Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery

03/01/2025

Come work for the Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design as a Community Outreach Coordinator! (Coded as office associate) You’ll help with exhibitions, outreach, and event for the Gallery and department! We’re excited to work with someone who has an interest art, design, dress, and outreach.

The Office Associate for the Department of Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design (TMFD) will play a vital role in enhancing the visibility and engagement of the department through strategic community outreach and value-added experiences. This position will focus on coordinating department events,...

11/26/2024

🎉 Thanksgiving Holiday Notice 🦃

The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery will be closed for Thanksgiving from Wednesday, November 27th, and will reopen on Monday, December 2nd.

We wish you a warm and joyful holiday with family and friends! ❤️

Once we're open again, we invite you to visit our current exhibition: "Giant Hats: Celebrating Art and Craft Through Millinery Design." 🎩✨ This stunning showcase celebrates the artistry and creativity of millinery design, and it's an experience you won't want to miss.

Mark your calendars and make plans to stop by after the holiday! 🍂

11/11/2024

🎩 Giant Hats: Celebrating Art and Craft Through Millinery Design 🎩

Get ready! Starting Monday, November 25, the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery opens its doors to Giant Hats, an exhibition that merges history, creativity, and bold design. If you missed our first post, here’s a second chance to learn more about this unique showcase!

✨ Exhibition Highlights
Students in the Visualization Studio class drew inspiration from the TMFD Historic Costume Collection to reinterpret classic hats as large-scale sculptures. Each piece, crafted from chipboard, glue, and tape, is at least four times larger than the original, transforming intricate historic headwear into monumental sculptural art.

💡 What to Expect
Visitors can see original historic hats alongside their giant, reimagined counterparts, offering a fascinating comparison between classic millinery and contemporary design interpretations. This exhibition is a celebration of both heritage and innovation in fashion.

📸 Behind-the-Scenes Peek
Take a look at these photos of students hard at work on their creations! You’ll see the dedication and artistry that went into crafting these hats.

🗓 Opening Date: November 25
📍 Location: Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery, Gwendolyn Newkirk Human Sciences Building, East Campus, Lincoln, NE

Bring your friends and family to experience this artistic journey through millinery on a grand scale. We can’t wait to welcome you!

11/06/2024

✨ Did you know? The Gwendolyn Newkirk Human Sciences Building, 2nd floor, has display cases showcasing the incredible work of TMFD students! 🌟

Come check out "A Fusion of Wearable Art and Sustainable Design," — an exhibition featuring graduate students' creations from the TMFD 871 - Experimental Apparel Design class, taught by Associate Professor Dr. Sandra Starkey. This showcase combines wearable art and experimental fashion with unique accessories and custom garments emphasizing sustainability, craftsmanship, and innovation.

Each piece is carefully crafted from upcycled materials using advanced techniques to raise awareness of global issues. The green and grey dresses represent a fusion of skills from the Experimental Apparel Design class and the Advanced Design for Printed Textiles class, led by Assistant Professor Michael Burton. These garments incorporate intricate laser-cut details, blending traditional artistry with cutting-edge technology.

Don't miss this inspiring display of how TMFD students use fashion to make impactful, creative statements! 👗✨

10/31/2024

Exciting updates from the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery! 🌟 New lights are being installed to enhance your experience and showcase our exhibits in the best way possible. When you see our upcoming exhibition, "Larger Than Life: An Apparel Design Sculpture Exhibition," you'll enjoy the enhanced lighting that brings each piece to life. We can't wait for you to visit and see the transformation! ✨

10/28/2024

🎩 Larger Than Life: An Apparel Design Sculpture Exhibition 🎩

Save the date! Starting November 25, the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery will feature an exciting exhibition showcasing the work of students from the Visualization Studio class. This exhibit celebrates the intersection of art and design in apparel-inspired sculpture.

✨ Exhibition Theme:
Students took inspiration from historical hats in our Historic Costume Collection, reimagining them as sculptural art pieces made from chipboard, glue, and tape. Each sculpture is at least four times larger than the original, transforming classic headwear into bold, oversized art that pushes the boundaries of traditional apparel design.

