A talk by fashion historian Dr. Heather Akou, Associate Professor at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design and curator of “Divine Adornment: Community Stories of Belonging.” The exhibition at the IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology uses pieces from the museum’s collection to explore fashion from an Islamic perspective. The exhibition focuses on what fashion means to people from source communities and how they inspire contemporary makers of textiles, clothing, and jewelry, presenting a nuanced, caring, and apolitical perspective on Islam that is different from what most non-Muslims learn from the media. Themes of slow fashion, contemporary inspiration, and making and belonging will be explored in this exhibition presented in both Arabic and English.
The exhibition remains on view through May 2025.