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UTICA, N.Y. —
It’s “wedded” bliss for the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute as the staff readies to open its new wedding dress exhibit to the public.
“Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns” will open on Sunday and will be on display until Sept. 18. The exhibit features 47 wedding gowns from 1740 to the present day, from traditional white gowns with a veil and train, to a black and gold gown with black angel wings.
The gowns come from the Cincinnati Art Museum which opened its own wedding dress exhibit in October to “rave reviews and record attendance,” according to Anna D’Ambrosio, assistant director and curator of decorative arts at MWPAI.
The museum has spent months preparing for the exhibit, including making room on the second floor gallery to incorporate the gowns. Two tractor-trailers transported the 47 mannequins that would be used for the dresses. Then crates boxed with the gowns arrived from the Cincinnati museum. D’Ambrosio said it’s been full-time work since fitting the mannequins into the gowns.
D’Ambrosio said wedding dresses throughout the centuries reflect the artistic and social influences on women at the time.
“With Kate and [Prince] William’s wedding, there were millions of comments about her dress,” said D’Ambrosio. “Wedding dresses really say a statement and something about the time they were made.”
Cynthia Amneus, the curator of fashion art and textiles at the Cincinnati Art Museum, collected the gowns for this exhibit. The oldest dress in the collection comes from 1740, a green damask dress that is exhibited along with some of the regular paintings on display at the museum.
“Munson-Williams does not have a fashion art gallery. But you can see how closely that fashion relates to the decorative arts,” said D’Ambrosio.
The exhibit is split up into several sections, including traditional bride, modern bride, alluring bride and bride in color.
“The traditional wedding dress is a tight, fitted bodice, a long train and veil. People think it’s what has been worn at weddings forever. That’s not the case,” said Amneus. She said the white wedding dress was popularized by Queen Victoria in the 19th century, “but white was worn before the Queen Victoria dress, and color has been worn after.”
Some of the traditional gowns come from the 1940s era.
“This is what the boys were fighting for. They were going to war, and coming home to their sweethearts and wanted a traditional wedding,” said Amneus.
It’s “wedded” bliss for the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute as the staff readies to open its new wedding dress exhibit to the public.
“Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns” will open on Sunday and will be on display until Sept. 18. The exhibit features 47 wedding gowns from 1740 to the present day, from traditional white gowns with a veil and train, to a black and gold gown with black angel wings.
The gowns come from the Cincinnati Art Museum which opened its own wedding dress exhibit in October to “rave reviews and record attendance,” according to Anna D’Ambrosio, assistant director and curator of decorative arts at MWPAI.
The museum has spent months preparing for the exhibit, including making room on the second floor gallery to incorporate the gowns. Two tractor-trailers transported the 47 mannequins that would be used for the dresses. Then crates boxed with the gowns arrived from the Cincinnati museum. D’Ambrosio said it’s been full-time work since fitting the mannequins into the gowns.
D’Ambrosio said wedding dresses throughout the centuries reflect the artistic and social influences on women at the time.
“With Kate and [Prince] William’s wedding, there were millions of comments about her dress,” said D’Ambrosio. “Wedding dresses really say a statement and something about the time they were made.”
Cynthia Amneus, the curator of fashion art and textiles at the Cincinnati Art Museum, collected the gowns for this exhibit. The oldest dress in the collection comes from 1740, a green damask dress that is exhibited along with some of the regular paintings on display at the museum.
“Munson-Williams does not have a fashion art gallery. But you can see how closely that fashion relates to the decorative arts,” said D’Ambrosio.
The exhibit is split up into several sections, including traditional bride, modern bride, alluring bride and bride in color.
“The traditional wedding dress is a tight, fitted bodice, a long train and veil. People think it’s what has been worn at weddings forever. That’s not the case,” said Amneus. She said the white wedding dress was popularized by Queen Victoria in the 19th century, “but white was worn before the Queen Victoria dress, and color has been worn after.”
Some of the traditional gowns come from the 1940s era.
“This is what the boys were fighting for. They were going to war, and coming home to their sweethearts and wanted a traditional wedding,” said Amneus.
Some dresses range into the extreme.
One dress, from 1967, was used as a piece of performance art. The dress isn’t a dress, but rather appears to look like a shredded top and shorts, with ropes attached to a large, massive bundle of fabric. Amneus said women were thinking “very differently” abut their role in society at the time. Women were more educated, more financially independent and more sexually active.
“For her, [marriage] might not be something she wants to engage in,” she said.
A red, couture wedding gown, found in the modern brides section, was made by Zac Posen for his sister Alexandra. The flowing, petal-like look to the dress recalls the field of poppies from “The Wizard of Oz,” a movie the siblings enjoyed as children.
Another dress was made entirely out of latex gloves. Another, has a more romantic, Gothic look with black and gold fabric and crystal-looking beads, with black angel wings on the back.
Another black dress, in the brides in color section, was chosen by the bride because it was a mournful time in her life. In 1924, the bride bought the gown the day of her wedding, which was a low-key affair because her sister had recently died of polio.
The exhibit on the second floor opens to the public on Sunday. Tickets are $10, or $5 for MWPAI members or students with ID. A special preview for members is being held today at 5:30 p.m.
The museum’s Gift Gallery will feature items at its gift shop connected to its Wedded Perfection exhibit. Items include made by six local artists, including Diana Youngs of Frankfort. Jewelry, scarves, purses and note cards with a wedding theme will be on sale. Also, they will sell the catalog compiled by Amneus for $35. Members will get a two percent discount. Note cards from the Cincinnati Art Museum will also be sold.
