Can you see us now?
Latin American fashion exhibitions, understanding the Nón Lá, a new way of seeing the scholars in our Library and an artist talk with Renee Cox.
Hello everyone,
This month has been pretty busy at the database! We’ve got some exciting updates for you, which is right around the corner, and we appreciate your readership and support. We receive numerous applications from research hopefuls and writers, but the obstacle we face is funding. Last year we established a model that compensates students and professional researchers for their academic work with us, so if you have the capacity, visit our donation button below so that we can create new employment opportunities in June/July that will diversify fashion education.
As for this week’s letter, our brilliant research team has put together some rich materials for you to explore. Laura has pulled together a list of Latin American fashion exhibitions, we revisit Adriana’s research on the Nón Lá, and Kai has worked with me on a project this past month that gathers together and celebrates the scholars of color that make our library of books and articles possible. If you don’t have plans on Thursday evening, I’m providing information at the end of this letter on an upcoming artist talk with Renee Cox.
From The Library: Latin American Fashion Exhibitions
This week, your Library reading list is being brought to you by FRD Researcher Laura Beltrán-Rubio, who has been deepening her study of Latin American fashion. For this reading list, she is showing us the ways that Latin American fashion has been presented in the form of exhibitions:
Both fashion exhibitions and Latin American fashion have received increasing attention around the globe in recent decades. However, exhibitions of Latin American fashion in the English-speaking world still seem to be relatively scarce. This week’s selection features five exhibitions that showcased different aspects of Latin American fashion: from the work of fashion illustrator Antonio López, to that of the designer Oscar de la Renta, passing through some of the more traditional textiles and garments from the region.
Antonio Lopez: Future, Funk, Fashion by Rocío Aranda-Alvarado & Amelia Malagamba-Ansótegui (Exhibitions & Archives)
MADE IN MEXICO. The Rebozo in Art, Culture & Fashion by Hilary Simon & Marta Turok (Exhibitions & Archives)
Oscar de la Renta: The Retrospective by André Leon Talley (Exhibitions & Archives)
Tied, Dyed and Woven: Ikat Textiles from Latin America by Roxanne Shaughnessy (Exhibitions & Archives)
Fashioning Identity: Mola Textiles of Panamá by The Cleveland Museum of Art (Exhibitions & Archives)
‘The Library’ and the ‘Reading List’ is where we collect and organize countless educational sources all in one place. Referenced by educators, students, fashion enthusiasts and curious minds, this multi-faceted repository provides an expanding selection of tools for learning about all matters connected to fashion, appearance, power and the impact of ‘race.’
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Objects That Matter: The Nón Lá (Vietnamese Conical Hat)
Lately, we have been revisiting some of our favorite Objects That Matter, and this one was pulled from our archive by Content Editor Anthony Palliparambil, Jr. and Media Editor Daniela Hernandez. This particular object–one that is fairly familiar to most of us and commonly mis-appropriated–was explained by our FRD research alumna, Adriana Hill (Summer 2020):
The Nón Lá is a staple in Vietnamese culture and remains a symbol without restrictions to age, sex or status. Women typically wear a broad-brimmed version of the Nón Lá, whereas men wear one with a higher cone and smaller brim. [...] Today, it is also common to see the Nón Lá customized through embroidery and/or painting. Most Nón Lá are still constructed by hand in several of Vietnam’s craft villages, demonstrating the skill and beauty in Vietnamese culture.
You can learn more about the Nón Lá in our Objects That Matter section.
'Objects That Matter' gathers numerous fashion objects outside of the Western lens and provides a brief history, showing why they matter, as many of these items have been widely appropriated or referenced.
The Directory: Educators & Scholars
Over the past month, FRD Research Assistant Kai Marcel has collaborated with me in building out The Directory. The Directory was first created last year as an additional resource area that connects users to like-minded organizations, collectives and individuals. This year I wanted to create a directory within The Directory that highlights–and quite literally puts a face to–all of the brilliant Black scholars and scholars of color who are doing the work day in and day out. These are scholars and educators (within institutions or grassroots spaces) who research and write about topics that decolonize, decentralize and expand our understanding of fashion, dress and art history.
The section is called ‘Educators & Scholars,’ which is a category amongst others that sits at the top of The Directory page, and was developed by Kai and myself. You can thank Kai for the majority of the photos and bios that you will see there, as we made an entire project out of collecting as many scholars and educators that we know and could find (and the list is still growing!). Of course, nearly all of these educators and scholars have work that you can enjoy inside The Library, but I wanted to present a “roll call” that brings all of their faces together, and it is powerful! When people ask, “where can I find the Black historians, theorists and researchers doing this work?”…Can you see us now?
Check out our collection by visiting The Directory page and selecting the category, ‘Educators & Scholars,’ at the top. In the months to come, we are looking to build a roll call of Asian, Arab, Latin American educators and scholars doing this work, so please send us suggestions to our ‘Contact Us’ page if have them.
The discourse on fashion and race threads through a vast network of like-minded endeavors. ‘The Directory’ catalogues other sources of information and inspiration.
The Calendar: ‘Artist Talk: Renee Cox’ on April 15
About this event:
Renee Cox’s photographs—frequently self-portraits—explore issues related to the representation and exploitation of Black bodies while seeking to create new positive imagery. We are delighted to have three works by the photographer Renee Cox join the Museum’s collections: Hott-en-Tott (1994), The Liberation of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben (1998), and The Signing (2018). Join us to hear from the award-winning artist about these images and the contexts that inform them. Cox’s talk will be followed by a conversation with Katherine Bussard, the Museum’s Peter C. Bunnell Curator of Photography.
LATE THURSDAYS! This event is part of the Museum’s Late Thursdays programming, made possible in part by Heather and Paul G. Haaga Jr., Class of 1970. This program, including live closed-captioning, is made possible by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
You can learn more and register for this event on the Calendar page.
A global network of events, conversations and opportunities will continue to evolve the discourse on fashion and race. ‘The Calendar’ remains on the pulse and keeps you looped in.
That’s it for now. Please stay safe and we’ll see you next week.
Yours in service and solidarity,
Kim Jenkins
The Fashion and Race Database Team: Rachel Kinnard, Daniela Hernandez, Kai Marcel, Laura Beltrán-Rubio and Anthony Palliparambil, Jr.