Our New and Improved Mission
The Historic Clothing and Textile Collection's mission is to be a valuable platform for outreach, experiential learning, teaching, research, inclusivity and inspiration at the University of Georgia. Our goal is to allow for further knowledge of the state of Georgia’s regional history inside and outside of the classroom, while providing important examples of structural design elements and notable designers.
We revised our misison statement in 2020, working alongside the strategic plans of TXMI, FACS, UGA's Special Collections Library, and the university as a whole. Dr. Monica Sklar, Liaison to the HCTC, worked with graduate and undergraduate student employees to do extensive research on the missions of sibling institutions to determine new goals for the HCTC and write an improved mission statement that aligned with our vision for the collection in the years to come. Our mission sets the groundwork for the collection to serve as a valuable tool for education and research in the UGA community.
As an educational resource, our collection is used in classrooms to provide physical examples that bring the historic concepts and styles taught in relevant courses to life. This experiential learning platform allows students to enage with rare and historic objects face-to-face, and is also used virtually for class PowerPoints and quizzes. The HCTC gives insight into the lives of past Georgians and how changing times influenced styles in our region, serving as a valuable tool for anyone conducting research on Georgia's regional history. We are currently improving our database and metadata for increased access to the collection for the UGA community and beyond. We strive to be inclusive of all who have a passion for historic dress by providing an open platform for research and inspiration.
