Unlocking the Trunk: Collections, Collectors and Collecting
32nd Annual Symposium of the Costume Society of America
Hartford, CT
May 31st - June 3rd 2006

Hosted by CSA Region I - New England and the Eastern Provinces.

note: on Friday June 2nd:
10:00-11:30 Annual Meeting & Living History Showcase - A new informal forum for living history interpreters to model their handiwork during the Annual Meeting.Anyone interested in participating should contact Ann Wass (AnnBWass@aol.com) by April 15, 2006 for more information.

The 2006 Symposium was inspired by CSA's commitment to its collectors, and by the latest publication in the CSA Series, "Clothing and Textile Collections in the US: A CSA Guide", edited by Sally Queen and Vicki Berger.

The comprehensive guide gives locations for 2,604 collections. Each of you attending will receive your own copy.
The guide defines America's Closets:
the community of institutions whose collections are open to the public and available for research visits, exhibitions, and special events. At this symposium, private collectors can meet curators from collections of all sizes to discuss storage issues, dating objects, and donations to institutions. The Guide will open connections to a greater community of collectors and collections.
Come join the exploration, discovery, and celebration.

Collecting, the passionate, selective and obsessive pastime enjoyed by so many of us, will be the focus of our keynote presentation, given by scholar
and CSA Fellow Elizabeth Ann Coleman. An avid collector herself, Ann's career has been intimately involved with many of the premier collections in the US. While serving as curator of costume at the Brooklyn Museum, Elizabeth Ann Coleman was one of the founding members of the Costume Society of America.
Having served as curator at the Museum of Fine Arts in both Houston and later in Boston, she has contributed to our scholarship about and our passion for costume. Now she will continue her long-standing tradition of sharing her expertise, resources and insights as we celebrate collections, collectors and collecting.

As the city of Hartford experiences its cultural renaissance, symposium participants are able to enjoy many of its special features, including the homes of literary legends Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe and the impressive collections at the Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art, including the special exhibit, "Revivals: Costumes for Song and Dance". You'll soon see why Hartford ranks in the top 6% in North America for its arts and culture. Connecticut's River Valley offers you big-city sophistication, the charms and splendors of the New England countryside, and centuries of history and culture.

Thanks to the Board of Region I and to all our members who have contributed so significantly to the planning of this Symposium. We are pleased and proud to bring this opportunity for scholarship and camaraderie to you all.


CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 30
Pre-Conference
8:00-5:00 Angels Project - Offsite
Become a member of the first CSA Angels Project team by volunteering your clothing/collection management skills to help small institutions.
You will work with 19th century garments and accessories in the collection at the Captain Nathaniel Palmer House, a property of the Stonington (CT) Historical Society on Long Island Sound.Organized by Susan Jerome and Margaret Ordoñez and staff at the Historical Society,
the team will assemble in Hartford on Monday night and be transported to Stonington on Tuesday morning. Housing and meals will be provided.

10:00-4:00 Care of Collections Workshop
Join Lynne Bassett to address mission statements, accession policies and exhibition during the morning. After lunch (lunch on your own), work with Margaret Ordoñez to discuss storage options and with University of Rhode Island graduate students who will demonstrate vacuuming, wet cleaning, boxing garments, making hangers and stabilizing/repairing techniques.

2:00-3:30 Walking Tour of Hartford
4:00-6:00 Board/Officer Orientation
6:00-10:00 Board Meeting
6:15-7:15 Opening Reception
7:15-8:15 Awards Presentations
8:15 Dinner


Wednesday, May 31
9:00-12:00 Board Meeting
9:00-5:00 Dressing the Part at Old Sturbridge Village, MA - Study Tour Travel back to 1830s New England at Old Sturbridge Village, known for its costumed interpreters. Explore the museum's reproduction costume program from its inspiration - the artifact costume collection - to the finished product - the people of the museum village. Participate in special behind-the-scenes tours of costume storage with curator Aimee Newell and of the museum's costume shop with Christine Bates. You will have time to visit the museum village, Gift Shop and New England Bookstore. Comfortable walking shoes recommended.
Lunch, not included in tour fee, is available at the Bullard Tavern. 30 person maximum.