📸 Check out these behind-the-scenes photos of students at work, along with some of the original hats that sparked their creativity. Don’t miss this chance to see design and history brought to life on a monumental scale!

🗓 Opening Date: November 25
📍 Location: Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery, Gwendolyn Newkirk Human Sciences Building, East Campus, Lincoln, NE

Join us to explore the artistry and craftsmanship of apparel-inspired sculpture in an unforgettable exhibition!

10/23/2024

📣 Final Days of Our Exhibit: Don’t Miss Out!

The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery is thrilled to feature an incredible collection of garments showcasing diverse designs and rich historical context. With only a few days left, now is your chance to view these one-of-a-kind pieces!

✨ Featured Garments in the picture:

-Floral Dress and Capelet, c. 1965-1973: A bold statement in contrasting scales, designed by John Hogan, La Jolla, San Diego.

-Gown, c. 1937-1942: Elegant lace, tulle, and sequins, gift of Alice Abel.

-Day Dress, c. 1909-1914: Crafted from silk faille and velvet, gift of Katie Best.

-Day Dress, c. 1929-1933: Featuring rayon, seed beads, and mother-of-pearl buttons, a gift of Mrs. Thomas Woods.

🗓️ The exhibition ends on October 25th. Be sure to stop by the gallery and immerse yourself in the beauty and craftsmanship of these historic garments.

📍 Location: Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery, Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Human Sciences Building, East Campus, Lincoln, Nebraska.

We hope to see you there!

10/15/2024

✨ Exhibition Alert at the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery! ✨

Step into the elegance of the 20th century with our latest exhibition, Making an Entrance: Magnifying the Details of 20th Century Dress. Explore how intricate design elements like embroidery, rhinestones, sequins, and pleats shaped timeless fashion from decades past. Each piece on display tells its own story of craftsmanship, creativity, and attention to detail.

📍 Where: Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery
Second floor of the Gwendolyn Newkirk Human Sciences Building, East Campus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

🕰️ When: Now open to the public!

🖼️ Featured Garments:

- A stunning sequined dress (c. 1968-1970)
- A lace-covered pink and gray dress (c. 1955-1962)
- A metallic satin gown with dazzling embellishments (c. 1959-1969)

These pieces represent the height of fashion design, offering visitors a glimpse into how garments were made to stand out through scale, reflection, movement, and emphasis. Come witness fashion history up close!

This exhibition is co-curated by Anna Erdmann, M.A., Dr. Mary Alice Casto, and students from TMFD 809 Museums: Theory and Practice. Don't miss out on this incredible showcase of artistry and design!

🔍

06/07/2024

Introducing our latest exhibition...
Making an Entrance: Magnifying the details of 20th century dress

The exhibition intimately explore how embellishment contributed to 20th century design, fashion, and culture. Wearing “good” design was a hallmark of dressing well and appropriately in the 20th century. Advice, sewing, and dress design books of the era stressed the importance of choosing and creating well-made garments appropriate to a woman’s roles. The garments in the exhibition showcase how the effective use of decorative elements rewards the wearer with a unique, fashionable, and sometimes even show-stopping garment.

Exhibition on view now through October 25th. For more information and summer hours: https://textilegallery.unl.edu/

03/01/2024

Our latest exhibition, UPCYCLED! A Fashion & Textile Exhibition of Remaking and Reinventing, showcases the creative use of upcycled materials by young artists.
In "Return to Nature" artist, Maddie Scholl utilizes plastic spoons and repurposed fabric to represents the downfalls of humanity and a return to nature. The man made materials turn into a natural form symbolizing the inevitable return to nature and nature’s triumph in the end.

Learn More: https://cehs.unl.edu/textilegallery/upcycling-fashion-textile-exhibition-remaking-and-reinventing/

02/16/2024

Our latest exhibition, UPCYCLED! A Fashion & Textile Exhibition of Remaking and Reinventing, is now open!

UPCYCLED! features textile art created by high school students from Nebraska. Students were prompted to repurpose existing materials while exploring the textile medium to create three-dimensional art.

Kathleen Hanna by Oliver Apollo Loots
Learn more: https://cehs.unl.edu/textilegallery/upcycling-fashion-textile-exhibition-remaking-and-reinventing/