UNT fashion exhibition features garments from around the world
What: The Joy Losee Collection: Art and Dress Along the Silk Road — A fashion exhibition presented by the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design. Part of the UNT Collections, Cultures and Collaborations Series.
Curated by Myra Walker, director and head curator of the Texas Fashion Collection.
When: Jan. 15 (Tuesday) – Feb. 9 (Saturday)
Opening reception: 5 – 7 p.m. Jan. 17 (Thursday)
Art Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Where: UNT Art Gallery in the UNT Art Building, one block west of Mulberry and Welch streets
Cost: Free
Contact: Visit gallery.unt.edu or call 940-565-4316.
DENTON (UNT), Texas--A wedding outfit of shimmering ikat silk from Uzbekistan and an ornate Indian sari glittering with gold embroidery and crystals will be among the items on display in The Joy Losee Collection: Art and Dress Along the Silk Road, an exhibition of traditional cultural garments from the Texas Fashion Collection at the University of North Texas.
The exhibition -- presented by the UNT College of Visual Arts and Design as part of the Collections, Cultures and Collaborations Series -- will be on display Jan. 15 (Tuesday) - Feb. 9 (Saturday) in the UNT Art Gallery in the UNT Art Building, one block west of Mulberry and Welch streets. Models will wear fashions inspired by Losee’s collection at the opening reception 5 – 7 p.m. Jan. 17 (Thursday). Admission is free. Contact 940-565-4316 or visit gallery.unt.edu for more information.
Collector and former Pan Am flight attendant Joy Losee first donated 27 traditional cultural garments and accessories to the Texas Fashion Collection in 2011. She donated 35 more outfits in 2012 and plans to donate more in 2013. While her donated collection includes items from the Americas, Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific, the exhibition will feature a selection of items from Egypt, Saudia Arabia, Turkey, India, Thailand, the Philippines and other countries and cultures along the Silk Road.
“Ms. Losee’s gift has greatly expanded the global holdings of the TFC, giving students and researchers an opportunity to gain an understanding of the style and lives of women abroad,” said Myra Walker, director and head curator of the Texas Fashion Collection. “One of the unique and significant features of Ms. Losee’s collection is that she had the foresight to collect entire outfits — including the accompanying accessories.”
Losee, who grew up in Asheville, N.C., and now lives in Gainesville, Ga., gathered garments while traveling in Guatemala, Mexico, Japan and Peru and other places across the globe. Other items were gifts from friends and family or purchased from collectors. Since she began collecting more than 30 years ago, she has acquired garments from five continents.
She continues to travel and collect. Recent trips have resulted in the Uzbekistan wedding garment that will be on display. The wedding garment and accompanying festival costume are intricately designed with dyed and woven silk and lush embroidery.
“It is clear that they are for a very special occasion yet they are so different from what we are used to seeing in Western clothing,” said Dawn Figueroa, assistant curator of the Texas Fashion Collection.
This exhibition is the sixth installment of the Collections, Cultures and Collaborations Series, a project that engages with graduate students in art history and art education to conduct original research on contemporary artworks. The project has highlighted works in the CVAD Collection, The Rachofsky Collection, the Flatbed Press Collection and the Neiman Marcus Art Collection.
“The series offers students opportunities to visit with artists and arts professionals as they conduct original scholarly research,” said Tracee Robertson, director of the UNT Art Galleries.
Students in a graduate-level art history course studied the garments in this exhibition through visits to the Texas Fashion Collection. They developed teaching tools and scholarly methods of examining the works throughout the fall 2012 semester. Excerpts from their research are shared in extended label texts throughout the exhibition, and will be presented by students in a series of Noon Gallery Talks during the show.
In addition, UNT fashion design students have already used the donated garments in their studies.
UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Latest News
Four faculty members and four students from UNT's College of Education were honored at the American Counseling Association’s annual conference in Cincinnati. In addition, the UNT chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the international honor society of professional counseling, also received recognition at the conference.
The Department of Dance and Theatre’s 2013-14 season at the UNT includes a wide range of contemporary, prize-winning productions that examine relationships and the changes they make within oneself and one’s world.
McCoy led Montana State University to $112 million research enterprise.
UNT has signed an agreement with Barnes & Noble College as the new operator for the UNT Bookstore. Barnes & Noble College is set to take over operations of the university bookstore on Aug. 8.
Robert M. Citino, professor of history at UNT, has been selected to serve as a Visiting Professor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Penn., during the 2013-14 academic year. He will assist in teaching core and elective courses within the college’s Department of National Security and Strategy. He will also conduct college-wide lectures and presentations, and lead faculty research and writing efforts.