Graduate Theses

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How Symbolic Association Affects the Perception of Two Fetish Fashion Items

Elyse Sedore-Mallin

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

This paper examines how symbolic association shapes the cultural reception of two fetish-derived garments: the kinky boot and the gimp suit, as they move through fetish subcultures, print media, and mainstream fashion from 1946 to 2016. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, semiotics, and visual culture analysis, the study traces how the kinky boot gradually shed its deviant connotations and became a widely accepted fashion object, while the gimp suit, defined by full-body enclosure and facial concealment, remained a culturally taboo signifier of fetishistic anonymity and submission. Through comparative analysis of imagery from underground fetish magazines such as Bizarre, AtomAge, Shiny Rubberist, and Marquis, alongside mainstream fashion publications including Vogue and other editorial photo shoots, this research demonstrates how each garment's semiotic structure determined its capacity for reinterpretation. The kinky boot's erotic associations proved flexible enough to be reframed through narratives of empowerment, glamour, and spectacle, allowing designers and editors to integrate it into broader fashion systems. In contrast, the gimp suit's symbolic foundations of erased identity and depersonalization remained too rigid to assimilate into mainstream dress, even when referenced in avant-garde fashion. By tracing these divergent trajectories, the paper argues that the mainstreaming of fetish objects depends less on their material form than on the cultural meanings they encode. This reveals how fashion negotiates the boundaries between sexual transgression, aesthetic innovation, and social acceptability.

A Proposed Methodology for the Digital Reconstruction of Nonextant Garments

Alexis Pecknay

2026

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

This qualifying paper begins by defining "practice-led research" and establishing how historical dress reconstruction fits into this definition. Dress reconstruction is neither experiential archaeology nor is it experimental archaeology. Rather, the purpose of the reconstruction - engagement, technical analysis, or preservation - determines the methods. It is necessary that specialists are involved in the reconstruction process to ensure all components are well-researched. For nonextant reconstructions, pictorial and documentary evidence are necessary.The benefits and disadvantages of both physical and digital reconstructions are explored. Digital reconstruction is determined to be a better method for nonextant garment reconstruction given its adaptability and flexibility in regards to material and patterning experimentation. Utilizing Jane Malcolm-Davies' dress reconstruction methodology as a framework, a new methodology is proposed. With this new digital dress reconstruction methodology, six categories of reconstructions emerge: evidence-informed reconstruction of an extant garment, evidence-informed reconstruction of a nonextant garment, replication of a fantastical depiction, reconstruction of an imagined garment, fantastical interpretation of an extant garment, and fantastical interpretation of a nonextant garment. Four case studies involving digital dress reconstructions of medieval and early modern nonextant garments dated between 1475-1615 are analyzed. They are then labeled as either an evidence-informed reconstruction of a nonextant garment, replication of a fantastical depiction, reconstruction of an imagined garment, or a fantastical interpretation of a nonextant garment.

Blue Boxes: Construction of Archival Enclosures for Textile Collections

Jean Rafael Colón Guerra

2026

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

Boxes, trays and related enclosures are ever present in textile collections today, as they make up one of the main supports for the collected objects. By doing so, they become an intrinsic part of collections care. Although they may form only a small part in the active effort of textile preservation, every aspect of said enclosures is important to fulfil this goal. Most collections' enclosures are built with archival-quality corrugated board, commonly known as blueboard. It is this material, along with any other materials implemented, and the method of construction used, that are going to determine how successful the enclosure is going to be. Its success is defined by being safe for the objects within, and holding its physical and chemical integrity for long-term storage. Numerous discussions regarding the custom construction of enclosures are scattered through collections management and conservation sources, across different media. Most of these are not directly related to textile-based collections and do not hone-in on all the aspects of enclosures and their construction. This qualifying paper gathers the relevant information presented across the various sources, and expands on it with a particular focus on construction. This was done in such a manner that the topics build on each other to go from the basic elements to the more complex applications. The discussions begin with the chemical and physical qualities of blueboard in light of textile collections. Following this is the presentation of the common materials and tools any enclosure-maker will need, as well as an introduction of tried methods of construction. An illustrated manual supports this section. Lastly, present-day examples of the roles these enclosures play in textile collections are provided as studies. This also showcases how professionals in the field approach the use and construction of such enclosures. All this information in one singular source provides the reader with the necessary base to start constructing structurally sound and stable archival custom enclosures. Making boxes and trays for collections is an action that entails the evolution of the field, individual or institutional decisions, and both a scientific and creative approach.

