Reflections: Cultures and Collections in Dialogue exhibit highlights collaboration between TMU Fashion and Textile Museum of Canada

“Reflections: Cultures and Collections in Dialogue” (external link)  exhibition places six objects from the Textile Museum of Canada into dialogue with six counterparts from TMU's Fashion Research Collection. It was developed through hands-on, collaborative research by first-year TMU Masters of Fashion students, during their fall and winter Theory/History Seminar courses. Students worked closely with their instructors and the staff at the Textile Museum of Canada to research, interpret, and write about objects from both collections.

Featured items include a mezzaro veil and crewelwork embroidered coat revealing centuries of exchange and influence between India and Europe, a silk haori and an Issey Miyake top that examines transformation within Japanese dress traditions. Accessories include hats and footwear highlighting identity, status, and adornment from head to toe, while garments associated with ceremony and ritual demonstrate how clothing moves, sounds, and communicates during moments of gathering and remembrance.

Ana De La O Cordero worked on this project as part of her TMU Fashion Masters program. She describes how the project opened her eyes to the intricacies of creating an exhibition. 

“Some of my key takeaways were: The hard work it takes. The diplomacy and conversations needed to make an exhibition cohesive but still adding your personal touch into it. But most importantly, the importance of having a good team and the combination of everyone's special skills!” said De La O Cordero.

She was inspired by the opportunity to see all the steps required in order to have an exhibition. “Having the opportunity to be involved in a real curatorial experience led by people that are very knowledgeable in this field like Dr. Alison Matthews David and instructor Eve Townsend, [was intriguing]” said De La O Cordero. “It was a very unique ‘behind the scenes’ of the museum and collections world by closely working with the archival pieces,” she said.

“It was such a pleasure and honor to be part of one of the first collaborations between the FRC and the TMC collection and hopefully the beginning of more!”

Daisy Gamble was part of the group of TMU Fashion graduate students that were part of the exhibition creation. Gamble details some of her key takeaways from the experience.

“As someone who was unfamiliar with curatorial spaces, I learned how important it is to create thoughtful dialogues between the artifacts,” she said. “Whether through display, text, or images, it is crucial to showcase all artifacts with the respect and nuance they deserve.”

Gamble described the cohesive nature of working with the Fashion Research Collection and the Textile Museum of Canada. “The teams at both locations were very helpful in the research process and the display strategies—always encouraging us to push further with what we were interested in and to find connections between the artifacts,” she said. “I could not have imagined the collaboration turning out any better than it did.” 

As for what she’s taking away from the experience– Gamble has a newfound appreciation for creatives being brought together. “Being a part of this project showed me the collaborative brilliance that could arise when creatives are brought together. The arts are such an important part of both everyday life and academia alike, and we were so lucky to have an opportunity to bring all our ideas together in these spaces.”

Yasmine Kanso, another first year TMU Fashion graduate student who worked on the project, said that the experience taught her that creating an exhibition “requires trust and constant communication to result in a cohesive collaboration.”

“The most exciting aspect I got to work on was turning one of the exhibition’s dialogues into a poem about grief, joy and dance,” she said. “I have been writing poetry for five years, but this is the first poem that I’ve put out into the world. I’m so grateful to have had this experience and hope to publish many more.”

Kanso, Gamble and De La O Cordero are part of the first Graduate Fashion cohort to co-curate in this type of project.

“I’m very proud to be representing my university and The Creative School’s Fashion Research Collection in this collaboration with the Textile Museum of Canada,” said Kanso. “It was a memorable experience for my first year as a graduate student in Fashion. It taught me a lot about what it takes to curate an exhibition of this scale,” she said. “We were very well-guided by our professors Dr. Alison Matthews David and Eve Townsend, director of the Fashion Research Collection.”

The exhibition is open to the public until Sunday, June 7th. Visit the Textile Museum of Canada website (external link)  to learn more.