By Kat,
September 30th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Uncategorized)
WornThrough gets a lot of inquiries about post-graduate education, so we thought it might be a good idea to start profiling graduate schools to help those interested in furthering their education and career opportunities. Each month, we will focus on a particular program related to the world of costume and/or textile studies. If you attend a graduate program in this field and feel it should be profiled, please email Worn Through.
Institution: New York University.
Location: New York, NY.
Department: Department of Art and Art Professions (Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development).
Concentration(s): MA, Visual Culture: Costume Studies.
Application Deadline: February 1st
Admission Requirements: Application Form; Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement; Résumé; Transcripts; Application Fee ($75.00); TOEFL Scores (if applicable); Recommendation Letters (3). An interview may also be required.
Accepted Students: About 10-12 students are accepted each year (as of 2010).
Tuition and Financial Aid: $16,192 per semester for full-time students (as of Fall 2010, exclusive of mandatory fees and room and board expenses). Financial aid and scholarships are available to both full and part-time students. There are no graduate or teaching assistantships.
Course Curriculum and Degree Requirements: The full-time program is 12 credits per semester (four classes). Students must complete a professional internship and a master’s thesis (along with course completion) in order to graduate.
Course Highlights: Foundation classes in critical analysis and visual theory, extensive coursework in costume and textile history, electives in appraisal, fashion photography, exhibition design and decorative arts studies.
Professional Goals: Because of the significant amount of costume and textile history courses, this program is recommended for those who wish to become museum personnel, such as curators, collections managers, registrars, etc. Many also use this degree to further their careers in writing, such as fashion journalists or researchers. Students also go on to become professors in History, Art History, Museum Studies, Anthropology, Sociology and Fashion Industry related subjects. Students can attend both part time and full time.
Contact:Nancy Deihl
Click here to view program’s website.
Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
September 29th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Book Reviews, Exhibitions, History of Dress, Museum Life, Uncategorized)
*
Opening in just a few short weeks (on October 9) The Cincinnati Art Museum will present an exhibition of sixty wedding gowns dating to the late 18th century up through the present day titled “Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns.” This exhibition and the accompanying catalog were the brainchild of curator Cynthia Amnéus, professor Sara Long Butler and associate professor Katherine Jellison.
Image via Art Knowledge News
The exhibition will include wedding attire from the museums own internationally renowned permanent collection, along with loans from other museums, major and minor designers (including Zac Posen, Vera Wang, as well as artists and makers such as Susie MacMurray – pictured above). The exhibition will run through January 30, 2011 and the book will be available on October 16. I’m lucky to have my hands on a copy now, and have spent the last several weeks poring over the beautiful images and enlightening essays.
Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns
Despite being very busy mounting the exhibit, Cynthia Amnéus, curator of fashion arts and textiles at the Cincinnati Art Museum managed to find time to answer a few questions related to the exhibit and her career in general. I’m pleased to be able to bring you this two-part interview with such an respected scholar and professional. Amnéus has taught at Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati and is the author of A Separate Sphere: Dressmakers in Cincinnati’s Golden Age, 1877-1922 (Costume Society of America Series)
, which won the 2004 Victorian Society of America Publication Award.
Interview with curator Cynthia Amnéus
Heather Vaughan (HV): When did you first begin work on the exhibit?
Cynthia Amnéus (CA): The exhibition was proposed in 2004, so 6 years. I was originally scheduled to open in January of 2009 but was moved around on our exhibition schedule a couple of times.
HV: Can you talk a little about the process of putting together such a major exhibition? What did your timeline look like, with regards to the planning, research, the catalog , and installation, etc.?
CA: Planning a major exhibition with a publication such as Wedded Perfection often has an extended trajectory especially in the fashion arts field. My first task is always to determine what pieces in the collection might fit into the show. I use our database but also manually look through the collection. In this case, I identified every piece of clothing that was associated with a wedding – wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, going away dresses, dresses worn to weddings, menswear, trousseau items, etc. I wanted to know what all my options were and was not sure at this very early stage exactly what direction the show would take. My aim at this point is to create a preliminary checklist. I also begin reading and research asap. Based on my research, the focus of the show becomes clearer (in this case, wedding dresses was such a broad subject and the exhibition could have gone in many different directions), I refine the checklist and then begin determining which pieces need conservation. For us, this means contracting an outside conservator as we do not have a textile conservator on staff.