Performing Race in Costume: Possession and Agency in Sexualized Representations of Asian Women in American Entertainment, Early-to-Mid Twentieth Century

Sandy Ing

2026

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

The trope of the hypersexualized Asian woman in American media is well acknowledged in academic and public discourse. A number of academics and an even greater breadth of online bloggers have written on the topic, often referencing Golden Age Hollywood films to understand the development of the "Dragon Lady" and "Lotus Blossom" tropes. A lesser known chapter of Asian American history was the "Chop Suey Circuit," a network of nightclubs most active in the 1940s and 1950s, located predominantly in San Francisco, which showcased a primarily Asian American cast of dancers and performers who presented popular American-style songs and dances.This paper examines costume as a tool for creating narratives about Asian femininity, surveying representations of Asian women in popular American films of the early-to-mid-twentieth century as examples of epistemic violence, and then comparing these representations with those of performers of the "Chop Suey Circuit" who, through a combination of costume and choreography, exercised agency and reframed preconceived notions of their sexuality, cultural identity, and personhood.

Off the Market: A Case Study in Commercially Traded Antiquities, Object-Based Research, and Ethical Considerations for Small Collections

Abby Cottier

2026

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

Many objects enter museums through the commercial antiquities market, whether that is via museum purchase or by donation from a dealer or collector. Often, these come without secure, well-documented provenance. As many–though not all–of these unprovenanced antiquities on the market were likely looted from archaeological sites, caring for them poses certain ethical challenges for collections.This paper explores these challenges and the steps that collections can take to ethically deal with these artifacts, beginning with provenance research, technical and contextual research, and identification. Armed with research, collections can reach out to countries or communities of origin to pursue further action, including repatriation. The paper uses a case study of a group of Ancient Andean textiles in the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)'s Graduate Study Collection, shining a spotlight on the struggles of small collections that are often left out of repatriation and ethical stewardship conversations.

The Downward Spiral: Horror, Dress, and Witchcraft in Robert Eggers’s The Witch (2016)

Zachary Portnoy

2026

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

Along the periphery of the fantasy genre exists a type of film that confronts the more terrifying aspects of the world, that of folk horror. In Robert Eggers' 2016 film The Witch, horror is used to heighten the film's fantastical elements. Horror best manifests itself in The Witch through the dress of its characters, reflecting the setting of 1630s New England. Carefully executed by costume designer Linda Muir, the sartorial atmosphere of Robert Eggers' film is legitimized through extensive research and attention to detail. Focusing on Muir's work, this paper frames costuming as the focal point of worldbuilding in The Witch, presenting an unsettlingly convincing view of the intended period. Eggers' directorial choices are also discussed, tracking the progression of the characters' sartorial unraveling as they become subject to the horrifically sublime. As hair and skin become exposed in the film, contemporary theology related to dress and morality is analyzed. Finally, the paper confronts the body itself within the film. Examining the film's harrowing climax, connections are drawn between body horror as a film subgenre and the theory of dress as embodied practice. The naked body in The Witch is reframed as a dressed one, symbolizing the complete destruction of the believable world built through Linda Muir's costumes. Ultimately, this paper dissects Robert Eggers' story of a downward spiral, confronting the understudied intersection between dress, witchcraft, and the horrifically fantastical on screen.

