As our office quiets down for the holidays, we are reminded of what an extraordinary year it has been for the FIDM Museum. We opened six exhibitions in 2017: Art of Motion Picture Costume Design; Exotica: Fashion & Film Costume of the 1920s; Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design; Fashion Philanthropy: The Linda & Steven Plochocki Collection; Thierry Mugler: Alien to Angel; and Scents and Sensibilities. Our galleries also hosted shows featuring student work and a partnership with GUESS.
We presented fascinating conversations between costume designers, choreographers, and actresses. We interviewed designers and donors to bring you behind-the-scenes of our exhibitions. Our Mae West objects were the subject of a Travel Channel Mysteries at the Museum episode, and KTLA’s Gayle Anderson visited our Exotica and Fashion Philanthropy exhibitions to speak with Curator Kevin Jones and Gallery Director Peter Lam.
Our collection became more accessible than ever when we announced our involvement in the Google Arts & Culture online platform – we were even chosen as one of the few venues to host Google’s interactive virtual reality installation! FIDM Museum objects travelled to venues around the world to be shown in our colleague’s fashion exhibitions. We encouraged our Museum’s online community, participating in international social media initiatives such as Ask a Curator day, Museum Week, LA Insta Swap, Museum Match, and Museum Gift Swap.
The FIDM Museum Fashion Council, now in its sixth year, continued to grow and bring new members into our museum family. Their signature events, including the Royal Tea and Luncheon & Lecture Day, combine education, entertainment, fundraising, and most importantly, fun! 2018 is sure to be their most energizing year yet, with a spring exhibition dedicated to their acquisition efforts and another Fashion Council Voyage in the fall (stay tuned for more details…).
We welcomed a new member to our FIDM Museum team, Museum Coordinator Leigh Wishner. A group of phenomenal interns helped us to organize archives, research objects, and install exhibitions. Each intern reported on their project: the Tina Leser Archive; the Historic Photography Collection; Mainbocher maternity gowns; the Michel Arnaud Fashion Photography Archive; clothing labels; and the Henri Bendel Archive. We are so thankful for all of our interns and volunteers, for their knowledge, time, and contributions to our institution.
This year, the FIDM Museum achieved our greatest acquisition to date: a group of rare and significant objects from The Helen Larson Historic Fashion Collection. The purchase includes women’s and men’s clothing from the 18th century to the 1930s, and features royal dress and examples of 19th and 20th century haute couture. The acquisition was the conclusion of a seven-year fundraising project, and we are extremely grateful to the FIDM Museum Fashion Council and many generous donors for helping us bring these important objects into our collection.
Finally, we were thrilled to announce our partnership with American Federation of the Arts on the upcoming exhibition Outdoor Girls: Sporting Fashion, 1800 to 1960. The touring exhibition will launch in Los Angeles in 2020 before travelling to domestic and international venues, and will be accompanied by a beautifully photographed catalogue.
These milestones made 2017 a year to remember in the history of our institution, but we have no intention of slowing down. Fostering education and sharing our collection with the world remains our mission, and in the coming years we have so many exciting plans to do just that.
We wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year, and we thank you for your continued support of the FIDM Museum!
Top row L to R: Kevin Jones, Christina Johnson, Peter Lam, Joanna Abijaoude, and Barbara Bundy; Bottom row L to R: Carolyn Jamerson, Meghan Hansen, and Leigh Wishner.
