ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
I have a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Design History, 1984) and was a professor the Design Studies department from 1982 to 2011. Since retirement, I have taught additional classes classes for the department, including an on-line class in World Textiles in 2015. I welcome opportunities for additional teaching opportunities.
Described below are some highlights from my career. (A full academic CV can be provided upon request.)
Classes Taught:
Contributions to Research:
My research was often well in front of many intellectual trends—for example, I was an early observer of the importance of felt as a design medium and the importance of previously trivialized or under-appreciated expressions such as Victorian fancywork and Iroquois beadwork. I was instrumental in helping shape the material culture field in America, insisting on the inclusion of a feminine voice/perspective and increasing discourse about and appreciation for small, intimate objects of the domestic sphere. Overall, my work crossed and combined the arenas of textile and dress history; material culture; and folk, decorative, and design art. I was consistently concerned with the meanings of objects in people’s lives, often particularly in relation to women and the domestic environment.
I was and continue to be active in professional activities related to the fields of textile and dress history and material culture. I served as Vice President and later President of the Textile Society of America (TSA) (1990-1992, 1996-2000), for example, and coordinated textile conferences including the TSA biennial symposium. I was asked to contribute “reviews of the field” to several encyclopedia-like volumes, including Material Culture in America: Understanding Everyday Life and the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, and to present the “American perspective” on dress studies in both Taiwan and the United Kingdom. I have been on the editorial board of journals such as Clothing and Textile Research Journal and Dress, and am still regularly sought out to review book and article manuscripts, and grant proposals.
AVAILABILITY FOR TEACHING AND CONSULTING
I enjoy developing in-depth classes as well as speaking to organizations such as textile guilds and alumni groups, helping diverse audiences understand aspects of the endlessly intriguing topics listed above. I am also available to consult on textile identification, cultural context, and meanings, on issues relating to historic fashion, object analysis and the role that objects play in our lives (e.g., why we are drawn to souvenirs, why we collect). (I have previously worked with businesses such as ShoeMall, Inc. and Pendleton; and with museums and historical societies.)
I have a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Design History, 1984) and was a professor the Design Studies department from 1982 to 2011. Since retirement, I have taught additional classes classes for the department, including an on-line class in World Textiles in 2015. I welcome opportunities for additional teaching opportunities.
Described below are some highlights from my career. (A full academic CV can be provided upon request.)
Classes Taught:
- American Indian Textiles and Related Art Forms
- Design: Fundamentals
- Comparative World Dress
- Design/Material Culture Analysis
- Design Solutions to 21st Century Problems
- Dimensions of Material Culture
- Folk Textiles of Europe and Latin America
- Global Perspectives on Design and Culture
- History of Fashion, 1400-Present
- History of (Studies in) Textiles
- Issues in 20th Century Fashion and Clothing
- Material Culture Methods
- Researching and Interpreting Textiles
- Women’s Craft and Folk Art
Contributions to Research:
My research was often well in front of many intellectual trends—for example, I was an early observer of the importance of felt as a design medium and the importance of previously trivialized or under-appreciated expressions such as Victorian fancywork and Iroquois beadwork. I was instrumental in helping shape the material culture field in America, insisting on the inclusion of a feminine voice/perspective and increasing discourse about and appreciation for small, intimate objects of the domestic sphere. Overall, my work crossed and combined the arenas of textile and dress history; material culture; and folk, decorative, and design art. I was consistently concerned with the meanings of objects in people’s lives, often particularly in relation to women and the domestic environment.
I was and continue to be active in professional activities related to the fields of textile and dress history and material culture. I served as Vice President and later President of the Textile Society of America (TSA) (1990-1992, 1996-2000), for example, and coordinated textile conferences including the TSA biennial symposium. I was asked to contribute “reviews of the field” to several encyclopedia-like volumes, including Material Culture in America: Understanding Everyday Life and the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, and to present the “American perspective” on dress studies in both Taiwan and the United Kingdom. I have been on the editorial board of journals such as Clothing and Textile Research Journal and Dress, and am still regularly sought out to review book and article manuscripts, and grant proposals.
AVAILABILITY FOR TEACHING AND CONSULTING
I enjoy developing in-depth classes as well as speaking to organizations such as textile guilds and alumni groups, helping diverse audiences understand aspects of the endlessly intriguing topics listed above. I am also available to consult on textile identification, cultural context, and meanings, on issues relating to historic fashion, object analysis and the role that objects play in our lives (e.g., why we are drawn to souvenirs, why we collect). (I have previously worked with businesses such as ShoeMall, Inc. and Pendleton; and with museums and historical societies.)