Vera Maxwell: Form and Function in American Sportswear

Audrey Teuber

2026

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

American designer Vera Maxwell (1901–1995) made significant contributions to the American fashion industry in sportswear design during the mid-twentieth century. Over the course of her career, which spanned the 1930s to the 1980s, Maxwell created functional and timeless garments for work and travel. This qualifying paper shares the history of designer Vera Maxwell, including her background in dance and her work as a fashion designer, followed by chapters on her design philosophy and process. Based on evidence drawn from interviews with Maxwell, print advertisements, and news articles, the final chapter showcases six of her most famous designs. Throughout this paper, I provide context on Maxwell's background, including her sources of inspiration and the influence of American society on women and their fashion choices in the mid-twentieth century.

Rose Benedetti’s Legacy: From São Paulo to Yves Saint Laurent = O legado de Rose Benedetti: De São Paulo a Yves Saint Laurent

Cristiane Peixoto

2026

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

This qualifying paper recounts Brazilian costume jewelry designer Rose Benedetti's (1939–) professional life through the use of oral history methodology. The paper includes an interview with Rose Benedetti, conducted by me in her apartment, on January 16, 2026, in São Paulo, Brazil. Drawing on Rose Benedetti's own recollections, the paper highlights her fifty-year career, with particular emphasis on her role as the representative of Yves Saint Laurent jewelry in Brazil as well as her role as an entrepreneur. The paper is supported by images of her Yves Saint Laurent jewelry pieces and sketches, along with newspaper and magazines clippings from her archives, and an additional video recorded in her showroom after the interview. Despite her significance as a pioneer in high-quality costume jewelry design, her work remains largely undocumented. The interview has been recorded, transcribed, translated, and deposited in FIT's Special Collections and College Archives (SPARC), ensuring accessibility for future research.

Hard Truths on Soft Surfaces: Fifty Years of United States Story Quilts (1975–2025)

Catherine Kate Mellina

2026

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

In the past fifty years, the United States has seen a significant growth in the popularity of art quilts—quilts that don't follow traditional piecing and stitching patterns and that employ such unconventional mediums as paint, print, photography, and found-object assemblage. These experiments have led to a rich new treasury of "story quilts"—a pictorial subcategory of art quilts that addresses personal and universal themes with a mixture of directness, humor, caring, alarm, and hope.This qualifying paper contains a detailed project plan for a proposed exhibition called Hard Truths on Soft Surfaces: Fifty Years of United States Story Quilts (1975–2025), built around fifty-six of these affecting and innovative works. The quilts are divided into three interrelated themes ("The Personal," "The Societal," and "The Planetary"), and each object is accompanied by a proposed wall label and tombstone text. It is designed for implementation in New York City's Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), whose complementary mission is "to collect, display, and interpret objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design."Supporting materials include an overview of art quilt and story quilt history, an object checklist, and a mapping of the quilts to MAD's fifth-floor exhibition space. Additional components include suggested public programming, artist and community outreach opportunities, and an exhibition catalog proposal.

Negotiating Identity: Esteban Vicente, the New York School and the Tension between Market Demands and Self-positioning

Laura De Alvear Sánchez de León

2025

Art Market Studies

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This thesis investigates the trajectory of Spanish painter Esteban Vicente (1903–2001) to explore the tension between structural constraints and individual agency in the Postwar American art market. While traditional art history often frames the Abstract Expressionist canon as a meritocratic evolution of style, this study utilizes the sociological frameworks of Harrison and Cynthia White’s "dealer-critic system" to argue that Vicente’s marginalization was a structural inevitability rather than an artistic failure.

The research proceeds in three acts. First, it maps the "Dealer-Critic" machinery of the New York School, analyzing how dealers, critics, and Cold War politics constructed a rigid national narrative that merged "American" identity with artistic validity. Second, it traces Vicente’s exercise of agency within this structural landscape, arguing that his refusal to perform the "action painter" persona or assimilate his Spanish heritage into the dominant American mythos made him institutionally illegible.

Finally, it analyzes the economic consequences of these negotiations, contrasting the "administrative pricing" that contained his value during his lifetime with the explosive market revaluation that occurred posthumously. The recent surge in Vicente’s auction prices, driven by a strategic rebranding of his work through a "Spanish" and "Pastoral" lens, demonstrates that artistic legitimacy in the contemporary U.S. market is not determined by merit alone, but constructed through the interaction of identity politics, institutional framing, and market valuation.

