Kruizenga Art Museum features local fashion

Hope College’s Kruizenga Art Museum (KAM) is featuring artistry worn this week through April 16. The exhibit, called “Spring Collections Reveal,” includes the latest spring and summer fashion.

Modeled by fully styled mannequins, the fashion is taken from six independent women’s clothing stores in downtown Holland. These stores include Blu Veranda, Frances Jay, Jean Marie’s, Spring Sweet, Studio K and Yea’s Fine Fashion.

The museum staff has worked hand-in-hand with these fashion retailers, and together they have chosen pieces that compliment the KAM’s current exhibition “Past Present East West.” During this collaboration, museum staff and fashion retailers have looked closely at colors, textures, pattern and themes that could bridge the two exhibitions.

The KAM will host a special event on Thursday, April 14 from 6-9 p.m. to show off its featured fashion. The event will include light refreshments. Admission is free during regular hours and for this special event.

“We want to be a community resource in Holland and saw this event as an opportunity to blur the line between fashion and art, community and campus,” Emilie DeFrain (’15), visitor services coordinator, said.

“Our area retailers and the museum both have many new collection pieces that people haven’t yet had a chance to see. Now they can enjoy them together.”

Patrons will be able to read labels, which describe the pieces’ relationship to nearby artwork. These labels will also give guests information on the host store, so they can buy the pieces for themselves.

Patrons will also have the opportunity to socialize with store owners during the Thursdayevening event, allowing them to ask questions about the exhibits and the KAM.

The KAM also encourages Hope students, faculty and Holland community members to visit or revisit “Past Present East West.” Although it debuted in September, the exhibit has continuously changed. About 80 percent of the 70 pieces in the exhibition have been switched with newer pieces since opening, highlighting the range of works in Hope’s permanent collection. Although “Spring Collections Reveal” ends on April 16, “Past Present East West” will stay on campus until May 14.

The KAM, which debuted this year, serves as an educational resource for Hope’s campus and the Holland community. The building features much room for art pieces, as it includes a 2,000-square-foot gallery and another 1,500-squarefoot gallery.

The KAM also features a classroom so patrons can view select pieces. This classroom serves as a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled storage space for the permanent collection. This collection is made up of more than 750 objects representing a variety of traditions, though many pieces emphasize Asian art.

The KAM, which is named after the late Dr. Richard and Magraret Kruizenga of Holland, was designed in a Modern style by architect Matt VanderBorgh (’84) of The Hague, Netherlands. VanderBorgh is a director of C Concept Design, which has developed projects in 30 countries on four continents. Donald Battjes (’68) provided advance programmatic planning and is a chief of operations and facility planning with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Exhibits at the KAM are a great opportunity for students and community members to experience new art from a variety of cultures and in a variety of forms. The “Spring Collections Reveal” is just one example of the unique exhibits that are hosted.