2023 Costume Society of America Grants, Projects, Awards, and Honors Announced

duda • July 3, 2023

Costume Society of America (CSA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2023 grants, projects, awards, and honors. “There was a phenomenal level of excellence among our nominees this year,” says Arlesa Shephard, CSA Vice President for Awards and Honors. Elise Rousseau, Vice President for Grants and Projects adds, “Thank you to all of the candidates who prepared such impressive application submissions. We encourage all our members to submit your future projects for consideration.” Shephard and Rousseau want to express their gratitude to all our committee chairs and members for volunteering their time and efforts so that we can recognize all these important achievements.


Abby Lillethun adds her name to those who have been honored as a Costume Society of America Fellow due to her significant contributions to the field of costume. Dr. Lillethun serves as chairperson of the Montclair State University Department of Art and Design where she is Professor of Fashion Cultures and Histories, and as one juror wrote, “her work in academia produces both new scholarship and future scholars. Her volunteer commitment to numerous boards and committees at both the regional and national level as well as her scholarly contributions to conferences and to Dress show commendable dedication to the mission and work of the Costume Society of America.”


This year, two honorees have received the Mary D. Doering Guardian Honor, which pays tribute to Doering and other guardians like her who recognize the values of artistic, historical, and socially significant objects of dress and appearance. Susan J. Jerome is Collections Manager at the University of Rhode Island Historic Textile and Costume Collection, and she also works as the Curator/Registrar of the Historic Costume Collection at the University of Connecticut. A juror remarked, “I’m inspired by her devotion to collections management, holistically embracing a role which includes curatorial, conservation, and registrarial duties, as well as sharing the collection with students and ensuring public access through the digital online database.” Textile conservator Marie T. Schlag is the Principal at the Studio for Textile Conservation in Scituate, Massachusetts. For many years she has been an integral part of the CSA Angels team, and her work in procuring donations of supplies and helping to run the event has immeasurably contributed to the success of the project.


This year’s Millia Davenport Publication Award goes to Frankie Welch’s Americana by Ashley Callahan (The University of Georgia Press), and the Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award is given to Tina Bates for On the Margins: Convict Dress at the Kingston Penitentiary, 1890-1920. The Costume Design Award is given to Aly Amidei for her “Totally 80’s Shakespeare: Sitcom Inspired Costumes for The Merry Wives of Windsor” and The Howard Vincent Kurtz Emerging Theatre Artist Award is given to Mona Jahani, a student at Michigan State University, for her design, Monsieur d’Eon is a Woman. The two Richard Martin Exhibition Awards go to Parachute: Subversive Fashion of the ’80s at the McCord Stewart Museum and Uncut Attire: How Weaving Informs Wearables at the Center for Design and Material Culture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.


In addition to honors and awards, CSA distributes grant money to a variety of individuals and organizations in the field. The CSA Stella Blum Student Research Grant assists the research of a current undergraduate or graduate student who is conducting original research in the field of North American costume. This year’s Blum Grant goes to Leigh Danielle Honeycutt Porche of Louisiana State University for her project Louisiana Cowgirls, Cowboys and Cowthems: Negotiating Gender, Race and Appearance on the Trail. The 2023 Angels Project Grant is given to Heritage Museum of Layton, a small historical museum in Layton, Utah. Two Adele Filene Student Presenter Grants go to Yee Lin Elaine Yuen of Kent State University and Colleen Pokorny of University of Minnesota. A full list of grants, honors, and awards, including honorable mentions and commendations, can be found below.


Grants, Projects, Honors, and Awards were celebrated on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, during CSA’s Annual National Meeting and Symposium in Salt Lake City, Utah.


