As part of the Parsons 2013 Festival, the School of Art and Design History and Theory (ADHT), which includes MA Fashion Studies, MA Design Studies, and MA History of Decorative Arts and Design, will be holding a two-day symposium:

Thursday, May 16, 10:30 am–4:00 pm
Reception follows on May 16, 4:00–6:00 pm
Friday, May 17, 10:30 am–3:30 pm

Orientation Room
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center
Parsons The New School for Design
2 West 13th Street, ground floor

The ADHT Graduate Symposium is an annual event that explores a range of student research on decorative arts and design history, fashion studies and history, and design studies and theory in the School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons.  The event features engaging scholarly presentations and promotes constructive dialogue on current research in these fields, bringing together scholars from the MA History of Decorative Arts and Design, MA Fashion Studies, and MA Design Studies graduate programs.

This year, the Symposium’s theme is “Uncovering Realities, Cracking Facades: Self and Design.” Several MA Fashion Studies students will be presenting their work from this past year.  With diverse and thought provoking topics, the MA Fashion Studies students include: Rachel Kinnard (MAFS ’13) “From Silk to Silicone: Considering Bras, Breasts, and Cosmetic Surgery,” Abigial Hansen (MAFS ’14) “Fiona Apple and Franz Kafka, Hunger Artists: Exploring the Pathological Body of the Artist,” Cayla O’Connell (MAFS ’14) “Female Gender and Its Embodied Dress: Exploring Gender Boundary Transgression in 20th-Century Fashion as A Self-Destructive Mechanism,” Kathleen Bradley (MAFS ’13) “$ELLEBRITY: A Consideration of the Celebrity as Purveyor of Design in the Fashion World,” Kim Jenkins (MAFS ’13) “That Was My Veil: Sartorial and Cosmetic Constructions of Resilience in Divorced Women,” Rebecca Crawford (MAFS ’13) “Terminal Perfection: Cultivating Self Through Dress, Design, and Decoration,” Laura Jane Kenny (MAFS ’13) “Criminalizing Dress: Exploring the Intersections of Dress Practices and Racial Profiling through New York City’s Stop and Frisk Campaign,” and Lauren Gomez (MAFS ’14) “Framing Feminist Porn: An Intimate Look at Erotic Intersection of Public and Private.”

For more information about the schedule of events and speakers, click here.

The ADHT Graduate Symposium is a part of the campus-wide Parsons Festival.  The Parsons Festival is an annual series of art and design events that showcases the creative and intellectual achievements of Parsons’ graduating students. Parsons Festival 2013 takes place May 5–24 and includes thesis exhibitions, public programs, interactive installations, gallery openings, workshops, and special events. To learn more, visit http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/festival/