When: June 25, 2009, to May 30, 2010

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

Background: Between 1912 and 1925, the Gazette du Bon Ton sought to be "the place where couturiers and painters collaborate to compose the silhouette of their time." It was the brain child of Lucien Vogel, a dynamic Frenchman who was fascinated by nineteenth century hand-colored engravings and set out to create a luxury modern magazine that would be the epitome of good taste.

The Kent State University Museum will feature eighty-two original plates from the Algesa O'Sickey collection of Gazette du Bon Ton from 1920 to 1922 in its Palmer and Mull Galleries while the entire collection will be accessible on the Museum's Web site. Produced in limited editions on handmade paper, the series spared no expense and used the pochoir, or stencil, technique to hand watercolor what may be the twentieth's century's most extraordinary fashion plates. Twenty garments from 1912 to 1925 with digital surrogate fashion plates from this period will also be on display. The gowns are from the leading Parisian couture houses of the teens and twenties, such as those of Jeanne Paquin, Paul Poiret, Jeanne Lanvin and the House of Worth.

To mark the opening of the exhibition, the Kent State University Museum and the Massillon Museum have organized Deco Tour: Art Deco Meets Couture on June 27, 2009. This all-day event celebrates the 1920s and 1930s and will feature art, fashion and automobiles at two venues. In the morning, the Massillon Museum will showcase 1930s automobiles on its front lawn from 10 a.m. to1 p.m. and a free gallery lecture of the exhibit,The Rise of a Landmarl: Lewis Hine and the Empire State Building at 11 a.m. Admission is free. The Kent State University Museum is inviting owners of 1920s automobiles to show their vehicles in the museum parking lot from 3 - 6 p.m. Gallery tours of the three Art Deco exhibits (Great American Glass: The Roaring Twenties and Depression Era, The Kokoon Arts Club: Cleveland Revels, and Gazette du Bon Ton) will take place at 4 p.m. The tours are free with museum admission. In the evening Tangomania: A Masked Ball will be held at the Kent State University Museum at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased separately through the KSU Museum before June 22 at 330-672-3450.

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 GAZETTE DU BON TON EXHIBITION WEBSITE

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Works of Cleveland Artists from the Twenties and Thirties
on Display at the Kent State University Museum
   

What: The exhibition — The Kokoon Arts Club: Cleveland Revels

When: March 19, 2009, through February 28, 2010

Where: Kent State University Museum, Stager and Blum Galleries, in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln Streets on the Kent State University campus.

Background: The Kokoon Arts Club of Cleveland, Ohio, was formed in 1911 by a small group of commercial artists employed at the Otis Lithograph Company. Meeting first at night in the studio of interior designer Louis Rorimer, Club members combined forces and finances to study and make art apart from (but indebted to) their commercial work, seek venues to display their artworks, and importantly, to be modern. The Club would become a fixture of the Cleveland art and social scene throughout the 1920s and 1930s, only to lose members and vitality during World War II and dissolve finally in 1953. During its heyday, however, the Kokoon Arts Club served as an important arbiter of Modernist artistic expression in Cleveland.

What members of the Kokoon Arts Club were famous-or rather, infamous-for were the annual masked balls they staged at venues around the city. Though excoriated for risqué dress and music as well as an instance in 1923 (during Prohibition) when the event was cancelled by the city's mayor, these masked balls were in actuality pedagogical exercises in Modernism. Members were given lists of books housed at Cleveland Public Library about art and culture of other places and times related to the annual theme; costume design was to be based on this exploration. Posters and tickets were designed by members who used their employment at one of the city's lithography companies to print these now-prized works. Jazz was the musical genre of choice; midnight often the starting hour of the revels. Several of the balls were broadcast over local radio, a fact that challenges interpretations of the Club's activities as decadent or reviled.

This exhibition focuses on the masked balls: the extraordinary posters and costumes worn by members. The exhibition is largely drawn from the Department of Special Collections of the Kent State University Library, with additional loans from the Western Reserve Historical Society and the Cleveland Artists Foundation.