Costume Society of America Fellow Honor: Abby Lillethun, Teaneck, New Jersey

Mary D. Doering Guardian Honor: Susan J. Jerome, Stonington, Connecticut; Marie T. Schlag, Scituate, Massachusetts

CSA Costume Design Award: Aly Amidei, The Merry Wives of Windsor

CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award, Large Museum: Parachute: Subversive Fashion of the ’80s, Alexis Walker, McCord Stewart Museum, Montreal, Canada

CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award, Small Museum: Uncut Attire: How Weaving Informs Wearables, Addison Nace, Center for Design and Material Culture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Commendation: Venus & Diana: Fashioning the Jazz Age, Clare Sauro, Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection at Drexel University

CSA Howard Vincent Kurtz Emerging Theatre Artist Award: Mona Jahani, Michigan State University, Monsieur d’Eon is a Woman

CSA Stella Blum Student Research Grant: Leigh Danielle Honeycutt Porche, Louisiana State University, Louisiana Cowgirls, Cowboys and Cowthems: Negotiating Gender, Race and Appearance on the Trail

CSA Travel Research Grant: Dr. Ingrid Mida, The Art and Fashion of the Vest

College and University Collection Care Grant: Pennsylvania State University School of Theatre Fashion Archive, University Park, Pennsylvania

CSA Small Museum Collection Care Grant: Gresham Historical Society, Gresham, Oregon

Millia Davenport Publication Award: Frankie Welch’s Americana by Ashley Callahan and LaDonna Harris (The University of Georgia Press); Honorable Mention: Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love by Laura L. Camerlengo and Dilys E. Blum (Yale University Press and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco)

Adele Filene Student Presenter Grants: Yee Lin Elaine Yuen, Kent State University, Senbazuru’s Recall: One Thousand Cranes for Peace; Colleen Pokorny, University of Minnesota, Transforming Quilts into Garments: Designers’ Experiences with Upcycling

CSA Angels Project: Heritage Museum of Layton, Layton, Utah

Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award: Tina Bates, On the Margins: Convict Dress at the Kingston Penitentiary, 1890-1920

Scholars’ Roundtable: Crossroads of Dress and Adornment: Creativity, Culture and Collaboration; Adam MacPhàrlain, Missouri Historical Society; Kelly Reddy-Best, Iowa State University; Petra Slinkard, Peabody Essex Museum; Leon Wiebers, Loyola Marymount University

President’s Awards: Howard Vincent Kurtz and Arlesa Shephard

 

Pictured above from left to right:

Image from On the Margins: Convict Dress at the Kingston Penitentiary, 1890-1920, the Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award winning abstract by Tina Bates; Falstaff and Mistress Quickly, designs by Aly Amidei, The Merry Wives of Windsor, recipient of the CSA Costume Design Award; two Mapuche ponchos (makuñ) from Chile, installation image of Uncut Attire: How Weaving Informs Wearables, Addison Nace, Center for Design and Material Culture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, recipient of a CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award.

Dialogues on Dress: Cora Harrington

February 28, 2025
The history of dress and the future of fashion act in dialogue, always interfacing to inform our present moment. The Costume Society of America’s diverse members exemplify this reality like no other; through the constant connections across time and disciplines they draw, our membership of costume curators, designers, artists, and so much more embody fashion’s ubiquitous presence - and dress’ daily power to teach us all something new. We hope you will join us for CSA’s new Dialogues on Dress series, interviews now available monthly in our e-News and website . Interested in getting in touch? Email enews@costumesocietyamerica.com

Costume Society of America Celebrates its 50th National Annual Meeting and Symposium

