Curating Fashion History: Sabbatical Overview

This sabbatical explored the management, preservation, and utilization of historical fashion collections, with a focus on enhancing the JCCC Historical Fashion Collection. The collection, inherited in the 1990s, plays a crucial role in fashion education but faces challenges due to inadequate storage, lack of exhibit space, and the absence of dedicated faculty compensation. Through visits to leading institutions, including the Rhode Island School of Design and the Columbia College Chicago, insights were gained on best practices for storage, curation, and community engagement. The findings emphasize the need for a dedicated exhibit and study space, faculty release time for collection management, and sustained institutional support. The video created from this research highlights the positive impact of fashion exhibits on student engagement, public interest, and institutional prestige, advocating for necessary changes to preserve and expand the collection's role in both academic and community settings.