Perhaps of greater import was the Kokoon Arts Club's outreach to the community. While the Club's headquarters provided studio and meeting space for its members and would move several times during the Club's heyday, the Club itself served as a center for avant garde thinking in the city, hosting, for example, exhibitions of artists' work from beyond the region and from Europe. The Club also featured lectures on art, theater, and literature. The poet E. E. Cummings exhibited his artwork at the Club in 1931; Garrettsville, Ohio-born poet Hart Crane was good friends with William Sommer, one of the Club's founders. Many Club members, as well as members of Cleveland's literary and cultural set, were constant, temporary inhabitants of Laukhuff's Bookstore, which featured the works and "little magazines" of Modernist intellectuals.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, members of the Kokoon Arts Club benefited from the New Deal's Federal Art Project, painting murals at the Cleveland Public Library and in other public buildings. Many members of the Club exhibited and won awards at the Cleveland Museum of Art's annual May Show (established in 1919). Club members helped themselves, however, by hosting "curb marts" with other of the area's arts institutions and clubs as well as gallery shows. In this way they brought art to the people (who could merely look rather than buy) as well as offered respite from economic dislocation. These, like the annual masked balls, were signal events in Cleveland's cultural history.

Dr. Shirley Teresa Wajda is the guest curator of the exhibition. High resolution photographs are available on request. Contact Jean L. Druesedow at jdruesed@kent.edu or (330) 672-0303.

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 State University 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 www.kent.edu/museum, or call 330. 672.3450.

LINK TO KOKOON ARTS CLUB EXHIBITION WEBSITE

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The exhibit Michael Kors Designs from Wendy Zuckerwise Ritter Collection at the Kent State University Museum receives more recognition on opening day with the release of the first official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama in a Kors dress.

Wearing a sleeveless black shift dress from Kors' 2009 spring collection, the First Lady is once more encouraging America's top creators. On inauguration day, she wore an ensemble by Isabel Toledo, whom the KSU Museum also featured in a 2000 exhibition. At the forefront of fashion, the Museum's exhibition on the work of Michael Kors will be on display until November 8, 2009.

Among the garments on exhibition is a dress very similar to Michelle Obama's: a double-faced sleeveless navy wool dress-a classic Kors design. The collection is drawn from the wardrobe of the late Wendy Zuckerwise Ritter.

Also on display in the Museum's alcove are three Resort 2009 loaned ensembles from Michael Kors. Best known as a judge in the reality TV show "Project Runway," Kors is one of America's preeminent sportswear designers and entrepreneurs.

To view images from the exhibit or view the new release on its debut, visit the Kent State Museum Web site.

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Kent State University Museum Explores
the Work of American Designer Michael Kors

What: The exhibition — Michael Kors Designs from the Wendy Zuckerwise Ritter Collection

When: February 26, 2009, to November 8, 2009

Where: Kent State University Museum, Alumni Gallery, in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln Streets on the Kent State University campus.

Background: The Kent State University Museum is proud to present the first museum exhibition on the work of American fashion designer Michael Kors. Known for his role as a judge in the critically acclaimed television show Project Runway, Michael Kors is recognized as one of America's preeminent sportswear designers and entrepreneurs.
   
In 2010, Michael Kors will celebrate thirty years in business. His namesake company, established in 1981, currently produces a range of award-winning products through his multiple labels and includes women's and men's ready-to-wear, women's accessories as well as fragrance and beauty products. He has already established himself in America, Europe and Asia and hopes to have one hundred stores worldwide by 2010. In addition to his own labels, he designed for the French fashion house Celine between 1997 and January 2004. The fourteen ensembles featured in the exhibition will include garments produced for both his labels and for Celine.
   