Designing the Future of Cultural Experiences: The Hybrid Gallery–Café–Club Model of Studio 88 Gallery

Chang Gao

2025

Art Market Studies

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Thesis

As the art and design culture has grown among contemporary culture, modern participation in art culture has significantly increased among the contemporary audience. Interdisciplinary spaces integrating exhibition, retail, dining, and landscape design have become increasingly influential in shaping contemporary cultural consumption. Hybrid cultural–commercial spaces are rapidly reshaping how audiences experience art and lifestyle consumption. As interdisciplinary models gain prominence across creative industries, research has not kept pace. This study investigates the emergence of hybrid cultural–commercial institutions in (Part 1) a case study on the Luo Hong Art Museum and (Part 2) a business plan for Studio 88 Gallery. As there appears to be limited research on existing business models on such hybrid spaces, the case study analyses the Luo Hong Art Museum's interdisciplinary model—integrating exhibition, patisserie, and garden—to understand its experiential architecture, market reception, and strategic evolution. With the valuable insights from the case study, Part 2 contains Studio 88 Gallery's business plan, detailing its hybrid gallery–café–nightlife model, spatial design, operations, and financial strategy.

Situating Spirituality in the Contemporary Art Market: From Cultural Essence to Experiential Engagement and Strategic Innovation

Chengze Wu

2025

Art Market Studies

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Thesis

This thesis consists of a case study (Part 1) and a business plan (Part 2), examining the structural marginalization of religious art and sacred arts within the contemporary art market. The case study analyzes how secular critical norms, limited audience bases, fragile funding models, and the dominance of commercial aesthetics collectively undermine the visibility and long-term viability of spiritually grounded art institutions. Although religious and sacred art possess significant cultural, philosophical, and spiritual value, they remain disadvantaged within a profit-driven art ecosystem.To address these systemic challenges, the business plan proposes a development model for Three Mountains Gallery in partnership with the Taoist Association of New York, positioning Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) as the central strategy for cultural engagement and community formation. As contemporary audiences increasingly seek emotionally resonant, contemplative, and spiritually oriented art experiences, ICH provides an accessible entry point for broadening participation. Through collaborations with ICH artists and related cultural programming, the project aims to cultivate a stable cultural community and establish diversified revenue streams, ultimately creating a sustainable framework through which religious and sacred art can regain relevance and agency within the broader cultural landscape.

The Silenced Partner

Miriam Girard

2025

Art Market Studies

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Thesis

In the early twentieth century, women's presence in the art world—as artists, dealers, collectors, and scholars—was shaped by persistent barriers to entry. Legal restrictions, social expectations tied to class and wealth, and institutional exclusions from training and recognition meant that women often navigated indirect or unconventional paths to participate in artistic and commercial networks. An examination of the career of Marie Nordlinger-Riefstahl (1876-1961) illustrates both the opportunities and constraints—legal, social, financial, cultural, and terminological—that shaped women's entry into the art market and contributed to their obscurity in later histories. This study situates Marie Nordlinger-Riefstahl's professional contributions within the early twentieth-century art market, tracing her involvement in artistic training, commercial exchange, and collector networks across the transatlantic sphere, including England, France, Germany, and the United States. Drawing on archival research, biographical reconstruction, and sociological approaches to professional networks, it examines how her work intersected with dealers, collectors, and institutions while remaining unevenly documented within the historical record. Although aspects of her life and career remain unresolved, the analysis restores attention to a figure whose trajectory illuminates broader dynamics of gender, visibility, and omission in art-market history.The aim of this study is to contribute to ongoing scholarship on the marginalization of women's professional labor in art-historical and art market narratives. While Nordlinger-Riefstahl warrants examination as an individual historical actor, her case also raises critical questions about how expertise, mediation, and authorship were recorded—and obscured—within the art market. Her recovery not only repositions an overlooked figure but also has implications for provenance research, museum practice, and the study of professional networks.

