Preserving Kansas City's Fashion History at Johnson County Community College

FAIN: PG-263455-19

Johnson County Community College (Overland Park, KS 66210-1283)
Britt Benjamin (Project Director: April 2018 to September 2021)

The hiring of a consultant to undertake a preservation assessment of a historic fashion collection and a workshop for faculty, students, and staff to ensure improved care of the collection. The collection contains more than 1,500 items that document the history of fashion in Kansas City and that date from the late 19^th through the late 20^th century.  Included are pieces by the fashion sportswear designer Claire McCardell, and other designers such as Pierre Cardin and Oscar de la Renta, as well as the Kansas City-based designer Nelly Don.  The collection is used extensively by students and faculty in a wide range of university courses, for scholarly research, and for the public through exhibitions and a searchable online database.

Johnson County Community College (JCCC) requests $5,905 through a National Endowment for the Humanities Small Institutions Preservation Assistance grant to fund a textile preservationist to perform a general needs assessment of the College’s fashion collection.