United States, Wedding Dress, 1887 (detail) Gift of Mrs. Frances Lamson Eaton, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred W. Lamson, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Whitney Lamson, Jr., 1971.320, Cincinnati Art Museum.
Photography is major component that, particularly for fashion arts, requires a lot of time and must be planned well in advance. In a full day shoot, we can photograph about five gowns. This exhibiton has over 50 pieces. If we do a photo shoot every 8 weeks – which allows us time to mount the pieces – photography is easily stretched over a 2-3 year period. I also began looking for loans very early on. Finding a co-publisher also takes time and the manuscript is usually due to them at least a year out. Twelve to nine months before the show opens, design of the space begins – a collaborative process with the exhibition designer. Installation starts in just a few days and I am in the space everyday making sure every wall and platform is being painted the correct color, problem solving construction details, hoping everything that looked so good on paper works in real life, and making last minute changes or decisions. Next week the fun begins, bringing the mannequins to the space, placing them on the platforms, sliding the dresses on for the final time, working with the lighting designer, placing the labels.
HV: Were there any major hurdles to overcome (funding, donor issues, condition, etc)?
CA: Condition of historic garments is always an issue. Because we do not have a textile conservator on staff, we do a lot of restoration in-house, which we document and record in our database. This restoration and mounting is very time-intensive and must be coordinated with our photography schedule, so that is always a challenge.
Finding some of the loans was also a challenge, especially dealing with designers and simply tracking down the right person to talk to. It was also important to me that most of the more avant-garde pieces in the show not be runway pieces that had never been worn. I spent a lot of time on the web searching for wedding dresses and contacting individuals who might be persuaded to loan their gown to us. And if one loan fell through, I was back to square one for that type of dress that would have made a specific point in the exhibition.
George Henry Lee and Co. (active late 19th c.) Wedding Dress, 1882–83, Anonymous Gift, 1965.589, Cincinnati Museum of Art.
HV: Where did you go to research, what resources did you use?
CA: I always do as much research in primary sources as possible – Godey’s Lady’s Book, Harper’s Bazar, Vogue. Etiquette manuals from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were invaluable and historic newspaper databases were helpful. I also spent a lot of time researching in the first bridal magazine – So You’re Going to Be Married, later Bride’s Magazine, which was first published in 1934. The closest library that had these earliest issues was the New York Public Libray. I also read a lot of books about the history of marriage and some contemporary publications on marriage and the bridal industry. Some of the books I referenced included:
- A History of the Wife
, Marilyn Yalom;
- The Wedding Complex
, Elizabeth Freeman;
- Here Comes the Bride, Jaclyn Geller;
- White Weddings, Chrys Ingraham;
- I Do but I Don’t, Kamy Wicoff;
- Brides, Inc.
, Vicki Howard.
I also did genealogical research on each bride whose gown is in the show so this meant going to Ancestry.com, city directories, social registers, newspapers, and contacting family members or the brides themselves. I traveled to the Worcester Historical Society in Worcester Massachusetts to research one family in particular which is represented by two brides – grandmother and granddaugher, in the exhbition.
Stay tuned for the rest of the interview next Wednesday…
*United States, Wedding Dress: Bodice, Overskirt, Skirt, and Underskirt, 1869, Gift of Milton and Kathryn Graff, 2001.105a-d, Cincinnati Art Museum.
(Unless otherwise noted, all images come directly from the exhibition catalog, Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns)
3 Comments
By Tove Hermanson,
September 28th, 2010 at 9:02 am
(Academic Research & Related, Conferences and Calls for Papers)
I am thrilled to be participating in Drexel University’s upcoming [the Dark Side of] Fashion in Fiction conference. If anyone will be in Philadelphia October 8 – 10 and is interested in introducing yourself, please get in touch! Here is a taste of what I will be presenting:
Anais Nin grappled with complex self-identity issues that were revealed in her sartorial selections as much as her overtly philosophical prose. It’s unclear if Nin herself realized the extent to which she used fashion to act out her desires: to glamorize herself and seduce, and alternately to conceal and protect herself. But her numerous and detailed descriptions of her own outfits, how she believed others saw her, how she consistently compared her so-called inferior body to other women’s idealized ones all contribute greatly to the reader’s understanding of this complex woman. She attempted to literally cloak her dark side: her jealousy, imperfections, anger, (bi)sexuality, and fear of abandonment.
