Jan. 4, 2006
STEPHENS
COLLEGE RECEIVES DUPONT GRANT
TO DIGITIZE COSTUME RESEARCH COLLECTION
COLUMBIA,
Mo. – Stephens College recently received a grant totaling
$49,573 from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, a national foundation.
The grant, to be awarded over three years, will fund the digitization
of the College’s nationally known Historic Costume Research
Library, which is among the largest college-owned costume collections
in the nation.
The grant will fund Garment Research Laboratory Virtual Library System equipment to provide for the digitization of the collection, and a Garment Research Laboratory imaging/video system, similar to videconferencing, which will permit interactive research specifically for use with the collection items. Detailed close-ups of garment construction will be possible using a portable camera, and the system will permit the transmittal of images of drawings, sketches or material swatches. A costume research library systems assistant also will be hired to provide faculty and staff training on the system equipment.
“The duPont grant will enable the Costume Research Library to go beyond what has been a local presentation to that of an international collection,” said Monica McMurry, curator of the Costume Research Library and chair of the Stephens Design and Fashion department. “We are fortunate to have an outstanding collection of garments that represent the ‘average’ woman from the early 1700s to today. The combination of a fashion conference room, gallery, archival storage and online capabilities will allow the Stephens College Department of Design and Fashion to educate women in a variety of aspects of the fashion industry.”
In Summer 2006, the Costume Research Library will move to the soon-to-be newly renovated Lela Raney Wood Hall (LRW), where it will have a climate-controlled museum and gallery, a fashion conference room, and research and storage space for the collection. The library will be open to the public. In 2004, the Boone County Community Trust donated $11,250 for the library’s relocation to LRW.
Begun in 1958 with a single donated item, the library contains more than 12,000 items dating from the early1700s, including ethnic wear, everyday clothes of women, men and children, and an impressive list of designer garments. The library also includes an extensive wedding gown collection and more than 3,000 accessories. The working collection allows Stephens fashion students to study not only garment construction but fashion trends that provide inspiration for current styles with actual hands-on experience. Serving the public interest, the library also provides on-campus exhibitions of the collection and traveling slide shows.
In Winter 2005, the Costume Research Library co-sponsored “Bridal Legends: A Weekend of Tea, Traditions and Tinseltown” with the support of a $9,646 grant from the City of Columbia Tourism Development Program. The two-day event included a tea and a fashion show, featuring wedding dresses from the past two centuries; and talks by fashion experts.
Stephens College, a women’s college established in 1833, offers a B.S. in Fashion Communication, B.F.A. in Fashion Design and Product Development, and a B.S. in Fashion Marketing and Management. Degree programs also are available in Theatrical Costume Design, Interior Design and Graphic Design.
The grant will fund Garment Research Laboratory Virtual Library System equipment to provide for the digitization of the collection, and a Garment Research Laboratory imaging/video system, similar to videconferencing, which will permit interactive research specifically for use with the collection items. Detailed close-ups of garment construction will be possible using a portable camera, and the system will permit the transmittal of images of drawings, sketches or material swatches. A costume research library systems assistant also will be hired to provide faculty and staff training on the system equipment.
“The duPont grant will enable the Costume Research Library to go beyond what has been a local presentation to that of an international collection,” said Monica McMurry, curator of the Costume Research Library and chair of the Stephens Design and Fashion department. “We are fortunate to have an outstanding collection of garments that represent the ‘average’ woman from the early 1700s to today. The combination of a fashion conference room, gallery, archival storage and online capabilities will allow the Stephens College Department of Design and Fashion to educate women in a variety of aspects of the fashion industry.”
In Summer 2006, the Costume Research Library will move to the soon-to-be newly renovated Lela Raney Wood Hall (LRW), where it will have a climate-controlled museum and gallery, a fashion conference room, and research and storage space for the collection. The library will be open to the public. In 2004, the Boone County Community Trust donated $11,250 for the library’s relocation to LRW.
Begun in 1958 with a single donated item, the library contains more than 12,000 items dating from the early1700s, including ethnic wear, everyday clothes of women, men and children, and an impressive list of designer garments. The library also includes an extensive wedding gown collection and more than 3,000 accessories. The working collection allows Stephens fashion students to study not only garment construction but fashion trends that provide inspiration for current styles with actual hands-on experience. Serving the public interest, the library also provides on-campus exhibitions of the collection and traveling slide shows.
In Winter 2005, the Costume Research Library co-sponsored “Bridal Legends: A Weekend of Tea, Traditions and Tinseltown” with the support of a $9,646 grant from the City of Columbia Tourism Development Program. The two-day event included a tea and a fashion show, featuring wedding dresses from the past two centuries; and talks by fashion experts.
Stephens College, a women’s college established in 1833, offers a B.S. in Fashion Communication, B.F.A. in Fashion Design and Product Development, and a B.S. in Fashion Marketing and Management. Degree programs also are available in Theatrical Costume Design, Interior Design and Graphic Design.
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