Past Exhibitions

Broadbent Gallery | American Tapestry Alliance The American Tapestry Alliance is pleased to sponsor the 10th iteration of American Tapestry Biennial. Launched in 1996, this premiere, international exhibition highlights the best of international contemporary hand woven tapestry. From 118 artists who submitted 230 tapestries, juror Dr. Jessica Hemmings, Professor of Visual Culture and Head of the Faculty of Visual Culture at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin, selected 37 tapestries for the show. She says:

Stager and Blum Galleries | Sara Hume, Curator  SPECIAL UPDATE: The exhibition "The Great War" will be closing June 7, 2015 rather than July 5, 2015 as previously advertised. The Museum will be undergoing renovations starting June 8 and will have to be closed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. From 1914 until 1918, the world faced war on a scale never before seen. In addition to the loss of millions of lives, this period saw tremendous technological, social and political upheaval.

Higbee Gallery | Sherry Schofield and Sharon Kilfoyle The Kent State University Museum is pleased to host this invitational exhibition of felted work by fifteen contemporary textile artists from the United States and Canada. Felt is legendary as one of the oldest materials from which garments have been made. Created primarily of wool fibers that have been manipulated with pressure and moisture so that the fibers interlock, traditional felt is non-woven.

Alumni Gallery | Jean Druesedow, Director Architect/sculptor/jeweler: all describe the work of Arthur Koby whom Vogue Magazine described as “one of the masters of collage.” Designer Geoffrey Beene asked Koby to provide jewelry for his runway collections as did Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karan throughout the 1980s. He combines, manipulates and assembles unexpected materials, found in his worldwide travels, into necklaces that his clients can choose to wear in full evening dress or with jeans and T-shirts.

Broadbent Gallery | Margarita Benitez and Noël Palomo-Lovinski, Guest Curators The innovative subject of the exhibition has potential to shape future ideas of fashion and business. The exhibition seeks to address pioneering applications of technology that will have a radical effect on the future of personal expression, image and clothing. The exhibition will be divided into four categories: Generative Technology Design, Democracy of Preference/ Subversion of Traditional Production, DIY, Technology and Expression.

Stager and Blum Galleries | Sara Hume, Curator Pleating is one of the most basic fabric treatments as it serves to create three-dimensional clothing out of two-dimensional cloth. Folds and draping occur naturally when cloth is wrapped around the body. As tailored clothing developed in the West, these folds were stitched down, creating pleats. Pleats can also be produced through heat treatment of fabric to form intentional, lasting creases.  Box, inverted, kick, knife, sunburst, accordion, cartridge, tuck…

Higbee Gallery | Jean Druesedow, Director "Raiment for Liturgy: Vestments in the Kent State University Collection" will highlight a variety of religious garments and textiles from the KSU Museum's permanent collection, many of which are made from lavish materials.

Alumni Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator  Fans are among the earliest accessories because they perform a critical function. In the days before air conditioning, the cool breeze created by a fan came as welcome relief. Far from purely functional, fans became highly ornamented and beautiful. Over the centuries and across continents, a number of different basic forms of fans developed. This exhibition explores these different shapes and styles.

Broadbent Gallery | Jean L. Druesedow The defining characteristic of any fashion period is the shape of the silhouette. Shape is largely determined by what is worn underneath the fashionable garment and next to the skin. Why silhouettes have often had so little to do with the shape of the human body is one of the mysteries of fashion. It is influenced by economic, political and social circumstances as well as attitudes toward sexuality and the ever-present desire for novelty.