By Kristen Zohn • June 5, 2024
It’s a wrap! Our 50th annual symposium in Washington, DC, has now become part of our history. The Grand Hyatt, in the heart of the city, was a fitting venue for this grand occasion. The hotel conference staff was enthusiastic about hosting our golden anniversary and was a pleasure to work with. The Board of Directors met Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Participant events began Wednesday morning with a trip to Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens. Onsite workshops allowed participants to learn about sewing for museums, teaching zero waste to design students, doing restorative research, examining Chanel suits and copies close-up, and doing hands-on fabric design. The George Washington Museum and The Textile Museum also hosted a workshop, the first of three events at that institution. Founding members Elizabeth Ann Coleman and Elizabeth Jachimowicz led off the evening celebrations with the keynote beginning with “The Dark Ages” of the founding and how the Society grew. Grants, awards, and honors recipients were recognized (a full list can be found here ), and then the group adjourned to food, beverages, music, and dancing. Presentations began Thursday morning. Each day led off one of the grants, awards, and honors presentations in plenary session to bring us all together before we split up to visit one of four or five concurrent sessions. Thursday afternoon, attendees left the hotel for organized tours to Arena Stage, the DAR Museum, Ford’s Theatre, the Library of Congress, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Textile Museum, and a special added treat at the National Museum of American History. Our hosts and hostesses extended warm hospitality. Some stayed behind to meet CSA’s editors, while others went on their own to some of the many other museums in the area. Meanwhile, the silent auction, ably directed by symposium co-chair Debbie Farthing and a crew of volunteers, got the massive donations organized in order for us to start bidding at noon. As usual, there were many treasures. A new feature was the cash and carry dollar table. We are pleased to say that these efforts yielded over $5,500—thanks go to all those who donated and purchased items. Later that day, student members met and then went out to dinner. Registrants were also invited to the Textile Museum for an evening lecture, “Three Centuries of Europe’s ‘Clouded’ Ikat Textiles,” by Martina D’Amato. Friday featured the Creative Works Exhibition in addition to plenary and concurrent research sessions. In the evening, former First Lady Dolley Madison (aka living history interpreter Katherine Spivey) came to dine with a small group at the fundraising dinner. Saturday morning, the Town Hall gave attendees a chance to express their concerns with newly installed President Leon Wiebers. As a result of this discussion, a task force is being assembled to review the DEAB language in symposium rubrics before the next call for abstracts is released this summer. If you have an interest in serving or a concern to add to this review, please let the national office know as soon as possible by sending an email to national.office@costumesocietyamerica.com . The symposium came to a close at 3:00 on Saturday afternoon. However, some attendees remained to get in one last museum visit or enjoy some of the vibrant nightlife. Abstracts of this 50 th Annual Meeting and Symposium can be downloaded on the members-only site . You can see some of the action as participants shared photos on social media with the hashtag, #CSA50th. If you attended and haven’t shared your photos yet, please take a moment to do so. We want to hear from you! Whether you attended this year’s symposium or not, please give us your thoughts by clicking here . Your feedback is valuable to us as we plan for the future. We extend our sincere