Sound, Uprising, and Cultural Transmission: Examining the Intersection of Sound Art, Arab Spring, and MENA Art Dissemination in North America

Brett Goran Ojdanic

2026

Art Market Studies

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Thesis

This paper investigates how sound art operated as a politically charged medium during the Arab Spring and traces the following reception and absorption of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) sound artists within North American institutional and commercial frameworks. While sound art has long existed on the periphery of the global art market, the Arab Spring stressed its role as a tool for political expression and collective mobilization. The paper argues that the heightened visibility of MENA sound practices in this period catalyzed a shift in how North American museums, galleries, and art fairs engaged with the medium, transforming politically urgent and regional works into exhibitions of curatorial display and market circulation. Utilizing artist Tarek Atoui as a case study and other less extensive examples by situating their trajectories within broader patterns of post-9/11 orientalism, migration, and cultural diplomacy, this research interrogates the tensions between political intent and institutional appropriation. In doing so, it reframes the narrative of sound art not as a universal avant-garde, but as a transnational medium channeled by geopolitical conflict, diaspora, and the infrastructures of the art market.

What Is Missing in Contemporary Art in India Today? Nature Morte: A Model of Success Age of Aesthetics: Reimagining Art Into a New Existence

Namya Jain

2025

Art Market Studies

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Thesis

The contemporary art market in India remains a niche field today. It is primarily dominated by UHNWI and HNWI collectors, whose financial capacity aligns with the prevailing pricing structures of the market, making it highly exclusive. Due to this, even though the country possesses a deep and diverse artistic lineage, two major gaps persist in the structure of its art market. First, new generations, such as Gen Z, remain distant from contemporary art of India due to lack of affordability and cultural familiarity. Second, emerging artists struggle to find platforms that allow genuine creative freedom. These structural barriers prevent broader engagement and restrict the development of an inclusive and diverse art ecosystem. To fulfil these gaps, this thesis first presents a case study on Nature Morte, examining it as a model of resilience and success in India's contemporary art sphere. Nature Morte is a gallery that introduced experimental, conceptual, and unconventional practices of art into the country at a time when no clear market for such work existed, and it continues to do so today. Through long-term consistency, curatorial risk-taking, and strategic adaptability, Nature Morte expanded the scope of contemporary art in India, and maintained a balance between cultural value and business viability. Its trajectory illustrates how an art initiative can thrive by shaping rather than following market expectations. Building upon these insights, the second part of this thesis proposes a business plan for a venture called "Age of Aesthetics," that acts as a solution to the current, identified gaps in the Indian art market. The model offers original graphic art prints inspired by iconic, Indian modern masters and reinterpreted through Gen Z aesthetics. In other words, the brand combines what is working well in the Indian market with what is missing in it. It does so by making contemporary art in India accessible, affordable, aspirational, and relatable to new audiences. By supporting emerging artists and appealing to emerging collectors through design-forward, digital storytelling, the plan aims to cultivate a new entry point into India's art ecosystem, with the creation of an alternative market for contemporary art in India that democratizes inclusivity. Together, the case study and business plan work in dialogue: the first analyzes how a gallery successfully expanded India's contemporary art discourse, and the other proposes how the next wave of participation – rooted in digital culture, affordability, and contemporary aesthetics, can widen that discourse even further. Ultimately, this thesis argues that what is missing in contemporary art in India today is not creativity, but accessibility and connection. It overcomes this challenge by strategizing to reconnect younger generations with their cultural roots, while opening gates to endless creative and commercial possibilities in the Indian art market.

Re:Ground: A New Approach to Art-Centered Adaptive Reuse of Abandoned Architecture and Institutional Transformation in Korea

