Discerning museum curators today explore the fashion arts with an eye towards social and political lessons alongside an appreciation of design bravura. This episode’s guest, Petra Slinkard, is a leading voice in the new generation of scholars rethinking how to represent her discipline in compelling and timely displays. As the Director of Curatorial Affairs and The Nancy B. Putnam Curator of Fashion and Textiles at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, she presides over massive holdings, dating back to the end of the 18th century, when sea captains returned from far-flung ports with evidence of other cultures. Holdings today updated with new acquisitions she discovers on Instagram. You’ll hear her candid thoughts about women designers only now being properly acknowledged, genderless fashion, the unsung heroes of textile conservation, public responsibilities in curating, mannequins in paintings galleries, and insights into how her field is ever-changing.
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