appreciation to our sponsors, Bloomsbury Publishing, DittoForm LLC Michigan, and UOVO Fashion all at the Silver Level; Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and Zephyr Preservation Studio, LLC at the Bronze Level; 2024 Angels Project sponsors University Products, Talas, Gaylord Archival, and Archival Methods; Creative Works Exhibition sponsors Marymount University, Arlington, VA, and Fashion Archives and Museum of Shippensburg University, PA. Thanks also to our marketplace participants and advertisers: Intellect Books, Past Crafts, Yale University Press, and Cora Ginsburg. Attendees also showed their individual support through sponsorships named after First Ladies’ Gowns. At the $500, Dolley Payne Todd Madison Level: Annie Pacious, Anne Sullivan Waskom, and Ann Wass. At the $200, Mary Todd Lincoln Level: Lalon Alexander, Theresa Alexander, Jennifer Tracz, and Polly Willman. At the $100, Lou Henry Hoover Level: June Burns Bové; Debbie Farthing; Margaret Ordoñez; and Sarah Stevens. At the $50, Mamie Doud Eisenhower Level: Elizabeth Ann Coleman, Mary Gibson, Marjorie Jonas, and Leigh Southward. At the $25, Rosalyn Smith Carter Level: Ann Braaten, Deborah Brothers, Jennifer Brown, Judi Dawainis, Michaele Haynes, Erin Howell-Gritsch, Deborah Miller, Nan H. Mutnick, Susan Picinich, Colleen Pokorny, Elizabeth Potter, Danielle Reeves, Claire Shaeffer, Arlesa Shephard, Constance Spotts, and Susan Yanofsky. At the $10, Nancy Davis Reagan Level: Heidi Cochran, Arti Sandhu, Jenise Sileo, and Michelle Tarantina. We would like to express our immense gratitude for the hard work of our fantastic local arrangements team, led by the dynamic duo Co-Chairs: Ann Wass, Debbie Farthing; Hotel Site Visits: Tanya Wetenhall; Abstracts Co-Administrators: Theresa Alexander, Karin Bohleke; Abstracts Editor: Gail Alterman; Angels Project: Martha Grimm, Margaret Ordoñez; Keynote: Alden O’Brien, Ann Wass; First Timers/Member-to-Member Meet and Greet: Monica Sklar, Petra Slinkard; Student Meet and Greet: Dyese Matthews, Paige Tomfohrde; Reception Dance Leader: Jim Wass; Professional Development Workshops: Brian Centrone, Angel DuBose, Katrina Orsini; Scholars’ Roundtable: Jaleesa Reed, Ginger Stanciel; Creative Works Exhibition: Jean Parsons, Julia Ravindran; Tours: Howard Vincent Kurtz, Katherine Hill McIntyre, Megan Martinelli, Alden O’Brien, Katrina Orsini, Shelly Foote, Laura Johnson; Marketplace: Deborah Miller, Debbie Farthing; Silent Auction: Debbie Farthing, Heidi Cochrane, Charlene Gross, Polly Willman ; Fundraiser Event: Katherine Spivey, Ann Wass; Social Media: Katrina Orsini, Frank Gabriel New; Evaluations: Ann Wass; Volunteers: Mid-Atlantic Members and Friends. Special thanks go to the more than 30 abstract reviewers who made our symposium possible. Next Year’s Plans Next year, we will convene across the country in Los Angeles. CSA's Western Region will host the 51 st National Annual Meeting and Symposium at Loyola Marymount University. Hope to see you there! Images top row left to right: The record number of Fellows who joined us for the festivities; Symposium Co-Chair Ann Wass in character as Ann Brodeau with Katherine Spivey as Dolley Madison at the Friday night fundraiser; Symposium Co-Chair Debbie Farthing, queen of the Silent Auction; Jeremy M. Bernardoni shows his work in the Creative Design Exhibition; attendees view rare books on the Library of Congress Tour Images bottom row left to right: Nadege Pierre, her mother, Sarah Hixson, Talia Spielholz, Monica Sklar, and Charlene Gross during their trip to the Library of Congress during the Thursday afternoon tours; Angels Project participants at The Howard County Historical Society in Ellicott City, Maryland; Howard Vincent Kurtz with the winners of the award that bears his name: Yee Lin Elaine Yuen (2022 winner), Mona Jahani (2023 winner), Kessler Jones (2024 winner)

