Goldstein Museum of Design

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Goldstein Museum of Design Est. 1976
Academic museum at UMN College of Design. Education, exhibitions, and events based in McNeal Hall. McNeal Hall (1985 Buford Ave, St.

Study of GMD’s multidisciplinary design collection is available to students, faculty, K-12 and community groups, and researchers by appointment. Paul campus) contains the Goldstein Gallery, the Collection Research Center, and the administrative office. Additionally we have the HGA Gallery in Rapson Hall.

Thursday, November 12 at 6 PMFree public program featuring Charlotte McCurdyHow can aspiration accelerate climate action...
10/22/2026

Thursday, November 12 at 6 PM
Free public program featuring Charlotte McCurdy

How can aspiration accelerate climate action?

Join UMN College of Design's Kusske Design Initiative (KDI) and the Goldstein Museum of Design for a free public talk (in-person and online) by d.school biomaterials innovator Charlotte McCurdy. Charlotte will discuss the algae-based sequins she developed in collaboration with Phillip Lim—featured in our current exhibition Sequins: Flash and Substance—and how luxury can function as a vehicle for behavioral change, transforming aspiration and identity into drivers of climate action.

🎟 Details and registration at z.umn.edu/mccurdy.

📷 “Algae Sequin” dress by Charlotte McCurdy and Phillip Lim and process documentation. Photos courtesy of Charlotte McCurdy.

Despite their metallic silver appearance, these sequins (left) are primarily made from a gelatin base. To create the loo...
10/20/2026

Despite their metallic silver appearance, these sequins (left) are primarily made from a gelatin base. To create the look of solid metal, thin metal sheeting is sandwiched between clear layers of gelatin and then fused together. This method was also used to make the shiny red sequins on Dorothy’s “ruby” slippers for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

While many ornamented garments from this era were the result of handwork, the sequins on this dress (right) were attached by machine. The Cornely machine, invented in France in the late 1800s, automated embroidery and included an attachment for sewing on rows of pre-strung sequins. However, it still took patience and skill to operate this hand-guided machine. The interior of this dress reveals the tight, even rows the Cornely machine and its operator were able to make, stitching long vertical lines of overlapped sequins onto chiffon.

🏷 Germaine Monteil, dress and jacket, 1937–38. Gift of Mrs. Folwell Coan, 1982.016.014a-b.
🏷 Dress, 1923–28. Gift of the Family of Margaret L. Sweatt, 2001.085.014.

✨ "Sequins: Flash and Substance" is on view through December 4, 2026.

🕙 The Goldstein Gallery is free and open to the public:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00 AM–4:30 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM–7:00 PM

📕 Out now! Congratulations to author and UMN College of Design professor Juanjuan Wu. 📖 From Bloomsbury U.S.: How has fa...
10/15/2026

📕 Out now! Congratulations to author and UMN College of Design professor Juanjuan Wu.

📖 From Bloomsbury U.S.:
How has fashion mirrored the social and cultural changes that have taken place in modern China? To what extent has fashion contributed to those changes? Updating the 2009 edition to reflect China’s new position as the world’s biggest fashion market, Juanjuan Wu provides an updated account of modern Chinese fashion from 1978 to the present day, set against the backdrop of the changing East-West dynamic.

📷 Installation view of the related GMD exhibition "Mao to Now: Chinese Fashion from 1949 to the Present" organized by Dr. Wu at the Goldstein Gallery, 2010-11.

Celebrating 50 years—to the day!Before “The Goldstein” was a museum, it was a gallery. In recognition of the dedication ...
10/14/2026

Celebrating 50 years—to the day!

Before “The Goldstein” was a museum, it was a gallery. In recognition of the dedication of the Goldstein Gallery on October 14, 1976—and the many UMN and community individuals who helped launch this institution—the Goldstein Museum of Design celebrates its 50th anniversary throughout this academic year.

♥ Join us to honor this major milestone and support GMD as a vital and accessible center for design history and education.

🎁 Give $50 for 50 Years at z.umn.edu/gmd-50
📜 Discover our history at z.umn.edu/gmd-history
📨 Sign up for emails at z.umn.edu/gmd-news
✨ Visit "Sequins" and upcoming special exhibitions
🎫 Find free events at z.umn.edu/gmd-events
🗨 Tell a friend!

As a nonprofit member of the St. Paul Art Collective, GMD is proud to participate in the 2026 Fall St. Paul Art Crawl! T...
10/12/2026

As a nonprofit member of the St. Paul Art Collective, GMD is proud to participate in the 2026 Fall St. Paul Art Crawl!

The event runs this weekend, October 16–18, and features dozens of gallery locations throughout St. Paul.

The Goldstein Gallery will be open (free, as always) with special hours on all three days. This is a great chance to catch our current exhibition "Sequins: Flash and Substance" outside of our regular gallery hours!

