WONDROUS OBJECTS SYMPOSIUM
The Museum at FIT
Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center
300 Seventh Ave. between Twenty-Sixth & Twenty-Seventh Sts.
Friday, March 28, free with advance RSVP, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Exhibition continues through April 20, free
www.fitnyc.edu
In conjunction with its current exhibition, “Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities,” the Museum at FIT is hosting the all-day symposium “Wondrous Objects” on March 28. Among the scholars, artists, and designers participating in the free event are associate lecturer in cultural and historical studies Jason Cyrus, FIT associate professor Hilary Davidson, visual artist Mark Dion, exhibition curator Dr. Colleen Hill, antiques dealer and collector Evan Michelson, jewelry and decorative objects designer Ted Muehling, artist Niio Perkins, Bard assistant professor Mei Mei Rado, and Peabody Essex Museum director of curatorial affairs Petra Slinkard.
The exhibit, on view through April 20, connects cabinets of curiosities with fashion through nearly two hundred garments and accessories, divided into “Specimens,” “Aviary,” “Artisanship,” “Kunstkammer,” “Reflections and Refractions,” “Vanitas,” “Illusions,” “The Senses,” and “What Is It?” Highlights include Sophia Webster’s Chiara sandals with multicolor embroidery and hand-painted heels,” Tom Ford’s sequined and beaded zebra-print dress with horsehair “mane,” specimen jars featuring earrings from major brands, and Comme des Garçons’ polyester, cotton, and nylon dress printed with Arcimboldo’s painting of Vertumnus.
Below is the full schedule; admission is free with advance registration.
Friday, March 28
Welcoming Remarks, by Dr. Joyce F. Brown, resident of FIT, 10:00
Introduction, by Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at FIT, 10:05
“Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities,” with Dr. Colleen Hill, 10:15
“Shoes of Wonder: The Legacy of the Ruby Slippers,” with Hilary Davidson, 10:45
Audience Q&A, 11:15
“The Lady’s Fan: Accessorizing Modern Femininity in Republican China,” with Mei Mei Rado, 11:30
Dr. Colleen Hill in conversation with Niio Perkins and Ted Meuhling, noon
Audience Q&A, 12:30
Lunch break, 12:45 – 2:15
“Draping Innovation: Cristóbal Balenciaga and the Sari,” with Jason Cyrus, 2:15
“When Fashion and Design Are Your Life: The Stylings of Iris Apfel,” with Petra Slinkard, 2:45
Audience Q&A, 3:15
“Ephemeral Beauties: Wax Women and the Dawn of Consumer Culture,” with Evan Michelson, 3:30
“Wonder Rooms,” with Mark Dion, 4:00
Audience Q&A, 4:30
[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]