CULTURAL OLYMPIAD KSU Museum provides items for show in Greece

Only two American museums are taking part in the special exhibition.
KENT -- Kent State University Museum is participating in an international event in Athens, Greece, to celebrate fashion and the arts.
"Ptychoseis. Folds and Pleats: Drapery from Ancient Greek Dress to 21st Century Fashion" will be on display through Oct. 17 at the Benaki Museum. The Kent museum, which has loaned 11 garments from its collection, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York are representing the United States.
The exhibition features selected works of art and fashion from the classical period of ancient Greece, regional clothing from around the world, and high-fashion and ready-to-wear creations from contemporary designers.
Kent contribution
Anne Bissonnette, KSU Museum curator, helped plan the exhibition and assisted in mounting artifacts to prepare for the show's opening June 22.
Among items from the KSU Museum collection are a 1998 evening dress by Calvin Klein, 1983 evening dress designed by George Stavropoulos and 1949 evening dress by Charles James, all of the United States; early 1960s cocktail dress designed by Sybil Connolly of Ireland; a man's tunic, called a boubou, from Nigeria, 1900-80; and evening dress circa 1875-1900 attributed to Liberty of London, United Kingdom.
Background
KSU Museum was founded in 1983 by Jerry Silverman and Shannon Rodgers. They had an extensive collection of fashions from the Jerry Silverman line of women's clothing and personal collection of historic and international costumes, decorative arts, paintings and furnishings. The museum, which opened in 1985, now houses one of the largest collections of costumes in the United States. The gift from Silverman and Rodgers also created the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising at Kent State that bears their names.
Ohio Arts Council provides some support to the museum.
For information about the museum or Cultural Olympiad, call (330) 672-3450 or visit www.kent.-edu/museum.