10:00-11:30 Walking Tour of Hartford
12:00-6:30 Conference Registration (Marriott Foyer)
12:30-5:30 Litchfield Historical Society/White Flower Farm - Study Tour Visit the Litchfield Historical Society and one of New England's most impressive collections of 18th-and 19th-century costume. Tours include their History Museum featuring highlights of their collection selected from storage by curator Julie Frey.
You will also visit the nearby White Flower Farm, the premier American mail-order source of plants, bulbs, and gardening supplies, founded in 1950.
A boxed lunch will be served on the bus. 40 person maximum.

12:30-5:30 Art at Yale University - Study Tour
Visit two of Yale's famous museums, the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art. Exhibition curator Erin Eisenbarth will lead a tour of "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads: American Jewelry from Yale University, 1700-2005" at the Art Gallery. The Center for British Art is best known for works by Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Stubbs, Wright of Derby, Constable, and Turner.
A boxed lunch will be served on the bus. 30 person maximum.

3:30-5:00 Walking Tour of Hartford
5:45-6:15 First Time Attendees/Students/Mentors Soiree
Meet a friendly CSA veteran to introduce you to others at the reception. All students invited to attend.

6:15-7:15 Opening Reception
7:15-8:15 Awards Presentations
8:15 Dinner on your own


Friday, June 1
9:00-9:15 Welcome
9:15-10:00 Founders Keynote Address
!Collecting!
Elizabeth Ann Coleman
10:00-10:30 A Guide to Clothing and Textile Collections Sally Queen, editor of the "The CSA Guide", and CEO of Sally Queen & Associates, and Vicki Berger, editor of "The CSA Guide", and Director of the Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park

10:30-11:00 Richard Martin Presentation
Modesty Died When Clothes Were Born: Costume in the Life and Literature of Mark Twain Lynne Bassett, Independent Curator and Author, Ware
11:00-11:30 Beverage Break
11:30-12:00 Stella Blum Presentation
Theory and Practice in American Dress Reform: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1880-1930 Melyssa Wrisley, SUNY
12:00-1:00 Juried papers: Collectors of Influence
Doris Langley Moore: Ultimate "Woman in Fashion" Christina M. Johnson, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum, Los Angeles
A Collector Goes Shopping: Arabella Huntington in Paris
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, Art Division, The Huntington Library, San Marino
Jeans Andrews: A Personal Quest
Myra Walker, Texas Fashion Collection, University of North Texas
1:00 Lunch
1:30-4:30 Research Exhibits - Listed alphabetically by title:
An Archeological Dig in the Closet Deborah L.Chmielewski, Mount Ida College, Newton Centre Bark Cloth: Hawaiian Kapa
Shu Hwa Lin and Carol Ann Dickson, University of Hawaii at Manoa Canton Silk: Chiao-Chou
Shu Hwa Lin, University of Hawaii at Manoa Collecting the Stories: Festival Dress and Identity in Eastern Europe
Paula Davis-Larson, Bucknell University A Collector's Sketchbook: The Usefulness of Drawings to Study and Document.
Vintage Clothing
Julie Stackpole, Independent Scholar, Thomaston, Discover the Power of Reality: A Study of Traditional Chinese Han Women's Daily Wear Honored by its Rice Growing Culture
Adele Zhang and Rong-Rong Cui, Folk Costume Collection, Southern Yangtze River University, China
Dressing America: 150 Years of Dressmaker Patterns
Joy Spanabel Emery, University of Rhode Island. The Elegant Antique: Discovering Life Surrounding Wedding Dresses from 1800-1950
Mary H.Farahnakian, Brigham Young University, Mathematics & Engineering of Home Sewing in the 1920s: Correspondence Classes from the Women's Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences
Lisa Mucha, Vintage Sewing Enthusiast, Exeter. The One Who Dies with the Most Fabric Wins
Sheryl A. Farnan Leipzig, Independent Scholar, Kansas City. Sleeping with History: Quilts as the Collection of Everyday Life
Lara Beene, University of North Carolina and Megan Sanborn Jones, Brigham Young University. The Tao of Textile Preservation
Bonnie Sanford, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum of Rural Life, Avell. Teaching, Collecting, Managing, and Development: The Multiple Roles of a Collection Curator
Laurel Wilson, University of Missouri-Columbia

1:30-4:30 Armchair Tours
Both costume exhibitions and costumes designed for theatrical productions will be presented in this forum. Interested participants should send in a paragraph about your exhibit and your contact information. All presentations must be in Powerpoint, supply your own laptop. Send information to Dorrie Bell (dabell58@earthlink.net).