Nin struggled with dysmorphia of her physical body and the “multiplicity” of her emotional and intellectual selves. These fragments were often expressed through Nin’s unusual sartorial style, illuminating her hidden fragility, her insecurities, her self-consciousness, but also her bolder sexual desires and her pride. She was preoccupied by her prepubescent-seeming body, even as her numerous lovers expressed no dissatisfaction. Anais used her clothes to exoticize herself, to beautify the unusual looks she perceived as ugly. Inversely, when she met a friend with the intention of deflecting his advances, she dressed “like a warrior, to defend myself against possession.” She admitted, through therapy and written self reflection, she was afraid of being hurt. It follows that the high collars, long skirts, and layers became her armor, protecting her from everything that might penetrate or harm her body, and by extension, her ego.
Nin used the exchanging and gifting of garments– often overstepping her budget to do so– to initiate intimacy and display tenderness. Nin gave June Miller her own sandals, perfume, and handkerchief, metaphorically handing her own identity to her rival (as Henry Miller’s legitimate wife), and as her own future lover. Dressing June satisfied Nin’s desire to feel useful, wanted, loved, and understood (literally walking in the same shoes), but this also highlighted the numerous remaining differences between the women, contributing to Nin’s confused perceptions of self image, self worth, and sexual identity.
Nin also used fashion as a method of distancing herself, as with her superficial, absentee father. During their reunion he told Nin she had become “beautiful by suffering.” He took perverse pleasure in having contributed to the suffering that transformed her. Nin noted with annoyance and confusion that as they became closer he wanted “me to dress conventionally and discreetly… completely artificial, insincere, snobbish…. My artist friends like slovenliness, even shabbiness…. Somewhere in between lies Anais, who wants a free life but not a shabby one.” Once again, clothes and appearance were at the heart of her identity crisis, but perhaps also of her breakthrough. “Once the deforming mirror is smashed, there is a possibility of wholeness; there is a possibility of joy.” There is a possibility of light illuminating the shadows of Anais’ psyche.
2 Comments
By Kat,
September 28th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Jobs)
Assistant Professor
Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design
Georgia Southern University
The Department of Hospitality, Tourism, and Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Health and Human Sciences invites nominations and applications for the position of Assistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design.
Position Description: Reporting to the Chair of the Department, the Assistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising & Apparel Design position requires teaching, service, and research responsibilities as well as a terminal degree. The successful candidate will teach undergraduate courses in apparel construction, apparel design, and/or fashion merchandising with skills in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. The successful candidate will also engage in scholarship and creative activities; disseminate results in refereed/juried venues, advise and mentor undergraduate majors; assume an active role in appropriate professional organizations; and provide service to the institution and to the profession. This is a nine-month, tenure-track position with possibilities for summer teaching. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Required Qualifications: A terminal degree (doctorate or MFA) in Fashion Merchandising, Apparel Design, or related field by August 1, 2011; commitment to teaching and learning as evidenced by prior teaching experience and seminar/presentation during campus visit with students present; promise of productive scholarship/creative activities consistent with the teacher-scholar model, including grant/proposal writing; ability to contribute to a positive work environment in the Department, College, and University; technological literacy and a commitment to integrate technology into teaching and scholarship; commitment to professional service within the University and beyond; interest in working in a diverse academic and professional community.
Preferred Qualification: Minimum of one year of part-time college/university teaching in the fashion area.
Screening of applications begins October 4, 2010, and will continue until the position is filled. The position starting date is August 1, 2011. A complete application consists of a letter addressing the qualifications cited above; a curriculum vita; and the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of at least three professional references. Other documentation may be requested. Georgia Southern University seeks to recruit individuals who are committed to working in diverse academic and professional communities. Applications and nominations should be sent to:
Dr. Jennie Dilworth, Search Chair
Search # 59307
Georgia Southern University
P.O. Box 8034
Statesboro, GA 30460-8034
Electronic mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 912-478-1521
Click here for more information.