Jooyoung Lee

2025

Art Market Studies

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Thesis

This thesis conceptualizes art-centered adaptive reuse as a cultural and institutional strategy and examines how abandoned architecture can be reinterpreted as socially and symbolically meaningful artistic space. While vacant buildings in urban environments are often perceived as indicators of decline, they reveal deeper tensions generated by competing forces of economic development, cultural preservation, and the erosion of community relations. To address these issues, the study theorizes artistic adaptive reuse not as a form of physical restoration, but as a cultural practice that reconstructs urban memory and identity.The transformation of the former Seoul Station—originally a colonial-era railway terminal—into Culture Station Seoul 284 serves as the central case study. By analyzing its architectural preservation, curatorial programming, and administrative governance, the research investigates how the site was reconfigured into a state-supported cultural institution. A comparative analysis with Tate Modern, Musée d'Orsay, and MoMA PS1 further situates the Korean model within international frameworks of cultural repurposing, illuminating both its distinctive characteristics and its institutional limitations.Building upon these analyses, the thesis proposes Re:Ground, an arts-based urban regeneration consultancy. Re:Ground offers a practical framework—structured across the stages of diagnosis, design, implementation, and evaluation—that enables underutilized spaces to transition into sustainable cultural infrastructure. By translating the study's theoretical insights into a viable operational model, the project demonstrates that arts-based adaptive reuse extends beyond architectural transformation and functions as a sustainable process that reshapes cultural value, community relations, and institutional structures in contemporary cities.

Unveiled: The Veil in Fashion

Frida McKeon Loyola

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

The veil is a highly polarizing topic today, laden with heavy symbolism it is frequently positioned in binaries—East versus West, oppressive or liberatory, a symbol of modesty and sensuality. Looking past these oppositions, the veil is also a point of intersection for complex themes such as women's agency, religion, politics, and culture. In the twenty-first century, the veil has increasingly become associated with Islamic religious customs. However, the practice of covering the head, hair, and face have been observed by women across various cultures and faiths throughout history. Unveiled: The Veil in Fashion is a proposed exhibition that seeks to widen the aperture of this practice. Previous exhibitions have explored the veil solely as a religious object or as the appendage of a wedding ensemble. Unveiled acknowledges the religious context of the veil and moves on. The exhibition explores the veil through its complex interwoven symbolism and brings to the fore women's agency while engaging in this practice.

Gilded by Nature: Beetle Wings in Global Dress and Colonial Entanglement

Hillary Higginbotham

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

Gilded by Nature: Beetle Wings in Global Dress and Colonial Entanglement is a proposed exhibition that examines how iridescent beetle wings have been used in dress and adornment across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Indigenous communities in the Americas, and how these materials entered Western museum collections through colonial pathways. Anchored at the Pitt Rivers Museum, an institution shaped by typological classification and imperial collecting networks, the exhibition applies decolonial methods to question how museums organize knowledge and privilege certain perspectives. It brings together material study and aesthetic analysis to reframe beetle wing objects as expressions of cultural knowledge and specialized knowledge. By tracing their histories and centering the communities who created them, the exhibition positions the museum as a learning space.The project is rooted in my research on global textiles and museum decolonization. It begins with the brilliance of beetle wings, particularly the shimmering elytra of jewel beetles in the Buprestidae family, and uses this as a lens for examining the labor, symbolism, and specialized knowledge embedded in traditions across India, Thailand, Myanmar, and regions throughout Asia and the Americas. The exhibition reconsiders objects that have been historically minimized through typological classification, offering a more attentive and contextual approach to their interpretation. Following the movement of beetle wing objects from community and ceremonial into colonial hands reveals how they were removed from their contexts and reframed through Western narratives of spectacle and classification. Guided by decolonial aims that include creating visibility and decentering dominant interpretive structures, the exhibition proposes revised object groupings and clearer interpretive texts that support stronger relationships between the Pitt Rivers and its audiences. Beetle wing objects become a means to confront colonial histories and model more inclusive approaches to global dress and object interpretation.

Administering Universality: Art as Governance at the United Nations and Documenta