The collection presented in the exhibition is part of the legacy of Wendy Zuckerwise Ritter. This native New Yorker moved to Ohio in 2000 after a long career in fashion retailing. Between 2000 and her passing from cancer in 2008, she commuted between Dayton and the newly established Michael Kors flagship store on Madison Avenue. Her commitment to customers, knowledge, passion, and generosity was valued and, for the last eight years of her life, Michael's success was also her own.
   
High resolution photographs are available on request. Contact Dr. Anne Bissonnette at museum@kent.edu or (330) 672-0302.

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 State University 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 www.kent.edu/museum, or call 330. 672.3450.

LINK TO MICHAEL KORS EXHIBITION WEBSITE

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Kent State University Museum Explores
the Work of Noël Palomo-Lovinski

What: The exhibition — Confessions and the Sense of Self: Works by Noël Palomo-Lovinski 2003-2009

When: January 22, 2009- January 3, 2010

Where: Kent State University Museum, Higbee Gallery, in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln Streets on the Kent State University campus.

Background: The exhibition Confessions and the Sense of Self: Works by Noël Palomo-Lovinski 2003-2009 highlights the connections of popular culture, image, fashion and art by examining the act of confessing in a contemporary context.

The twelve garments included in the exhibition are inspired by the increasingly popular impulse in our society for individuals to publicly confess private thoughts or actions as a way to expunge guilt, share personal tragedy, or express their secret desires. Confessional outlets range in public display from nationally televised talk shows and confessional websites to personal communications and intimate journal writing. Quotes were taken from a variety of these sources, translated into textural and graphic prints and used to create a collection of dresses. The garments reflect the abstract interpretations of the confessor's feelings or emotions.

Noël Palomo-Lovinski will conduct a tour of the exhibition on Thursday January 29, 2009, from 3 to 5 p.m. The event is free with museum admission.

High resolution photographs are available on request. Contact Dr. Anne Bissonnette at museum@kent.edu or (330) 672-0302.

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 State University 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 www.kent.edu/museum, or call 330. 672.3450.

LINK TO CONFESSIONS AND THE SENSE OF SELF EXHIBITION WEBSITE

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What: The exhibition — Great American Glass: The Roaring '20s and Depression Era

When: December 10, 2008 - ongoing

Where: Kent State University Museum, Tarter/Miller gallery, in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln Streets on the Kent State University campus.

Background: KSU Museum Opens Exhibit of 1920s-30s Glassware

From the foyer to the dining room and the kitchen, American-made glassware could be found in virtually every home in our nation during the Roaring '20s and the Depression Era. "Great American Glass: The Roaring '20s and Depression Era" a new exhibition at the Kent State University Museum, features more than 60 items from the museum's extensive collection of American glass.

"Visitors will see a great variety of articles," said guest curator Dr. James Measell, who also serves as Historian at Fenton Art Glass in Williamstown, West Va. "There are handmade art glass pieces from Steuben and Fenton as well as an array of blown and pressed items made in Cambridge or Tiffin. The candlesticks in the hallway cases show the wide range of American glass production: iridescent; transparent and opaque colors; and decorating techniques, such as hand painting, cutting, deep plate etching and silver deposit. The title 'Great American Glass' really fits this exhibit."

The exhibition in the Museum's Tarter/Miller gallery notes the many household uses of glass in this era as well as showing some of the manufacturing processes for blown and pressed glassware.

All the glassware on display is from the Tarter/Miller Collection. Generous donations and bequests from Jabe Tarter and Paul Miller, formerly of Akron, led to the creation of the Tarter/Miller Gallery at the KSU Museum in 1983, and the glassware collection numbers approximately 10,000 items.

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 State University 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 www.kent.edu/museum, or call 330-672-3450.

LINK TO GREAT AMERICAN GLASS EXHIBITION WEBSITE

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What: The exhibition - The Art of the Embroiderer

When: September 25, 2008, to August 30, 2009

Where: Kent State University Museum, Broadbent Gallery, in Rockwell Hall on the corner of East Main and South Lincoln Streets on the Kent State University campus.