Comments
By Kat,
September 27th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Conferences and Calls for Papers)
The Life Of The Object: An Experimental Workshop And Conference On Production, Consumption, and Creative Reuse In American Culture
The Mid-America American Studies Association (MAASA) Conference
The University of Wisconsin-Madison
April 7-11, 2011
Historians and cultural critics who study objects have long focused on the relationships between production and consumption, but these dynamics deserve reexamination in today’s object-flooded world. At the same time, the concept and aesthetic of reuse is enjoying the spotlight in contemporary fashion and design, but has been employed for many years by architects, artists, and the American public as a strategy for survival as well as a political statement. This interdisciplinary experimental workshop and conference invites questions related to the core themes of production, consumption, and reuse in American history and contemporary life.
It will consist of hands-on workshops and experiments with objects while also offering a more traditional scholarly context for the presentation of papers. We believe that our understanding of material culture relies as much upon rigorous scholarly research as the sensorial and tactile engagement with artifacts and cultural landscapes.
Sponsored by the UW Art History Department, the Material Culture Certificate Program, the Material Culture Focus Group, the Art History Grad Forum, and the Chipstone Foundation.
THE PARTICIPATORY ELEMENT:
We will hold an interactive event in which all conference participants explore the shops along State Street in Madison to consider the three main themes of the conference: production, consumption, and reuse. State Street is the area’s most diverse shopping district and it includes stores selling everything from handmade Tibetan garments to The Gap’s clothing, and Wisconsin cheese to Einstein’s Bagels. Participants will be asked to think about themes such as globalization and production, regionalism and material identity, and the commodification of ethnicity. Conference participants will spend an hour or two in groups documenting evidence of these themes with digital cameras and/or video recorders. We will then reconvene as a group, share these collected images, and participate in a panel discussion moderated by scholars in each of the three themed areas.
We will also offer the opportunity for object studies at the Chipstone Decorative Arts Collection in the Milwaukee Art Museum. The chance to closely examine and analyze these pieces of early American material culture will provide a sense of real life engagement with artifacts rarely found at most American Studies Conferences.
PANEL PRESENTATIONS AND THE CALL FOR PAPERS:
For our panel discussions, we seek papers broadly related to the study of material culture, craft, art, consumerism, design, reuse, industrial design, architecture, and cultural landscapes. Our conference aims to involve academics, independent scholars, graduate students and practicing artists from fields as diverse as American studies, design studies, history, art history, anthropology, geography, sociology, art, English, philosophy, decorative arts studies and cultural studies. We will offer two days of panel papers of twenty minutes in length. Selection of these papers will be based upon originality, scholarly promise, and relevance to the main themes of the conference.
The first series of panels will be dedicated to the act of making. We are open to any topic related to this theme as it applies to American culture. Possible panel themes may include the following:
–Made In China, Sold In America: The Global Reach of Chinese Material Culture
–The Obsolescent And The Eternal: Timeless Values of Craft Versus Throwaway Culture
–Sameness In The Material Culture Of The Americas: Homogeneity in Material Design and Appearance
-From Production To Consumption: Handcraft and Industrial Production In America in Contemporary and Historical Contexts
The second set of panels will explore issues of consumerism and overconsumption. Possible panel topics may be:
–Overconsumption On The Couch: A Gluttony For Objects
–The Fine Line Between Spaces of Laziness and Spaces of Leisure: The Rec Room and The Man Cave
–Bursting Bubbles in American Housing: The Material Impact of Financial Crises
–Foodways and Big Folks: Agribusiness And Obesity in American Culture
–Credit Cards and Virtual Money: Replacing The Tangible in The World of Data and Images
The final series of panels will focus upon reuse, sustainability and recycling within American culture and artistic practice.
Possible panel discussions may include:
–The Future Of Found Objects In American Art and Architectural Practice
–From Trash To Treasure: The Perceived Historical and Monetary Value of Antiques and Collectibles
–Eco-Friendly Green Objects and Their Cool Factor: The Growth Of Green Material Culture, Sustainability and Recycling in America
–In addition to papers, this panel will also invite practicing artists to submit works of art for display or offer a live performance. Artists will be responsible for the safe transportation and display of their artwork.
Please send an electronic abstract of no more than 500 words and a brief biographical sketch of no more than 200 words to: by October 15, 2010.
