Historic

Correcting misperceptions: Strategies for attracting and educating a reluctant audience to amuseum of textiles and clothing

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Abstract

In 1900, the International Exhibition in Paris displayed the first popular fashion history exhibition. Since then, clothing and textiles have been incorporated in exhibitions around the world and effectively used to educate, engage, and entertain (Palmer, 2008). Throughout the United States, many universities, colleges, and community colleges have collections of historic dress ranging from very small holdings consisting of a few hundred garments to large collections of 50,000 plus garments and textiles (Queen & Berger, 2006). However, museums and collections that include textiles and clothing face challenges regarding their perceived importance both within and outside of academia (Marcketti, Fitzpatrick, Keist, & Kadolph, 2011). Textiles and clothing have traditionally been viewed as less important or of a lower status in museums and in academia (Steele, 2008).

Keywords: collections, Museums, history, perceptions

How to Cite:

Marcketti, S. B. & Fitzpatrick, J. E., (2013) “Correcting misperceptions: Strategies for attracting and educating a reluctant audience to amuseum of textiles and clothing”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 70(1).