Interview with FIDM Museum & Galleries Curator Kevin Jones

FIDM Museum Curator and Fashion Design Program Grad Kevin Jones was lunching with The Gamble House curator Anne Malleck when he came up with the idea for the FIDM Museum & Galleries latest exhibition Aesthetes, Bohemians & Craftsmen: Artistic Dress, 1880s-1920s. "It popped into my head that perhaps the FIDM Museum could be involved somehow and I asked if she might be interested in 'dressing' The Gamble House rooms with mannequins wearing garments from the Museum's historic collection," explains Kevin, who had been collecting rare examples of clothing from the era for FIDM over the last five years.

Soon the two curators had expanded on the idea and a joint venture was born. The Gamble House would provide the environment for the Fashionable Dress of the period, while the FIDM Museum & Galleries would host the Artistic Dress exhibition. Read our Q&A with Kevin to find out which pieces are his favorite and other details about the inspiring exhibition. Click here for more info on the exhibition. --Kim

Do you have a favorite piece in the exhibition?
I have three:  1. An extremely rare c. 1900 evening gown recently donated by a friend of mine that is in the "Aesthetes" section of the exhibition. I've never seen an actual example before...only in a few fashion plates.  It is embroidered with mercury-lined glass beads and it is covered over with a "himation" which is a Greco-Roman-inspired mantle that only covers one shoulder.  It is embroidered in a Greek-key design in silver and has handpainted lilies encircling it.  Very beautiful.

2. In the "Craftsmen" section is an amazing tie-dyed caftan unlike anything I've ever seen before.  It is from c. 1918-20 and is basically a rectangle of fabric with a hole in the center.  But this one is made from very delicate silk chiffon crepe and its edges are finished with picots and drawn-thread work, just like fine lingerie.  I've never seen a tie-dye example this early and it resembles hippie caftans fifty years later.  It is on loan to us.

3.  FIDM College and the FIDM Museum joined together to buy an extreme rare tunic by eccentric artist Raymond Duncan.  He was the brother of famous dancer Isadora Duncan.  I know of only three Duncan tunics in the world (one in a private collection, one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and ours).  Duncan handcrafted the fabric (silk and wool, with the wool shrunk somehow to create a spongy, stretchable material) and created the hand-applied pattern to the material.  He lived in a commune in France and always dressed as an ancient Greek.

How many people worked on the exhibition and how long did it take to pull together?
Five Museum staff members (plus an outside text editor and digital/photography editor), three Gallery staff members (plus extra help to build/paint the galleries), three people in the Director's office, and a graphics designer worked on this project for a year and a half.

What do you love most about being Museum Curator for the FIDM Museum & Galleries?
The creativity that goes into each of our presentations.  I love to convey my passion for historic dress to others through educational exhibitions, tours and lectures.  It's such a privilege to work with very interesting people and to examine very rare objects.  It's challenging to find historically valuable garments/accessories for our Museum and it's exhilarating when we are able to acquire and show-off new acquisitions.