Fashioning the Bounds of Free Speech
Abstract
Fashioning the Bounds of Free Speech was a curated, multi-sited fashion and art exhibition that explored how symbolic speech and expressive conduct have shaped the limits and possibilities of freedom of expression in the United States (US). The exhibit was displayed in the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection (CF+TC) and Johnson Museum of Art from Sept. 2023 to Jan. 2024. The exhibit contributes new knowledge to the field by exploring free speech through fashion, and how it may be suppressed, and in other instances, celebrated and protected. We used the taglines “Fashion Speaks!” and “Express Yourself!” in exhibit promotional materials to continually remind audiences that the fashioned body is communicative, dynamic, and meaningful. At the same time, we wanted visitors to understand that the freedom to dress to express has been hard fought and remains at the crux of socio-cultural battlegrounds that shape people’s lives personally, professionally, and politically.
Keywords: Fashion Exhibition, Free Speech, Freedom of Expression, Fashion Expression, Curatorial Scholarship, Curated Exhibition, First Amendment
How to Cite:
Green, D. N. & Rittershaus, A., (2025) “Fashioning the Bounds of Free Speech”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 81(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.18772
Downloads:
Download PDF
View PDF
66 Views
16 Downloads