Norma Barratt

2025

Art Market Studies

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Thesis

This thesis argues that the language of universality in major cultural institutions is not a neutral ideal but an administrative artifact, produced through the management of art rather than through its meanings. Focusing on the United Nations Art Collection in New York and Documenta in Kassel, the study examines how postwar political authority is staged through artworks that appear to represent global consensus, while in fact materializing systems of visibility, protocol, funding, and bureaucratic control.At the United Nations, artworks do not enter through curatorial selection but through diplomatic gifting. Their acceptance, placement, and conservation are governed by the Protocol and Liaison Service, revealing that symbolic value hinges more on geopolitical appropriateness than aesthetic evaluation. Works such as the Guernica tapestry, Chagall's Peace Window, and Portinari's War and Peace demonstrate how art can be ritualized, censored, sanctified, or foregrounded as international identity. Here, neutrality is not expressed by art but performed through its management.Documenta, by contrast, cultivates the ideal of artistic freedom through rotating curatorial authorship. Yet that freedom is administratively granted by the German state and subject to oversight, budgetary discipline, and political intervention. The controversies surrounding Documenta 14 and 15 show that collective curating, decolonial critique, and redistributed authorship remain tolerable only within the limits of state governance. When autonomy exceeds those limits, it is reclassified as failure and reabsorbed through reform.Read together, these institutions reveal that art does not merely symbolize universality, it produces it as a fragile performance. Universality becomes a curatorial achievement, sustained by procedure, visibility, and the constant negotiation between global aspiration and political constraint.

Dressing the P-Arrrr-t: Fashioning the Pop Culture Pirate from the Seventeenth to Twenty-First Centuries

Jordain Williams

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

This research explores the construction and evolution of the social myth surrounding the piratical subject, with a focus on the development of costuming and the role costuming plays in characterization. By examining the historical background of the piratical subject, the changes in perception during the nineteenth century, and the effect these changes had on the way we perceive the modern and contemporary piratical subject, this paper investigates the evolution of the pirate mythos and how it influences the costuming of the subject.
Beginning in the Golden Age of Piracy, determined to cover the years 1630-1750, this paper establishes the real-life attire of the pirate and analyzes the concurrent and future romanticization by Captain Charles Johnson, writer of A General History of the Pyrates, and writers of the romantic period, such as Lord Byron and Walter Scott. Following the romantic period, the pirate once again shifts from romantic anti-hero to swashbuckling adventurer. This shift marked a turning point in the transformation of the pirate into a culturally significant figure, laying the foundation for modern and contemporary portrayals.
Through visual and semiotic analysis of nine films, two television series, and one graphic novel, this paper traces the relationship between the reality of pirates and their clothing during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730) and the their successive portrayals in media during the Romantic period (1814-1911), the Modern period (1926-1996), and the Contemporary period (1997-2024). Drawing on historical and material culture methodologies, the study differentiates between authentic pirate attire and its fictionalized counterparts, revealing how garments become symbolic markers of character and cultural values and continue to perpetuate the piratical subject in popular media.

Historical Research, Analysis, Conservation of a Cantonese Opera Costume Faan Gung Zong

Yiqian Yao

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

This qualifying paper explores the historical context and conservation of a Cantonese opera costume known as Faan Gung Zong, provided by the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) and donated to MOCA by the Chinese Musical and Theatrical Association (CMTA). Originally used in the play Tin Gei Sung Zi, the costume demonstrates a unique instant transforming visual effect. It features regional craftsmanship, including intricate Cantonese embroidery and decorations of metal discs and mirrors. The object is dated to c. 1910–1930 based on the decoration style, materials, and the presence of Chinese opera in the United States. This study analyzes the costume within early twentieth-century Guangdong’s export economy and the cultural life of Cantonese opera troupes in North America.
Following a condition assessment, the conservation treatment focuses on dye stain reduction methods. Orvus solution, ethanol, and acetic acid were found to lighten the stains but could not completely reduce them. This study aims to preserve both the physical object and its cultural significance.

A Look at Sydney Wragge's Career at B.H. Wragge Through the Lens of Visual Merchandising 1936-1971

