This week on Emphasis, Rich Egger’s guest is Sue Scott, curator of the Western Illinois Museum in Macomb. They talk about the museum’s current exhibit What We Wore.
“I think people love clothing. It’s something that we all have and we’re familiar with,” Scott said.
“It’s a great way to actually learn about culture and traditions.”
Scott said the exhibit is based on the items from the museum’s collection. The oldest item displayed is a wedding dress from 1868.
Scott said the museum received a few donations of uniforms after last summer’s “Game of the Year” recreation of a baseball contest from 1921, and some of those are included in the exhibit.
And she said the display features a wide range of items.
“Don’t discount the show if you’re not interested in clothing because I think there are a lot of interesting things in here. There are sections on military uniforms, boy scout uniforms, band uniforms, (and) children’s wear. So I think there’s something here for everyone,” Scott said.
Some of the items on exhibit are quite fragile so they’re in display cases. Others are on mannequins, although Scott said it was a challenge to find proper size mannequins for some items because people from bygone eras were generally not as large as they are today.
What We Wore will remain on display through April 20. There is no admission fee, though Scott said the museum appreciates donations. The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
