Museum Mannequins (Level 3)
Displaying historic costumes is one of the most challenging aspects of exhibit installation. Meeting the needs of the garment while also maintaining exhibit priorities requires research, creative use of archival supplies, and time spent hands-on with the items. In this three-day class, participants will learn how to determine the best way to display gendered and non-gendered garments for 360-degree viewing. Participants will then construct custom Ethafoam mannequins from scratch using both build-out and carve-away methods. Participants will also learn how Vivak and Fosshape can be used to make custom-molded, low- or no-visibility supports for free-standing or hanging displays. Skills for retrofitting a variety of pre-fabricated mannequins for safe use on museum garments will also be discussed.
Simple, stable costume items may be brought to the class to mount, and study collection garments will also be provided. All participant garments must be approved by the instructor. In addition to samples of all mannequin-making materials, participants will take home the mannequin they built and a wood stand.
Course Dates
Course Fee
Early Registration
Instructor
About the Instructor
Camille Myers Breeze began her conservation career in 1989 at the Textile Conservation Workshop in South Salem, New York. After earning a BA in Art History from Oberlin College. Camille received an MA in Museum Studies: Costume and Textiles Conservation from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She spent five years in the Textile Conservation Laboratory at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City before moving to the Textile Conservation Center at the American Textile History Museum, in Lowell, Massachusetts. Camille founded Museum Textile Services in 1999 as a full-service textile conservation studio serving museums, historical societies, and private collectors. In 2015 she co-founded the Andover Figures® line of custom museum forms for conservators and collections specialists.
