Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens presents Folk Couture

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is pleased to announce “Folk Couture: Fashion and Folk Art”, on view October 7 through December 31, 2016.  Folk Couture departs from the norm by inspiring 13 designers to create garments based on pieces from the permanent collection at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. The designers include: Chadwick Bell, Fabio Costa (NotEqual), Gary Graham, Catherine Malandrino, threeASFOUR, Creatures of the Wind, Bibhu Mohapatra, John Bartlett, Ronaldus Shamask, Michael Bastian, Yeohlee Teng, Koos van den Akker, and Jean Yu.

“The Museum is excited to be able to bring an exhibition of this nature to the Jacksonville community,” states Chief Operating Officer & Chief Curator Holly Keris. “We have been looking to host a folk art exhibition for several years now, and being able to pair this style with fashion offers the opportunity to look at the artwork in a completely original way.”

threeASFOUR designers Gabi Asfour (born 1966, Beirut, Lebanon), Angela Donhauser (born 1971, Dushanbe, Tajikistan), and Adi Gil (born 1974, Tel Aviv, Israel) found inspiration in a 19th-century Quaker quilt featuring a Friendship Star pattern.  Their dress, made from three layers of laser-cut patent leather, combines the four-pointed Christian star, the five-pointed Islamic star, and the six-pointed Jewish star to create a whole new pattern.

Fabio Costa (born 1983, Brazil), well-known for his appearance on Project Runway, also created a garment inspired by a 1796 quilt from the collection, featuring the Tree of Life pattern. Costa hand quilted and stuffed the pattern onto a silk organza capelet and a split-front skirt, and created a pair of pants quilted with Japanese silk thread.

Yeohlee Tang (born 1955, Malaysia) selected four late 20th-century animal woodcarvings and created a garment that celebrated the playful character and hand crafted qualities of the carvings. Ultimately, Tang wants “[the dress] to appeal to the child inside everyone.”

Designers from left to right ThreeASFOUR_
Catherine Malandrino_Fabio Costa_Chadwick Bell

Bibhu Mohapatra (born 1972, India) personally identified with a book containing images of 35 tattoos. He remembers filling a similar book with sketches of his own while studying economics in Utah. While flipping through the book, Mohapatra found inspiration in a particular drawing called Sailors Dream. From this image, Mohapatra created a garment that resembles the nautical theme from the drawing.

Fashion can gain inspiration from unlikely places. The pieces that the designers created definitely reflect this statement. “Folk Couture demonstrates the way in which powerful expressions in a wide variety of mediums by self-taught artists can invigorate a disparate group of thoughtful, articulate designers to create equally vivid, singular objects of couture,” says Carreño.

Exhibition Season Sponsors: City of Jacksonville; Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Inc.; Robert D. and Isabelle T. Davis Endowment at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida; The Schultz Family Endowment; State of Florida.

Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
  829 Riverside Avenue
  Jacksonville, Florida 32204
  (904) 356-6857
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