Museum of Wisconsin Art preparing for major fashion exhibition

By

Rebecca Taras

Published
May 10, 2017

While the East Coast tends to dominate the fashion scene in the U.S., the Midwest is proving that sartorial inspiration has been present for the past 100 years. A State of Fashion, a four-part exhibition, is taking place at the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) from June 11 to September 17, 2017.

The exhibition opens with The Roddis Collection: American Style and Spirit, which encompasses a historically significant collection of haute couture and casualwear—worn by six generations of the Roddis family—that was discovered in an attic in Marshfield, Wisconsin back in 1972. Now a permanent fixture at the Henry Ford Museum, the nationally recognized collection will have a temporary home at MOWA, a top museum of regional art in the United States since 1961. "This summer is a celebration and collaboration of then and now and fashion and identity,” said Laurie Winters, executive director and CEO of the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA), to FashionNetwork.com. "It will uncover the spirit of fashion in American society."

Other elements of the exhibition include the work of high-end children’s clothing designer Florence Eiseman of Milwaukee—her Post-War American-inspired threads have attracted a prestigious clientele, including Princess Grace of Monaco, Beyoncé and the Obama Administration.

Winters explained to FashionNetwork.com that the museum isn’t just interested in supporting historical design. With that said, representing the modern-day world of fashion is an exhibition showcasing ten contemporary designers—including a designer for Lady Gaga and four Project Runway alumnae—with a connection to Wisconsin.The exhibition concludes with the work of New York street photographer Daniel Arnold.

It took more than two years to develop A State of Fashion. MOWA is also completing a published catalog that will accompany the Florence Eiseman: Designing Childhood for the American Century exhibition.