Past Exhibitions 2011-12

Triangle Factory Fire: Then, Since, Now
June 13 - July 7, 2012

The MFA in Illustration program, in collaboration with the American History Department and the Triangle Factory Fire Coalition, presented Triangle Factory Fire: Then, Since, Now, an exhibition of the work of 25 artists where each piece was a visual interpretation of the fire, its impact, and its aftermath. Works included paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture and interactive media.

The Fight to Flee the Fire, Min Suk Choi, 2012, mixed media. This final art for an animation captures the horror and the fight to leave the flaming factory. 

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Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part One
November 29, 2011 - May 8, 2012

Fashion, A-Z: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum at FIT, Part One was the first of two exhibitions to highlight modern and contemporary pieces from the museum's permanent collection. More than 50 garments and accessories were featured by designers from Alaïa to Zoran, including work by Gabrielle Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and Miuccia Prada.

Thierry Mugler ensemble, Polyester and Lurex blend, spring 1989, France, museum purchase, 2011.13.1.

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IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA
February 10 - April 17, 2012 
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Conceived by CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg and curated by Patricia Mears, deputy director of The Museum at FIT, IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA was an ode to the illustrious designs of the CFDA's many members and marked the organization's 50th anniversary in 2012. The exhibition included approximately 100 objects, both garments and accessories, by the CFDA's most impactful creators of the last 50 years. Also included were visual images and acknowledgment of the nearly 600 designers who have been members over the past five decades. Each living designer selected to participate in the exhibition chose a single object or ensemble that best represented his or her impact on the fashion world. A visually rich publication also entitled Impact, produced by the CFDA and published by Harry N. Abrams, was the companion book to the exhibition. 

Visit our social media storyboard for this exhibition.

Thom Browne ensemble, pheasant feather / wool suit with grey felted fur bowler hat, autumn/winter 2008-2009, USA, lent by Thom Browne.

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Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution
March 6 - April 7, 2012

Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution explored the dramatic impact of youth culture on fashion during the 1960s. More than 30 garments, accessories, videos, and other related media were featured, including fashions by Yves Saint Laurent, André Courrèges, and Giorgio di Sant'Angelo.

The epicenter of youth-generated style was London, where young shoppers flocked to boutiques opened by energetic, equally young designers. Regardless of which youth group was redefining fashion at the moment—the early 1960s Mods or the Hippies later in the decade—its styles were quickly appropriated by mass marketers and couturiers alike. By comparing designs ranging from cutting-edge boutique and mass-market labels to high fashion ready-to-wear and couture, the exhibition attested to the ascendance of youth as the driving force in fashion. 

Youthquake! The 1960s Fashion Revolution was organized and curated by FIT graduate students of the Fashion and Textiles: History, Theory, Museum Practice program in conjunction with The Museum at FIT. Visit the online exhibition.

Harry Gordon for Poster Dress, printed non-woven rayon and nylon, 1968, England, gift of Estelle Ellis, 88.25.2.

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Death to Pie Charts: Media Design Club at FIT
January 28 - February 11, 2012

Death to Pie Charts examined the recent trends in the fields of information graphics, highlighting a selection of the best information graphics done by the members of the Media Design Club at FIT. This exhibition showcased information graphics in a variety of formats including animation, interactive, print, and physical constructions.

Margaux Le Pierres, Student Animation Project (2011), Digital Junky for Motion Infograph Project *Winner, C. J. Yeh's Time-based Design Scholarship Competition 2011.

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Daphne Guinness
September 16, 2011 - January 7, 2012

Visit the exhibition website.

The exhibition Daphne Guinness featured approximately 100 garments and accessories from Guinness' personal collection, including designs from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaïa, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, John Galliano for Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, and Valentino. Guinness' own designs were also on display. The exhibition was co-curated by Daphne Guinness and Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator of The Museum at FIT. 

Read press about this exhibition here.

 

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 'up river' - An Installation by Kingsley Parker
FIT Art and Design Faculty Exhibition 2011
November 12 - December 10, 2011

Kingsley Parker, a multi-media artist, has been a full-time member of FIT's Communication Design Department for the past 15 years. 'up river' was, in many ways, a romance -- Professor Parker's romance with the Hudson River, which he has been intimately connected with since he and his family left Brooklyn to settle permanently in Hudson, NY. Commuting to New York along the river on an almost daily basis, Professor Parker–whose body of work already reflected an interest in mapping and boats–became enamored with the Hudson as an idea, as a resource, and as a thing of beauty. The sewn nautical chart is 61 linear feet long and was accompanied by small vignettes (in 2 and 3 dimensions) depicting life, commerce, and activities on the river. The exhibition also included prints and sculpture.

Kingsley Parker

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Sporting Life
May 25 - November 5, 2011
Visit the exhibition website.

Sporting Life explored the relationship between active sportswear and fashion over the past 150 years. Participation in sports, for recreation as well as competition, has increased dramatically since the late nineteenth century. The clothing worn for such pursuits has often been influenced by fashion—and vice versa. Featuring more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles from the museum's permanent collection, the exhibition discussed changes in silhouette, construction, and technology that have improved the performance and aesthetic of active sportswear. In addition, active sportswear garments were juxtaposed with the fashionable ready-to-wear garments they have inspired.

Sporting Life had sections devoted to competitive sports: football, baseball, tennis and golf—as well as activities such as bicycling, horseback riding, motoring, skating, skiing, hunting, walking, swimming, and surfing. Highlights included women's swimwear from the mid-nineteenth century and a woman's bicycling ensemble with divided skirt, circa 1888. The exhibition also featured fashion by designers such as Claire McCardell, Norma Kamali, Stephen Sprouse, and Isabel Toledo. Sporting Life was organized by Fred Dennis, Jennifer Farley, and Colleen Hill.

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