386 Rensselaer County Historical Society - Revolution on the
Runway
Nomination Title:
Revolution on the Runway
Nomination Category:
Innovation in Interpretation
Project Manager/Contact Person:
Ilene Frank
Title/Affiliation:
Executive Director
Organization:
Rensselaer County Historical Society
Address:
57 Second Street
Troy NY 12180
Phone:
5182727232
Email:
ilenefrank@rchsonline.org
Project or Achievement:
At the start of 2012, the Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) partnered with
Russell Sage College to present a unique program on women’s fashion and its
societal impact. Revolution on the Runway was a multi-media event featuring ten
clothing examples from the RCHS collection, representing a 100 year time span
(1860-1960), and illustrating how the clothing we wear tells a story about ourselves
and society. The program was held on March 16, 2012, at Bush Memorial Hall on the
campus of Russell Sage College.
Beginning in January 2012, four Russell Sage College students (one Women’s
Studies Major and three minors) worked with RCHS staff to research specific
clothing items and place these fashions into the broader context of historical time
periods and how women fit or broke the social mold. Specifically, the students
explored the question; how does our clothing contribute to our conforming or
rebelling against societal norms?
The students worked closely with Stacy Draper, RCHS Curator; Kathy Sheehan,
RCHS Registrar, Anne Cassidy, RCHS Volunteer and Retired Collections Manager
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Ilene Frank, RCHS
Executive Director. The students not only had a wonderful opportunity to work
directly with collections but also had first time experience with turning research
into a dynamic public presentation.
Each student worked with at least two clothing items, researching donor history,
construction, and the time period of the item. A one page collection report was
created for each piece and added to the item’s permanent record. Detailed
photographs of each item were also taken, highlighting construction techniques and
details. As part of gaining course credit, the students had to write a research paper
and a reflection piece which were evaluated by Professor Shealeen Meaney,
Assistant Professor of English/Coordinator, American Studies and Director, The
Helen M. Upton Center for Women's Studies at Russell Sage College.
The public program portion of this partnership came together with the evening
event called Revolution on the Runway. The ten dresses were displayed on dress
forms that had been mounted to wheeled bases. A long push handle was attached to
the base that allowed each dress to be “escorted” down the runway without the
dress being touched. This was a major concern and challenge; could we create a way
of “walking” the clothing down a runway without having to touch the clothing. We
were successful and several museum colleagues who were in attendance that
evening praised our end result. The students created a printed program that
provided background information and a photograph of each dress. The students also
created a multi-media presentation that served as the audio/video backdrop while
the dresses walked down the runway. This multi-media presentation featured
period music, historic images to provide historical context, contemporary
photographs showing construction and embellishment details all with a voice-over
provided by each student describing the time period the dress and how it fit into or
broke societal norms.
After the runway portion of the event, Dr. Shealeen Meaney moderated a Q&A
session that featured the students, Ms. Draper and Ms. Cassidy on the panel. The
Q&A session fostered lively community dialogue on the role fashion plays in society.
The evening event was supported with a grant from the New York Council for the
Humanities
Almost 100 people attended the evening. There was great age variation in the
audience as one-third of the audience were college students and there was a good
sized contingent from a local independent senior living facility, many who came as
to see the 1930s era evening gown once owned by Mrs. Parker who currently lives
at the facility.
RCHS is incredibly proud of this program and the collaboration that developed
between the museum and the college. It was such a success that plans are underway
to have a similar program of collection research and public program development
and implementation using the 1920s as our theme.
Revolution on the Runway met or exceeded several of our goals for the program. It
created a program that combined academic historic research with public
dissemination of that research. It afforded RCHS the ability to promote academic
research utilizing our collection and was an excellent way for us to bring more of
our collection to light. It engaged the community in a conversation about the hidden
and not so hidden statements that are made through our fashion choices and finally
it raised awareness of the collection held in public trust at the Rensselaer County
Historical Society. Having a community that is aware of the cultural resources that
exist around them and the role that RCHS plays in preserving a community’s history
is vital in establishing community support.
We hope you think Revolution on the Runway is worthy of a 2013 Museumwise
Award of Merit.
Short Project or Achievement:
The Rensselaer County Historical Society partnered with Russell Sage College to
present a unique program on women’s fashion and its societal impact. Revolution on
the Runway was a multi-media event featuring ten clothing examples, representing
a 100 year time span (1860-1960), and illustrating how the clothing we wear tells a
story about ourselves and society. The program was held on March 16, 2012, at
Bush Memorial Hall on the campus of Russell Sage College.
Nominator Information
Define Relationship between themselves and Nominee:
Executive Director /. Rensselaer County Historical Society
Name:
Ilene Frank
Title/Affiliation:
Executive Director /. Rensselaer County Historical Society
Address:
57 Second Street
Troy NY 12180
Phone:
5182727232
Email:
ilenefrank@rchsonline.org
Organization Information
Nominated institution’s Mission Statement:
We strive to enrich the present and advocate for the future by bringing the region's
past to life, recognizing every face and every story.
Brief description of Organization:
RCHS offers a range of cultural and history-based programs for adults and children.
These include: changing exhibitions about the county's history; extensive archival
collections in our on-site public research library; programs on family history, art,
architecture and local history; tours of the 1827 Federal-style Hart-Cluett House in
downtown Troy; architectural, walking and bus tours; lectures; family activities;
education programs and classroom resource materials; and special events.
Annual Budget:
293,000
Number of Paid Staff (full time/part time):
1/3
Website:
www.rchsonline.org
Number of Volunteers/Unpaid Staff:
100