Preserving Middlebury College's Antique Clothing Collection, Poster 42

This project explores the process of preserving and cataloging Middlebury College’s Antique Clothing Collection, which I am undertaking this spring semester under the advisement of Guest Artist in Costume Design Mira Veikley... [ view full abstract ]

This project explores the process of preserving and cataloging Middlebury College’s Antique Clothing Collection, which I am undertaking this spring semester under the advisement of Guest Artist in Costume Design Mira Veikley in the Department of Theatre. Currently, this collection is housed in a small storage closet and the items are unlabeled and deteriorating. Many colleges have catalogued and exhibited their collections of antique clothing in a manner so as to make them accessible teaching tools, which I aim to do with Middlebury’s collection. My end goal for this project is to create a digital archive that can be used as a resource for faculty and students in various departments including Theatre, History, Art History, and English and American Studies. This catalogue will facilitate cross-discipline learning by providing students with a tool to explore the relationship of dress to culture, history, art, literature, as well as preserving the history of the college and the community. As my project is only the beginning of an extensive process, I hope to inspire other students and faculty to take an interest in the collection and its potential.