Dress Matters: Clothing as a Metaphor

Dress Matters: Clothing as Metaphor examines clothing in art as symbols of power and identity. At once functional and aesthetic, garments are worn to protect the body from the elements, enhance the beauty of the wearer, establish rank in society, and signal to others our differences or similarities. Garments also point to interpersonal issues and conditions as well as larger societal and cultural concerns. Works in this exhibition reveal how artists use concepts and images of clothing to relay compelling messages about gender, age, ethnicity, history, profession and the world around us in general. Dress Matters: Clothing as Metaphor is accompanied by a 64-page catalog, produced for the exhibition and published by the museum.

Image Credit Gallery: Angela Ellsworth Seer Bonnet XIX (Flora Ann), 2011 24, 182 pearl corsage pins, fabric, steel, wood 60″ x 13″ x 16″ (base: 25″ x 40″ x 4″) On loan from Lisa Sette Gallery, Phoenix, AZ