Please feel free to include digital images of artistic work. We will notify you of your paper’s acceptance by November 1, 2010. MAASA also awards the Katzman-Yetman graduate student paper prize to the best paper submitted to the conference. Participants submit their papers to the prize committee in advance, and the award consists of $250 and consideration by the journal American Studies. Please let us know if you wish to be considered for this award when submitting your paper proposal.
Stefan Osdene
[email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Click here for more information.
Comments
By Kat,
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Exhibitions)
I NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT A HAT: THE SAVANNA VAUGHN CLARK
COLLECTION
Through October 10
Kent State University Museum [Kent, OH]
This exhibit explores Savanna Vaughn Clark’s lifetime relationship wearing, collecting and enjoying hats. She has said that she “never leaves the house without a hat.” For Mrs. Clark, hats create a total look and she selects each one to compliment a specific outfit. Mrs. Clark has given the museum 100+ hats; those selected for this exhibition date from the 1950s to the present day.
Click here for details.
GILDED AGE GLAMOUR: A VISIT TO THE DRESSMAKER
Through October 24
Wenham Museum [Wenham, MA]
This exhibit will showcase Wenham Museum’s most beautiful Gilded Age dresses dating from the 1860s to the 1890s. The gallery will have the look and feel of a high-end, 19th century dressmaker’s shop and display extravagant fashion creations from one of the most elegant periods in American history. Discover the art of the dressmaking from period patterns, materials, and tools. Sketch fashions at the design station and dress like a model in the magic fashion closet.
Click here for details.
HORROCKSES FASHIONS: OFF THE PEG STYLE IN THE ’40S AND ’50S
Through October 24
The Fashion and Textile Museum [London, England]
This exhibit displays the beautiful summer dresses and glamorous evening wear that were specialties of Horrockses Fashions Limited, manufacturer of one of the most respected ready-to-wear labels of the 1940s and 1950s. The company is best known for its full-skirted dresses that were sought after by women everywhere and were even worn by Queen Elizabeth II.
Click here for details.
*Thank you to the Costume Society of America for this information.
Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
September 22nd, 2010 at 5:00 am
(History of Dress, Museum Life, Uncategorized, Videos)
*
I am thrilled to say that I’ve been invited to give a lecture on the design career of Natacha Rambova on October 7 at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, in Salt Lake City.
Natacha Rambova changed careers nearly as often as she changed her name. Her work in ballet performance and design, early Hollywood film costume and art direction, as well as her brief fashion design career in New York were innovative for their day. A Salt Lake City native, this interesting and creative character eventually became an Egyptologist – donating much of her antique Egyptian artifacts collection to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. This lecture will focus on her career in design and the arts, as well as her connection to Salt Lake City.
The lecture is free and open to the public. The program will be of particular interest to educators.
Two Rambova fashion designs via the Arizona Costume Institute, photo of Rambova via Corbis.
Speaking in public is always something of a nerve-wracking experience. At the same time, when it’s a topic I love, I always end up embracing the challenge of it. It’s been a few years since I’ve spoken on Natacha Rambova’s design career, but I have been actively involved in this topic since 2004. I guest co-curated an exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum, Personality and Style: The Fashion Career of Natacha Rambova and have published in several academic journals (see note below). I’m also currently in the process of researching and writing a book, under consideration for the Costume Society of America Series by Texas Tech University Press, tentatively titled Of Her Own Design: Natacha Rambova’s Film Costume & Fashion Design (More info at www.fashionhistorian.net). My trip to Salt Lake City is really for the purpose of executing some research in a number of collections related to Rambova, her family and her designs. The lecture is in connection with some research I am doing at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. The lecture is free to the public, and WT readers are welcome to attend.
Natacha Rambova and Theodore Kosloff in her Ballet costumes, via Artsmeme.
A brief clip from Camille (1921), whose Art Direction was handled by Natacha Rambova
Note: Journal publications include:
“Natacha Rambova, Fashion Designer (1928 – 1931).” Dress: Annual Journal of The Costume Society of America, Vol. 33: 2006 (released in May 2008).
“Natacha Rambova Fashion Designs.” Costume Australia. A publication of the Museums Australia Costume Special Interest Group. Fall 2008.