Fri, Oct 16 | 10:00 AM–8:00 PM
Sat, Oct 17 | 12:00–6:00 PM
Sun, Oct 18 | 12:00–6:00 PM

GMD map and parking at z.umn.edu/gmd-visit
S**C map and galleries at stpaulartcollective.org
Poster by Marlena Myles

Styles of the 1910s were eclectic, often combining many decorative elements. The controlled lines of overlapping gelatin...
10/06/2026

Styles of the 1910s were eclectic, often combining many decorative elements. The controlled lines of overlapping gelatin sequins on this dress indicate that they were first strung onto a continuous thread prior to securing onto the base fabric. Like most methods of sequin attachment, there is inherent vulnerability in this interconnected system; if any part of the thread degrades or becomes clipped, many sequins will be lost at once.

🏷 Dress, 1912–1916. Gift of Margaret Scholer, 1985.088.002.

✨ "Sequins: Flash and Substance" is on view through December 4, 2026.

🕙 The Goldstein Gallery is free and open to the public, with regular hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00 AM–4:30 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM–7:00 PM

A closer look at the evening coat designed by Mainbocher (Main Rousseau Bocher, 1890-1976) currently on loan from the GM...
10/01/2026

A closer look at the evening coat designed by Mainbocher (Main Rousseau Bocher, 1890-1976) currently on loan from the GMD collection to "Paris Couture" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Gift of Abby Lou Evans, 2002.034.001.

The exhibition label reads:
Born in Chicago, Mainbocher settled in Paris in the 1920s after working as an illustrator and fashion editor, notably for the French edition of Vogue. In 1930, he founded his own couture house and established himself with a refined, classic style that combined impeccable tailoring with understated modernity. His Autumn-Winter 1937-38 collection was acclaimed by the press for its embroidery of paillette vitrail (stained-glass sequins), reminiscent of the fireworks of the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (International Exposition of Arts and Techniques in Modern Life) held in Paris in 1937.

You'll find this piece in the exhibition's 1930s gallery, nearby an absolute highlight—Elsa Schiaparelli's 1938 evening cape in shocking pink, embroidered by Maison Lesage.

🎆 Original drawing (detail) by Gyorgy Kadar made at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne in Paris, 1937. Source: Földvári Books, Budapest.

🏛️ "Paris Couture" is on view at Mia, in the Target galleries, from October 4, 2026 - January 17, 2027.

With "Paris Couture" opening at the Minneapolis Institute of Art this weekend, we are excited to share GMD's partnership...
10/01/2026

With "Paris Couture" opening at the Minneapolis Institute of Art this weekend, we are excited to share GMD's partnership with this major international exhibition.

Alongside iconic designers like Charles Frederick Worth, Christian Dior, Cristobál Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Madeleine Vionnet, the American couturier Mainbocher (Main Rousseau Bocher, 1890-1976), is represented in the exhibition by an evening coat on loan from the GMD collection. The piece is attributed to the Autumn-Winter 1937-38 collection, was donated to our collection by Abby Lou Evans, and—in serendipitous connection to our own current exhibition—is heavily sequined.

Earlier this week, GMD curator Jean McElvain participated in exhibition-specific training for Mia staff and volunteers, presenting on the history of haute couture and its distinction from high-end designer ready-to-wear.

Our warmest congratulations to Palais Galliera curator Alexandre Samson, Mia curator Max Bryant (pictured), and the entire Mia team on a stunning presentation of 150 years of luxury fashion history through more than 80 exceptional garments.

"Paris Couture" is on view at Mia from October 4, 2026 through January 17, 2027 in the Target galleries.

👋 September at GMD 🤳1. Casey Millhone, GMD Administrative Specialist, tabling at WAM-O-RAMA at the Weisman Art Museum2. ...
09/30/2026

👋 September at GMD 🤳

1. Casey Millhone, GMD Administrative Specialist, tabling at WAM-O-RAMA at the Weisman Art Museum
2. One of many recent groups—friends, classes, families, colleagues—enjoying "Sequins" together
3. Zenas Seiji Ikeda, Associate Professor (Graphic Design), starting a research project in the GMD Research Center
4. Apparel students examining collection objects for a sleeve reconstruction project
5. Project Digi(tization) continues—newly photographed mid-19th century boots (Gift of Pauline E. Matte)
6. Introducing GMD to first-year and transfer UMN College of Design students at College Day
7. Longtime follower, first-time visitor (in vintage sequins)
8. Celebrating Stephanie Dilworth, UMN College of Design Director of Budget, Finance and Facilities, on her retirement after 30+ years of service
9. Refreshed windows at the GMD Research Center featuring collection details
10. New GMD 50th Anniversary graphic in the Goldstein Lounge

Thanks to the participants in Vintage-Inspired Fashion, a Textile Center x GMD partnership class, who returned last week...
09/30/2026

Thanks to the participants in Vintage-Inspired Fashion, a Textile Center x GMD partnership class, who returned last week to share their creations (both finished and in-progress) alongside the collection objects that sparked them.

Among the inspirations were a 1960s Donald Brooks jumpsuit (Gift of Margot Siegel, 1975.006.002), a c. 2000 Marimekko ensemble (Gift of Marimekko Inc., 2001.069.003a-c), and a 1985-95 Issey Miyake coat (Gift of Margot Siegel, 2001.082.011).

This was the third annual run for this class taught by Colleen Kahn; we look forward to supporting it again in the spring!

Address

1985 Buford Avenue
Saint Paul, MN
55108

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

(612) 624-7434

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