2:00-8:00 Wadsworth Atheneum Tours and First Thursday Entertainment
A two-block walk takes you to the Wadsworth Atheneum, America's oldest public art museum. Sign up for a docent-guided tour (on the hour) of the costume exhibition, "Revivals: Costumes for Song and Dance" by guest curator Carol Krute. Or enjoy a selfguided tour of the museum.

2:30-4:00 Personal and Public Collections
Have Women, Will Travel. John Burbidge, Les Petites Dames De Mode, Danver
The How, Where, When, What, and Why. Elizabeth Brown, Lecturer, Belle Mead
Connecticut Historical Society: A Virtual Tour of Costumes. Susan Schoelwer, Director of Museum Collections, Hartford
2:30-5:00 Tours of Mark Twain House / Harriet Beecher Stowe Center / Hartford Stage (limited tickets)

6:00 Dinner or join the
7:00-9:30 Speaker's Dinner & Dialogue with Elizabeth Ann Coleman
Come join Elizabeth Ann Coleman, CSA Fellow, costume historian and noted author and collector, for an evening of fun and sharing. Her experience with both private and public collections, and her lifetime of learning and loving dress will make for an exceptional evening at this fundraising event for CSA.
We invite you to share your own collection and bring one small item to share with all present, (think of it as your place card). If you collect buttons, hatpins, gloves, stockings, tin Christmas ornaments, or anything else, we ask you to share your passion with us. Items need not be costume or textile related. If your item is large or unwieldly, please bring a picture.


Friday, June 2
9:00 -10:00 Juried Papers - Gentlemen Collectors: Under It All
A Gentleman Collector: A Man's Interest in Knitting. Deborah Pulliam, University of Maine at Orono
George Washington's Corset: From Candy Man's Curio to Museum Artifact. Lori Hall-Araujo, Chicago Historical Society
The Rudi Gernreich Archive Transformed. Gillian East Zink, San Diego State University
10:00-11:30 Annual Meeting & Living History Showcase - A new informal forum for living history interpreters to model their handiwork during the Annual Meeting.Anyone interested in participating should contact Ann Wass (AnnBWass@aol.com) by April 15, 2006 for more information.

11:30-12:15 2005 Millia Davenport Award Presentation
Nazi Chic? Fashioning Women in the Third Reich. Irene Guenther, Houston Community College
12:30-2:00 Travel to Mystic Seaport or to Mashantucket Pequot Museum


Saturday, June 3
9:00-10:30 Juried papers - concurrent sessions
Knowing our Collections
The Details Strategies Used in Discovering the Story of a 1929 Worth Model. Joycelyn Falsken, Ohio State University
Is this Chanel an Original or a Fake? Claire B.Shaeffer, Independent Researcher, Palm Springs
Twined Panel Bags: Construction and Iconography. Margaret Ordoñez, University of Rhode Island
Deliberately Concealed Garments at the Museum of Afro-American History: Treating Collections with Unique Needs. Jessica Urick, University of Rhode Island

Collecting: Historical Study and Analysis
The Hnatiuk Collection of Ukrainian Art: A Saga both Personal and Political. Patricia A.Cunningham, Ohio State University
Costumed Miniature Paintings in the 17th Century. Evelyn Ackerman, Independent Contractor, Culver City
Fashion Depicted on Scrimshaw in a New England Collection: 1825-1890. Laura Mathieu, University of Rhode Island
Royal Trunk Shows and the Renaissance Origins of French-Italian Fashion Exchange. Charlotte Nichols, Seton Hall University, South Orange

Public/Private Collections
Private Feelings for Public Display: The Costume Collection of The Napoleonic Museum in Rome. Isabella Campagnol Fabretti, University of Venice, Italy
Communist Cache: How Many Dresses Does It Take to Unveil a Hungarian Story? Katalin Medvedev, University of Minnesota
Hooked on Vintage Dress: Collectors, Collecting and Collections. Kathryn Reiley, Barbara Heinemann, and Marilyn DeLong, University of Minnesota
Found in the Collection: Discovering New Dimensions in the Work of American. Designer Bonnie Cashin. Martha Jane Bute and Susan J. Torntore, Iowa State University

