The Lois Jett Historic Costume Collection (LJHCC) in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Illinois State University invites the public to the collection’s new exhibition, Herstory: Extraordinary Women in History, running through February 7, 2025.
Herstory features women who have accomplished extraordinary things throughout history through examples of the types of clothing they typically wore. The exhibition was planned and installed by students in the fashion design and merchandising program at Illinois State. According to exhibition lead curators Kehinde Ayedun ‘23 and Nina Patricia Floresca ‘23, the goal of the exhibition is to spread knowledge about important women in history, specifically highlighting minority women whose accomplishments have not always received as much publicity. “We want to showcase how their achievements and accomplishments have made an impact today, and how these women have paved their way,” said Ayedun.
Collaborating on this exhibit drew on both Ayedun and Floresca’s strengths. Ayedun, who enjoys history and showcases the underrepresented figures in history explained, “When people walk into the exhibit, I want them to learn and explore how brave, powerful, and courageous these women were/are to create change for women around them.” Floresca, who enjoys women’s history and styling, wants the viewer to be able to visualize the styles these women wore and understand the importance of what these women and even young girls achieved. She stated, “Every garment chosen for this exhibition highlights a different woman that has impacted history and inspires me to make history myself especially as an Asian-American woman.”
This free exhibition is located in 126 Turner Hall on Illinois State’s campus and is open to the campus and surrounding community.
The LJHCC was created in 1962 by Lois Jett, a professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Over the years, the collection has expanded to more than 2,000 items of men’s, women’s, and children’s dress and related artifacts from around the world dating from the 1840s to today. Follow the LJHCC on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates and additional information about holdings. Gallery hours through December 5, 2024, are Tuesdays 1-3 p.m. and Thursdays 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. It will also be open Sunday, October 13 and Sunday, November 10 from 1-4 p.m. To schedule additional times Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., or for more information, contact LJHCC director Jennifer Banning.
