10. Kent State University Museum

Kent, OH

The Kent State University Museum welcomes students and the general public to view, study and research from its collection of historic, contemporary, and world fashions. The collection goes beyond clothing and textiles to also include American glass, furniture, paintings and other decorative arts. The Museum also houses a library of books and historic periodicals dedicated to fashion and decorative arts.

The Museum’s permanent collection features over 20,000 objects. Among them are the important fashion collection, which includes costumes and textiles from the 18th century to the present and featured works by Channel, Balmain, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Courreges, Valentino, Halston, and Miyake, among others. The fashion collection includes a large selection of 18th and 19th century Chinese costumes, Central European apparel, and a number of outfits that once belongs to Marlene Dietrich.

In addition to fashion, the Museum houses a small collection of American paintings and decorative arts and the Tarter/Miller collection of 20th century American art glass.

Since: 1985
Size of Collections: 20,000
Yearly Visitors:
Staff:

• Director – Jean Druesedow
  
• Curator / Assistant Professor – Sara Hume
  
• Assistant Professor / Collections Manager / Registrar – Joanne Fenn
• Exhibition Designer / Preparator – Jim Williams