More than 50 apparel merchandising and product development students at the U of A were recently treated to a pre-opening lecture about a temporary exhibit on fashion at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

The exhibit, Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour, is a collaboration between fashion design and curator Michelle Tolini Finamore: pop artist, entrepreneur and creative director Viktoria Modesta; and artist Virgil Ortiz.

The apparel merchandising and product development students, who are members of the Fashion & Apparel Board, a new registered student organization on campus, received an expert look at the themes of the exhibit, how the collection of works came together, and learned how American fashion and its contributions reflect the American spirit of ingenuity on the national and world stages.

The exhibit features cowboy boots, bathing suits, sneakers, Hollywood gowns, denim jeans, Zoot suits and more. Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour is Crystal Bridges' first exhibition dedicated to fashion and the first to present American fashion as a powerful emblem of global visual culture, amplified by movies, television, red carpets and social media. From dresses worn by first ladies to art-inspired garments to iconic fashion moments that defined a generation, Fashioning America conveys uniquely American expressions of innovation, highlights the compelling stories of both designers and wearers that center on opportunity and self-invention, and amplifies the voices of those who are often left out of dominant fashion narratives.

The Fashion & Apparel Board RSO includes 144 members, with 53 attending the opening exhibition lecture. Morgan Richards is president; Haylea Naylor, secretary; and Victoria Gibbs, treasurer. Instructors Lance Cheramie and Stephanie Hubert are the advisers.

The apparel merchandising and product development program is part of the School of Human Environmental Sciences, which is housed in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.