4 Comments
By Heather Vaughan,
September 21st, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Jobs, Teaching, Uncategorized)
Employer name: Woodbury University, School of Media, Culture & Design
Date Posted: Sept. 10, 2010
Job Title: Chair, Department of Fashion Design
Woodbury University’s School of Media, Culture & Design invites applications for a faculty position as Chair to lead the Department of Fashion Design beginning in Fall 2011. The department offers a NASAD-accredited BFA in Fashion Design with a minor in costuming for film and television. Faculty rank and salary are commensurate with teaching experience, professional background, and degrees held.
Responsibilities:
The Chair of Fashion must be a knowledgeable, sociable, articulate, passionate, and effective leader, with highly developed communication and organizational skills. He/she is responsible for advancing the quality and reputation of the curriculum, students, and faculty; and must be able to represent all dimensions of the program to alumni, advisory boards, and accrediting agencies. The chair is also expected to collaborate with other members of the School of Media, Culture & Design to facilitate cross-disciplinary learning experiences with students in fields like animation, graphic design, psychology and communication.
Qualifications:
An earned MFA in fashion design or in a related field from an accredited institution, as well as experience teaching studio courses and working in the apparel industries, with an emphasis on apparel product development. Ideal candidates will be attuned to the latest trends shaping the industry. Familiarity with study abroad opportunities is a plus as is previous academic administrative experience and knowledge of the assessment of student learning. We welcome applicants interested in costume and textiles, fashion show production, and design room preproduction process.
The University:
Nestled in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains near Griffith Park and Los Angeles’ major film and television production studios, Woodbury University is a student-centered and learning-centered institution dedicated to transforming and preparing students for successful careers in the twenty-first century. Founded in 1884, the small, private university (1600 students) has developed a philosophy and environment that nurtures creativity and accomplishment. It offers a unique array of programs in design, architecture, and business.
The Program:
With origins dating back to the historic Golden Age of Hollywood, the department’s notable alumni include designers Bill Travilla, Michael Novarese and Christiane King. It also manages an extensive Fashion Study Collection that is used to assist student learning in the classroom. More detail about the program may be found at http://mcd.woodbury.edu/fashiondesign/.
Application:
Review of applications begins immediately and will remain open until November 1, 2010. Send a letter of application, statement on teaching philosophy, curriculum vitae and three letters of recommendation to:
Chair, Department of Fashion Design
c/o Human Resources Office
Woodbury University
7500 Glenoaks Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91510-7846
Email: [email protected]
Email Questions to: Sue Vessella, Associate Dean, School of Media, Culture & Design – [email protected]
Woodbury University is an EEO/AA institution committed to multicultural diversity in its peoples and programs.
*Image via Woodbury University
Comments
By Monica Sklar,
September 21st, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Academic Research & Related, Uncategorized)
In case you’re in in the Twin Cities tomorrow…
I wanted to let you know that I will be defending my doctoral dissertation very soon and the presentation is open to the public.
Here are the details:
Monica Sklar, PhD Candidate in Design-Apparel Studies
Aesthetic Expressions: Punk Dress in the Workplace
September 22, 10:30-11:30am
Room 41, McNeal Hall
University of Minnesota, St Paul Campus
3 Comments
By Lauren Michel,
September 17th, 2010 at 5:00 am
(Academic Research & Related)
Denise Green is a doctoral student in Socio-Cultural Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. This is my interview of her on the subject of her research into the annual American counter-cultural Burning Man festival in the desert of Nevada, and in particular, men’s personal and transgressive expression in appearance, as inspired by their experiences and participation in the festival.
Lauren Michel: How did you select Burning Man as a research topic?
Denise Green: In the summer of 2007, I began working as a research assistant to Dr. Susan B. Kaiser on a large, multi-site research project titled, Masculine Style(s): Shifting Identities (funded by the United States National Textile Center). In the Masculine Style(s) project, we were hoping to gain a better understanding of men’s relationships with clothing and style. What challenges face contemporary American men when it comes to participating in the fashion system?
Looking to popular media forms, it appeared that we were witnessing a shift and men were becoming increasingly interested in fashion and clothing. Heightened discussion of “the metrosexual,” increased production and distribution of men’s fashion magazines, and the appearance of a more diverse colour palette for men’s clothing were just a few indicators of this shift in masculine styles.