10:30-11:00 Beverage Break
11:00-12:00 Juried Papers - concurrent sessions
Accessing Collections. Moving a Collection Forward - Planning New Storage & Expanded Use. Susan J. Torntore, Iowa State University
Creating a Virtual Costume Gallery: Design Process. Marie Botkin, California State University
Physical to Virtual: Archiving Standards for a Small Collection. Kathi Martin, Drexel University, Philadelphia

Collecting and the Arts
Validating a Public Collection Through the Examination of Inherited Shawl Collections. Ann W. Braaten, North Dakota State University
The Theatre Collection at the Museum of the City of New York. Rosalie H. Contino, Independent Researcher, Brooklyn
Fiercely Independent: Clothes Closets in an Art School. Gillion Carrara, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Collections - 20th c. American Design
American Design From the 1930s: A Discussion of Prominent Designers, their Work, and the Promotional Efforts for American Design during the Depression. Sheryl A .Farnan Leipzig, Kansas City
The Milliner as Collector: Lilly Dache's Inspiration and Design. Rebecca Jumper Matheson, Independent Researcher, New York
Drawn into Hollywood: Documenting Costume Design in the Movies. Anne Coco, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Margaret Herrick, Library, Beverly Hills

12:00-1:00 Lunch/Chance for Regions to meet
1:00-2:45 Professional Development - concurrent sessions
CSA Publishing and Presenting for Beginners
This informative panel will lead you through the basics of submitting proposals to CSA symposia, "Dress", and the CSA Series published by Texas Tech University Press. Phyllis Specht, Editor of the CSA Series, Sally Helvenston Gray, Editor of "Dress", and the 2006 symposium abstract co-administrators, Abby Lillethun and Rebecca Kelly, will gladly answer your questions.

Emergency Preparedness and Recovery for Small Museums
Loreen Finklestein, conservator at Colonial Williamsburg, and panelists will discuss important information for anyone who has care of a costume collection, including planning for emergencies and ways for small museums to recover after disaster strikes.

Scholars' Roundtable
Chair: Sandra Buckland, University of Akron; Jackie Field, Costume Scholar, Portland; Elaine Pederson, Oregon State University

2:45-3:15 Beverage Break
Final session and Farewell
3:15-3:30 Prudy's Problem Carrie Armstrong-Ellis, author of "Prudy's Problem", a children's book on what happens when you have too much stuff.
3:30-5:15 The Psychology of Collecting: What's Under All That Stuff? Panel members will discuss some characteristics of collectors, personal challenges they face, reasons they became collectors, how a personal collection provides meaning to one's life, what can be learned about oneself through reflection on collecting, and how a collection might serve as the vehicle for probing relationships between physical objects and spiritual realities. Presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer dialogue with the audience.

Chair: Beverly Chico (Headwear/Education)
Panelists: Caralee Smith (Vintage Clothing/Appraisals), Jay Ruckel (Gloves/Museum), Kay King (Masks/Design), Elizabeth Brown (Sewing Machines/Technology)


Sunday, June 4
8:00-5:15 Armenian Library and Museum of America - Study Tour Visit ancient Armenia without leaving New England! Watertown, MA is one of the oldest centers of the Armenian community in America and home to the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA). Curator Susan Lind-Sinanian will give a gallery talk on the current textile exhibit entitled, "Under
Cover: Armenian Textiles of Bed and Bath."
After an Armenian luncheon, there is a special "behind the scenes" tour of the textile collections. Susan may demonstrate Armenian Needle lace and/or Marash interlacing embroidery. Other exhibitions include carpets, jewelry, coins, and artworks such as the paintings of Dr. Jack Kevorkian.
8:15-4:15 Historic Deerfield - Study Tour
Enjoy the day touring the fabulous collections at Historic Deerfield, a museum that explores New England life and material culture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Historic Deerfield's collections manager Ned Lazaro will greet participants.
You will tour the museum's historic houses, where curator Edward Maeder has displayed period costumes, and view galleries in the museum's decorative arts center, the Flynt Center of Early New England Life. Edward Maeder will conduct an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the costume and textile collection.
Museum admission and lunch included in fee. Comfortable walking shoes suggested.

12:00-2:30 Riverboat Brunch