Parker Vail Ahmad

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

This qualifying paper examines the work of American sportswear designer Sydney Wragge (1908-1978) during his career at the New York-based fashion company B.H. Wragge, focusing on window displays as a lens for analyzing the B.H. Wragge brand Wragge sold his customers. Over the course of his almost forty-year career, Sydney Wragge worked to create an image of his customer: a confident, professional woman who was not afraid to be who she was. She was an American woman who found the beauty in ageless simplicity and exquisite tailoring. Wragge designed for a woman of like-mindedness, which became coined the “Wragge Type.” The “Wragge Type” included women such as Katharine Hepburn, who was known for including menswear garments and inspiration in her own personal style. Through utilizing display techniques, Wragge was able to advertise this mindset of B.H. Wragge merchandise to these customers. In the visual merchandising for B.H. Wragge, mannequins, lighting, props, and the merchandise created a fictional world in which the customers could envision themselves. While Wragge was a prominent designer, and some extant garments remain in museum collections, this paper primarily uses photographs and ephemera from Special Collections and College Archives at the Gladys Marcus Library, Fashion Institute of Technology to consider Wragge from the perspective of marketing and visual display. This paper incorporates a historical background of Wragge’s career, an interview with one of his daughters, and ephemera to understand the impact Sydney Wragge left on the American ready-to-wear industry through intricately constructed sportswear in well-made fabrics and tasteful colors, thoughtfully suited for the activities of the everyday life of American women, and at price points that were considered good value for the quality.

Substitutes, Sacrifice, and Symbolism: Conservation of a Fire-Damaged Acetate Naval Nurse's Jacket from the Second World War

Annalise Mary Gall

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

This qualifying paper discusses the conservation of a World War II era acetate naval nurse’s jacket (c. 1944) that was damaged in a storage fire at Sampson Military Museum (Romulus, New York) in July 2008. The jacket distorted and discolored from the heat and pollution, predominantly along the proper left sleeve which was most exposed. The qualities of acetate posed unique challenges regarding reversibility of both the damage and the treatment. The decision-making process is detailed in this paper, as well as curatorial and contextual considerations, including the symbolism of the uniform and the mobilization of the American textile industry for mid-century military production.
The treatment goal was to restore flexibility and improve discoloration, so the jacket could be displayed without distraction from its solemn history and the service of its wearer, Caroline Dunn. A range of treatment methods were explored due to the extent and uncommonness of the damage; few objects affected by fire are salvageable, and fewer have been the subject of publication. Ultimately, the jacket was brightened with a hydrogen peroxide bleaching treatment, and the distorted sleeve was relaxed dually with small tacking irons and a preservation pencil.
The success of this treatment provides a framework for treating additional Sampson uniform pieces in the future, which are essential to make available for display and study given the extensive loss of their collection in the fire. As a case study, it also contributes to thinking around disaster recovery and man-made materials in the textile conservation field more broadly.

A Bead-ing Heart: The Ethics and Process of Conserving Costume for Active Use

Claire Isabel Zimmeth

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

This qualifying paper documents the conservation treatment of a privately owned circa 1922-1924 evening dress with the goal of returning it to active use.
The first section of the paper examines the historical context and provenance of the dress. Investigations into the color and inspiration for the beaded motifs show how this dress exemplifies the fashion of the time that it was made. The second section of the paper is a full documentation of the condition of the dress and treatment proposal. The third section details the treatment performed and results.
The final section of the paper is a post-treatment reflection, discussing how the results of the treatment relate to ethical considerations surrounding wearing historical clothing. The paper seeks to evaluate if a conservator can approach a treatment with the goal of active use while still adhering to accepted ethical guidelines set forth by professional organizations governing conservation practices such as ICOM and AIC.

Advance Pattern Co., 1932-1980: A Company Lost to Time

Taleah Cameron

2025

Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice

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Thesis

Though unknown now, between 1932-1966 Advance Pattern Company was one of the biggest competitors in the sewing pattern industry. They did this by selling themselves as a fashionable brand with easy-to-sew patterns. This reputation, paired with their vast array of sewing patterns meant to appeal to various customers, was what solidified their place in the home
sewing market. Despite utilizing all sorts of branding and advertising tactics to build a successful business the company disappeared and fell into obscurity. How did this once strong company disappear without much explanation, while its former competitors, Simplicity, McCall’s, Vogue, and Butterick, still manage to maintain relevance in the home dressmaking market
today? An analysis of older articles, archival materials, books, and the company’s sewing patterns help in understanding what business decisions elevated or ultimately hindered the company, in hindsight.