Why was this shift happening now? I wondered more specifically: if a shift was happening, who were the men at the forefront? What were they doing to transform and transgress what had been taken for granted as “normal” men’s clothing and appearance behaviors?
LM: What kinds of methods did you use in your research?
DG: To answer my research questions I began ethnographic fieldwork to identify and interview men that appeared to be transgressing normative, gendered appearances through clothing and bodily modification. I went to the streets of Northern California with my eyes wide open and began talking to men who were visually questioning norms through dress. These men weren’t cross-dressing, but instead combing masculine and feminine styles of clothing in ways that brought attention to taken-for-granted gender norms.
In my interviews with these men, I asked them to take me through a history of their style evolution. How had their appearance and fashion choices changed over time? Nearly all of these men settle on one particular experience, which they often described as the most transformative: the experience of attending the Burning Man festival.
As a recent transplant to California from the East Coast, I wasn’t entirely familiar with the festival. But, it kept coming up in interviews, which meant that I started to look into it more fully. When I shared this finding with my supervisor, Dr. Kaiser, I asked if I would be able to attend the festival to continue this research. She was supportive of a “grounded theory” approach to research, which involves letting theory emerge from data and following your research as it unfolds. The frequent mention of Burning Man appeared to both of us as a significant finding that warranted further investigation.
The first year of fieldwork at the festival was exploratory, and I met with over 250 men at the festival and conducted informal interviews and kept field notes. I stayed in contact with about 30 of these men over the course of the year and continued with phone, and eventually video, interviews.
As I proceeded with the research, I decided that one way to communicate findings with the general public would be to produce a short documentary. Of the 30 men I maintained contact with, I selected five to participate in the documentary film project. I did what I call “closet interviews”—that is, interviewing men in their closets and using the clothing as material to elicit stories, discussions, and feelings about the role fashion has played in men’s lives. I went back to the festival in 2008 for the second time, and focused on video taping and photographing. When I returned to the “default world,” [everyday life] I edited the film into a 29-minute documentary, Somewhere in Between, which may be viewed online: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1451701/.
LM: How would you summarize your findings?
DN: Attending the Burning Man festival is a transformative experience that hinges upon participation and “radical self-expression.” The festival provides a social and physical space that is much more open and flexible than the everyday, or “default world” as Burners [festival attendees] call it. The community spirit at Burning Man is generally supportive and encouraging, which I found helped people to experiment with their appearances in ways they wouldn’t normally do in their everyday lives.
Wearing skirts, tutus, “furkinis” or generally revealing and gender transgressive clothing is not something that most men in the United States do in their daily lives, but it is something that many men do at the Burning Man festival.
I found that the experience of experimenting with alternative styles and fashions, and then wearing these outfits publicly, had a significant impact on men. When men returned to their everyday lives after the festival, many actively changed their wardrobes. For some, these changes were immense, but for most the changes were subtle. Some men would start wearing brighter colours, occasionally don a necklace or other jewelry, while other men might start wearing skirts or make-up publicly.
Many men told me that Burning Man was their first opportunity to experiment with such a wide-range of fashions and that once they had a taste it was hard to go back to slacks and a polo shirt. I found that the Burning Man experience was transformative, and men returned home after the festival feeling very differently about their bodies and appearances.
LM: Do you have plans for further study of Burning Man, beyond your current work?
DN: At the moment, I don’t have any future plans for research at Burning Man…but, who knows what the future may hold. My research focused specifically on men, but it would be interesting to do an in-depth study of women’s experiences with costuming in and outside of the festival. I recently donated a small collection of Burning Man attire to the Cornell Costume and Textile Collection, which they were kind enough to accept, dust and all!
Someday, I would like to put together a museum exhibition of Burning Man costume that also includes multi-media (i.e., video) as well. It may also be interesting to do a longitudinal study, and follow this group of 30 men across time. I am currently working on my Ph.D. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. My current project is related to the use of clothing and textiles in ceremonial settings, but is very different from the Burning Man research. Perhaps after I complete my Ph.D., I will take a fresh look at Burning Man.
__________________________________
Photos:
- Denise Green filming on location, 2008.
- Festival goer, Burning Man, September 3, 2010, by Jasper Gregory.
- Festival goer, Burning Man, September 5, 2010, by Jasper Gregory.
Socio-Cultural Anthropology at the University of British Columbia
1 Comment