2024 Costume Society of America Grants, Projects, Awards, and Honors Announced

By Kristen Zohn • April 15, 2024
Costume Society of America (CSA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2024 grants, projects, awards, and honors . "We have an exceptional group of awards, honors, and grant recipients this year. I want to thank all of our committees for their work and dedication in reviewing the nominees,” says Arlesa Shephard, CSA Vice President for Awards and Honors. Patricia Edmonson, Vice President for Grants and Projects adds, "We truly appreciate the time our applicants spend on each submission. Our committee chairs are always here to help members through the process of applying!” All awards, grants, and projects are funded through the generosity of donors to the CSA Endowment . One Costume Society of America Fellow has been chosen this year to honor her significant contributions to the field of costume. Linda Baumgarten is a specialist in the early history of textiles and costumes. For 39 years she held the position of curator of textiles and costumes at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia. She is the author of three books and co-author of two others. What Clothes Reveal, The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America won CSA’s Millia Davenport Publications Award. In her retirement, Linda continues to lecture, research clothing and quilts, and draw quilt patterns using Computer-Assisted Design technology. In addition to this most prestigious honor, each year CSA supports its members and recognizes their achievements by conferring numerous awards. For example, this year’s Millia Davenport Publication Award goes to Ann Lowe: American Couturier by Elizabeth Way (Rizzoli Electa, an imprint of Rizzoli New York), and the Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award is given to Anne Bissonnette and Sherry Schofield for their Creative Design titled Zero Waste Thinking: Portrait Tunic and Palazzo Pants . The two Richard Martin Exhibition Awards go to Lee Alexander McQueen and Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous from Barrett Barrera Projects and Past and Present Lives of Upcycled Fashion by curator Kat Roberts at Cornell University. The Costume Design Award is given to Daniel James Cole for his work on Ariadne auf Naxos at Arizona Opera and The Howard Vincent Kurtz Emerging Theatre Artist Award is given to Kessler Jones for her designs for Clue at Michigan State University. This year’s CSA Entrepreneur Recognition Award goes to Tricia Camacho of The Patterned Seamstress LLC and Creative Costume Academy. Along with honors and awards, CSA distributes grant money to a variety of individuals and organizations in the field. These include the CSA Stella Blum Student Research Grant, which has been given this year to Dyese L. Matthews for her research Fashioning Memories and Places: Black Women's Style in Harlem 1970-Present . The 2024 Angels Project Grant is given to The Howard County Historical Society in Maryland. Two Adele Filene Student Presenter Grants go to Constance Spotts and Paige Tomfohrde. A full list of all of CSA’s grants, honors, and awards can be found below. They will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, during CSA’s 50 th Annual National Meeting and Symposium in Washington, DC . Costume Society of America Fellow Honor: Linda Baumgarten, Williamsburg, Virginia CSA Entrepreneur Recognition Award: Tricia Camacho, The Patterned Seamstress LLC and Creative Costume Academy, Mocksville, North Carolina CSA Costume Design Award: Daniel James Cole, Ariadne auf Naxos , Arizona Opera CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award, Large Organization: Lee Alexander McQueen and Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous , Barrett Barrera Projects, St. Louis, Missouri CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award, Small Organization: Past and Present Lives of Upcycled Fashion , Kat Roberts, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Award Commendation: Woven Identities: Ghanaian and Guatemalan Textiles in the Face of Globalization , Anne Bissonnette (PhD), Siming Guo (PhD) Elsie Osei (MFA), and Chiara Power (BA), University of Alberta Millia Davenport Publication Award: Ann Lowe: American Couturier by Elizabeth Way with contributions by Heather Hodge, Laura Mina, Margaret Powell, Katya Roelse, and Katherine Sahmel (Rizzoli Electa, an imprint of Rizzoli New York) CSA Howard Vincent Kurtz Emerging Theatre Artist Award: Kessler Jones, Clue , Michigan State University CSA Stella Blum Student Research Grant: Dyese L. Matthews, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, Fashioning Memories and Places: Black Women's Style in Harlem 1970-Present Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award Anne Bissonnette, University of Alberta, and Sherry Schofield, Florida State University, Zero Waste Thinking: Portrait Tunic and Palazzo Pants Scholars’ Roundtable: 1973 to 2073: The Past, Present, and Future of Dress Studies ; Marilyn DeLong, University of Minnesota; Clarissa Esguerra, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Monica Sklar, University of Georgia; Elizabeth Way, The Museum at FIT CSA Travel Research Grant: Holly Durbin, Stitched Identities: American Menswear and the Art of Assimilation College and University Collection Care Grant: California College of the Arts, San Francisco, California CSA Small Museum Collection Care Grant: Old Trails Museum, Winslow Historical Society, Winslow, Arizona CSA Dependent Care Grant: Sarah Silvas-Bernstein Adele Filene Student Presenter Grants: Constance Spotts, Iowa State University, and Paige Tomfohrde, Cornell University CSA Angels Project: The Howard County Historical Society, Ellicott City, Maryland Pictured above from left to right: The Creative Design by Anne Bissonnette and Sherry Schofield titled Zero Waste Thinking: Portrait Tunic and Palazzo Pants , recipient of the Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award; Mustard, Green, Peacock, White, Plum and Scarlet eavesdrop at the door of Boddy Manor’s grand dining room in Michigan State University’s production of Clu e with costumes designed by Kessler Jones, recipient of the CSA Howard Vincent Kurtz Emerging Theatre Artist Award; cover of Ann Lowe: American Couturier by Elizabeth Way with contributions by Heather Hodge, Laura Mina, Margaret Powell, Katya Roelse, and Katherine Sahmel (Rizzoli Electa, an imprint of Rizzoli New York), recipient of the Millia Davenport Publication Award.
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