Historic Clothing and Textile Collection Friends of the Collection

 

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The goals and priorities for improvement of the Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection are achieved primarily through the generosity of private donations. There are several goals for the collection in response to urgent needs and in accordance to the collection’s mission and vision. Storage space is not adequate for the size of the collection.  The room is filled to capacity, limiting the potential for growth of the collection and compromising the integrity of many objects. There are no appropriate units for flat textiles and quilt storage in the room, hanging racks are over-packed, and flat storage is limited. The greatest compromise to the integrity of the collection is the lack of proper temperature and humidity control in the storage room.

Goals

According to the collection's mission, vision, and focus the following goals have been set:

1. Space
   • Storage
   • Improve storage of all items in the collection to guarantee preservation of objects for future use.
   • Improve general building conditions in collection room (at present location in Dawson Hall or at new College of Family and Consumer Sciences building) to protect the collection from heat, humidity, pests, dust, and other potential risks.
   • Inventory and photographing of all items in the collection to reduce handling, facilitate research, and create a stronger Internet presence.
   • Establish a clear collection policy to guide the acceptance or rejection of potential donations.
   • Exhibits
   • Create thematic exhibits to continue supporting instruction and research, while also providing ideas for inspiration to UGA faculty and students inside and outside the Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Interiors.
   • Increase awareness of the existence of the collection in all UGA students, and faculty, as well as the Athens and Georgia community at large
   • Support the creation of other clothing related exhibits, particularly those showcasing design and construction by UGA faculty and students, as well as visual merchandise and fashion promotion exhibits.
2. Personnel
   • Acquire funding to support a 1/3 time graduate assistantship for the collection
   • Continue allowing students to enroll in collection and museum studies related courses in order to learn about clothing history, exhibition and proper care of historic ethnic and textiles.
   • Create a support groups (friends of the collection or advisory board) to support all efforts in the collection, including fundraising, special events, and collecting policies.
3. Financial
   • Increase financial assets available to the collection by actively searching for grants and private donations.
   • Explore joint ventures for the creation of a multi-purpose exhibit and lab area for Historic Costume Collection and Visual Merchandising.
4. Instruction
   • Improve and diversify student access to the historic collection to enhance their learning while enrolling in historic clothing and textiles courses.
   • Expand the number of flat textiles, particularly world textiles, to support the World Textiles class.
   • Motivate graduate students to conduct research and write master's thesis around collection items.
5. Research
   • Continue supporting the use of the collection as a research resource for faculty and students in and outside the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors.
   • Motivate "focus collecting" through research resulting in the acquisition of new and significant pieces for the collection such as world festival costume, items used by famous Georgians, items that record the history of the University of Georgia, and items representative of popular culture in the United States.
6. Service
   • Increase awareness and presence of the collection in the wider UGA, Athens, and Georgia communities.
   • Increase outreach to smaller museums in the state of Georgia and to individual collectors by offering historic clothing and textile preservation workshops.
   • Continue assisting extension agents and general public with inquiries related to proper care of historic clothing and textiles.
   • Increase the collection's Internet presence so that it can be used as a resource for research and information about history of clothing and proper care of historic clothing and textiles.

Contributing to the Collection

If you would like to support the collection either through an outright gift or an in-kind contribution, please download the attached form and mail it to:

Suggestions for Contributions:

$20 purchases a package of 100 acid-free papers for conservation.

$30 purchases a small acid-free textile conservation box.

$50 purchases a large acid-free textile conservation box.

$80 purchases one roll of acid-free paper for conservation.

$120 purchases one conservation head form for hats.

$600 purchases one conservation display form.

$1200 purchases a cabinet for flat textile storage.

Forms

HCTC Contribution Form (.doc)
HCTC Contribution Form (.pdf)