January 28 - May 27, 2012
“I have always thought fashion illustration is a truly challenging
discipline. The very best fashion illustrations can capture the essence
of a dress or even the direction of a collection. What is left out is
as important as what is drawn. While I admire fashion photographers, and
many are immensely talented, their work gives us a replication of what
we see. Through illustration we experience instead the impression of a
dress, led by emotion and the artist’s view. It is truly the more
difficult art.
Mary Mitchell's prolific work includes over
a thousand drawings and spans 45 years. Mary is a true artist,
elegant and masterful. Her illustrations have enriched the experience of
fashion in our time, and brought joy to the mind’s eye.” Oscar de la
Renta
Drawn to Fashion: The Illustrations of Mary
Mitchell will be on exhibit at The Durham Museum from January 28 to May
27, 2012. This elegant exhibition celebrates the lost art of fashion
illustration, Omaha’s rich retail history, and advertising during an era
before Photoshop. The exhibition will showcase 150 drawings taken from
the private collection of over 1,000 drawings by well-known local
fashion illustrator Mary J. Mitchell. Mitchell worked for such well
known Omaha clothiers as Topp’s, Goldstein Chapman, Herzbergs, Zoobs,
and many others during the late 1960s, 70s, and 80s. In addition to
illustrations, the display will include period clothing and other
artifacts on loan from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Textile,
Clothing, and Design collection. A special video presentation narrated
by Alexander Payne is another highlight of the exhibition.
A
booked entitled, Drawn to Fashion: Illustrating Three Decade of Style,
was written in conjunction with the exhibition and is available at The
Durham’s Museum Gift Shop or by calling (402)444-5071 ext. 316. Proceeds
from the book sales will benefit the Mary Mitchell Fashion Illustration
Scholarship Fund at the Textile, Clothing, and Design Department at the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln. To learn more, please visit
www.drawntofashion.com.
About the authors:
Mary
Mitchell was born in Buffalo, New York, and credits her mother with
inspiring her lifelong love of the arts. After marrying, Mitchell and
her husband John eventually settled in Omaha, where she became a
successful fashion illustrator. Jenna Gabrial Gallagher is a writer and
editor who coauthored Harper’s Bazaar: Greatest Hits. She regularly
writes for Bazaar and other luxury publications.