Background: Over 80 dazzling garments and textiles from across the world spanning over 200 years of creativity and innovation are featured in the Kent State University Museum's exhibition, The Art of the Embroiderer. From haute couture gowns to Japanese kimono and Saudi Arabian caftans, the exhibition captivates through colors, materials and sheer beauty.

One of the treasures of North East Ohio the Museum draws from its collection of over 30,000 garments and artifacts to display some of its finest pieces for this exhibition, which includes Christian Dior's "Vénus", a splendid ball gown of pink tulle embroidered with sequins and crystals that once belonged to actress Marlene Dietrich. The gown is displayed alongside men's eighteenth-century coats and vests intricately decorated in gold, silver and silk thread. Works by Worth, Balmain and Valentino serve to explore the lavish purpose of needlework in Europe, while robes and tunics from Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Greece, and India mesmerize through their raised gold-work ornamentation. From China to Romania, patience, precision and imagination abound.

Join us to learn more about the vast world of embroidery, which turns all of nature into a contributor. From mirror-work to gem-encrusted court gowns, witness first-hand the novelty of the materials, the variety in the designs, and the beauty of their execution.

To see pictures of this exhibition and the six others currently on display, go to www.kent.edu/museum and click on "exhibitions." High resolution photographs available on request. Contact Dr. Anne Bissonnette at museum@kent.edu or (330) 672-0302.

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 www.kent.edu/museum, or call (330) 672-3450.

LINK TO THE ART OF THE EMBROIDERER WEBSITE

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What: Richard Martin Award for Excellence in the Exhibition of Costume goes to the Kent State University Museum

When: May 22, 2008

Where: Costume Society of America 2008 National Symposium in New Orleans, LA.

Background: The Costume Society of America has awarded its prestigious Richard Martin Award for Excellence in the Exhibition of Costume to the Kent State University Museum for the series of late eighteenth and early-nineteenth century exhibitions its Curator, Dr. Anne Bissonnette, organized at the Kent State University Museum, the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio and the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery in the fall of 2006-2007.

The series consisted of the exhibitions "The Age of Nudity," held at the Kent State University Museum in Kent, Ohio, "Hair: The Rise of Individuality 1790-1840," held at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster, Ohio, and "Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790-1840," held at the Ohio Arts Council's Riffe Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. This exceptional series drew from twenty-nine lenders and led to the two exhibitions in mid-Ohio being listed among fifteen finalists as "Best Visual-arts Events of 2006" by The Columbus Dispatch. When handing the award to Dr. Bissonnette, the Chair of the Richard Martin Award Committee, Marilyn R. DeLong, Associate Dean and Professor at the University of Minnesota, stated that the "series epitomizes excellence in history-based costume exhibitions and is a tour-de-force from a single curator. Taken together, they were a once-in-a-lifetime experience for seeing rare and exceptional artifacts displayed in historical context."

The exhibition "Fashion on the Ohio Frontier: 1790-1840," was funded through an Ohio Bicentennial Commission Legacy Grant and was first presented at The Kent State University Museum in 2003. It was part of Dr. Bissonnette's doctoral research at the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio. When presented at the Riffe Gallery, it was extended by request to remain open during the events surrounding the inauguration of Governor Strickland.

In order to recognize institutions of various sizes and budgets, the Costume Society of America has twice given the Martin Award to two institutions simultaneously since the award's inception in 2002. In 2008, Kent State's late eighteenth and early-nineteenth century series was sharing the award with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for their "Poiret: King of Fashion" exhibition.

The Award is named for Richard Martin (1947-1999), former Curator of Costumes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Fashion Institute of Technology. An elegant and gracious man, Richard Martin was an outstanding scholar, lecturer, critic and curator of many critically acclaimed costume exhibitions. The exhibitions recognized by the award exemplify the standards of excellence established by the late Richard Martin.

For more information, contact Dr. Bissonnette at 330-672-0302 or through e-mail at museum@kent.edu.

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 www.kent.edu/museum, or call (330) 672-3450.