder Franklin August Seiberling, Kent State University Museum founder Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman, as well as Valerie and Dean Hugebeck, and provides the opportunity to address the issues of subjectivity and idealism both in collecting practices and in the photographic work of Edward S. Curtis.

In an effort to document the lives of the Native peoples of North America, Curtis embarked on a life-long journey that generated over 40,000 photographs. With great zeal and determination, he began collecting images in 1889 amidst devastating political legislation designed to "civilize Indians." Despite the best intentions, his work was a product of its time and was marked by the imaginative and emotional appeal of the heroic, adventurous, remote, and mysterious. Through the lens of his camera an idealized world took shape where, as an outsider and an artist, many of his own perceptions distorted his initial factual intentions. Often staged and inaccurate, his beautiful photographs captivated his contemporaries and have shaped our understanding of the First Nations to this day.

The apparent transparency of the photographer's lens tends to hide the eye behind the instrument. The biased view one culture imposes on another is still a constant preoccupation among archeologists and historians. The work of Curtis continues to appeal to a broad audience despite its flaws and must be viewed in historical perspective. The same factors that caused Curtis to narrow his vision influence the selective focus of collectors and curators. The visual compositions of the photographs, the artifacts collected, and the stories told in this exhibition are a legacy that continues to be questioned and examined.

The Kent State University Museum is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 4:45 p.m. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The museum is located in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus. Special guided tours are available for groups by reservation. Free on-site motor coach parking is available.

For additional information about the Kent State University Museum, go to http://www.kent.edu/muusem/, or call (330) 672-3450.

LINK TO CURTIS WEBSITE

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What: The exhibition—Charles James - is open at the Kent State Museum.

When: May 31 through February 17, 2008

Where: Alumni Gallery in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus.

Background: The body of work created by Charles James from 1926 until his death in 1978 has become a touchstone in the history of fashion. Distinctive, colorful and extreme are terms that describe both the clothes and the creator. The Kent State University Museum is proud to have in its collection several spectacular and highly sought-after garments by James that are the building blocks used to mark the 100th anniversary of the creator's birth.

Eleven garments will be on display in the Museum's Alumni Gallery. These will include early pieces, such as a black satin coat created in 1943-1945 for the Elizabeth Arden Salon on New York's Fifth Avenue, to some quintessential 1950s day, cocktail and evening attire. Among the jewels of the Museum's collection will be the magnificent "Butterfly" and "Concert" evening gowns. These garments will be shown alongside other astonishing pieces, such as Austine Hearst's "Four-Leaf Clover" evening gown, borrowed from The Ohio State University, and others from The Goldstein Museum of Design and Mount Mary College.

The garments presented will help visitors understand James' uncompromising idealism and his ability to make fabric obey his will. Always placing ideals before practical considerations, he padded, lined, interfaced, boned and wired cloth and devised numerous construction techniques to build fanciful gowns that transformed women into visions of gracefulness and elegance. His ability to drape cloth, at times directly on a person, was at the heart of some of his most important work. Yet his legacy in the twenty-first century lies overwhelmingly in his ability to cut the cloth to produce abstract and complex shapes brought to life through experimentation and imagination.

With fluid materials, Charles James created three-dimensional structures that defined his times and helped him find his own path, distinct from those that preceded him. He had the courage of his convictions and sought difficult answers based on body, cloth, and the space between and around them. A perfectionist, he worked tirelessly on improving a design over many years. James succeeded in transforming a woman's body into an icon of femininity.

The Kent State University Museum is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 4:45 p.m. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The museum is located in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus. Special guided tours are available for groups by reservation. Free on-site motor coach parking is available.

For additional information about the Kent State University Museum, go to http://www.kent.edu/muusem/, or call (330) 672-3450.

LINK TO JAMES WEBSITE

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Kent State University Museum Features Lace:
The Art of Needle and Bobbin

What: The exhibition—Lace: The Art of Needle and Bobbin - is open at the Kent State Museum.

When: Now through Jan. 6, 2008

Where: Higbee Gallery in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus.

Background: Lace, the romantic fabric, has a history of prestige and beauty. The styles and qualities are so diverse; one piece of lace can actually mark a specific time and place in history.

The Kent State museum has an extraordinarily rich collection of laces from the 16th through the 20th centuries. Pieces highlighted in the exhibition are needle, bobbin and machine lace. Specifically, an 18th century lace flounce, an 18th century blonde lace shawl and a 19th century large triangular Chantilly shawl will be showcased.

Lace making revolves around two specific techniques: needle and bobbin. Needle lace, which uses a needle and thread, was the first technique developed. It originated from embroidery around 1400.

Early embroiders started adding interest to their craft by cutting out areas of background fabric and edging with stitch cutwork. The technique started to evolve and more and more of the background fabric was replaced with stitching. Eventually, all the fabric was eliminated, and needle lace was born. The new and unusual technique was called "punto in aria" or "point in air."

Bobbin lace was created shortly after. This technique requires thread to be wrapped around a bobbin or spindle, which is similar to weaving. Threads are twisted and interwoven to form delicate patterns and intricate designs. Unlike needle lace, bobbin lace was practiced by both men and women. Apparently, in the off-season, fishermen would produce bobbin lace right along side their wives.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, both techniques started to grow and develop together. Lace became the fundamental symbol of royalty and high class. But like many other things, it became a product of industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. Machines were used to quickly produce both needle and bobbin laces. During this time, some lace makers continued to produce "real lace" as a hobby or for their customers; however, most laces were industrially produced at a cheap price.

The Kent State University Museum is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 4:45 p.m. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The museum is located in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus. Special guided tours are available for groups by reservation. Free on-site motor coach parking is available.

For additional information about the Kent State University Museum, go to http://www.kent.edu/muusem/, or call (330) 672-3450.

LINK TO LACE WEBSITE

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What: The exhibition —Carnival Glass: The First Decade - is open at the Kent State Museum.

When: Open now; ongoing

Where: Tarter/Miller Gallery in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets.

Background: Initially called "Iridescent Ware" by the Fenton Art Glass Company in the early 1900s, the glassware features a vivid metallic sheen of changing hues on pressed glass. Soon after its introduction, other glassmakers followed Fenton into the trend. The new iridescent products from Fenton and other companies were popular in the United States from 1908-1915. Later in the 1950s, this glassware was eagerly sought out by collectors. The phrase "Carnival Glass" was coined when stories surfaced that some of the glass was used as prizes for midway games.

All pieces of this exhibition are from the Tarter/Miller Collection in the Kent State University Museum.

The Kent State University Museum is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 4:45 p.m. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The museum is located in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln streets on the Kent Campus. Special guided tours are available for groups by reservation. Free on-site motor coach parking is available.

For additional information about the Kent State University Museum, go to http://www.kent.edu/muusem/, or call (330) 672-3450.

LINK TO CARNIVAL GLASS WEBSITE

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