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.