Textiles on the Move

When Dagmar Gustafson first began gathering clothing and textiles to form a study collection in the 1960s, the Department was spread across several buildings in the northeast corner of the Oval, the oldest portion of the CSU campus. Faculty member Jan Else recalled that the design and history courses were taught in Laurel Hall, and the collection was “hidden away in a closet someplace.” When the Gifford Building opened in 1976, the department offices and classrooms were all relocated to a single academic building. The collection was moved to a small storage room on the third floor.

Photograph of the exterior of Laurel Hall in 2016.

Black and White photograph of a building

Photograph of the exterior of the Gifford Building in 1979.

As the collection grew, staff and volunteers raised funds to support more storage and improve preservation methods. The dry air on the Front Range of Colorado and the fluctuations in temperatures over the seasons can cause degradation of historic textiles. In 1990, a new humidification system was installed in the Gifford Building’s collections storage space using a combination of funds raised by the Friends of the Gustafson Gallery and the department. While it is not the most elegant part of museum work, these important steps toward quality, long-term storage practices taken early on helped ensure the collection’s survival and integrity into the 21^st century.

Photograph of building materials in a hallway

Photograph of 1990 renovations of the collection storage room on the third floor of the Gifford Building.

Photograph of 1990 renovations of the collection storage room on the third floor of the Gifford Building.

A decade later, Curator Linda Carlson announced in a Friends of the Gustafson Gallery newsletter that Virginia Webster, former president of the Friends of the Gustafson Gallery, left funds to the collection in her estate. This gift gave Linda the opportunity to work with former faculty member and community volunteer LaVon Blaesi to secure a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to purchase new storage units for the collection. Conservator Jeanne Brako assisted by advising on the correct storage units to acquire, and led a workshop to teach volunteers how to properly pack and move the collection in order to make room for the new units.

Photograph of three women working with a hat

Photograph of conservator Jeanne Brako showing volunteers how to store small items and hats during an April 2000 workshop.

Photograph of woman working with collection items

Photograph of volunteer Marcella Wells packing historic clothing in an archival box during a May 2000 storage upgrade project funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant.

Photograph of two women unpacking textiles

Photograph of Curator Linda Carlson and a volunteer packing collection items during a May 2000 storage upgrade project funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant.

Photograph of the collection storage room on the third floor of the Gifford Building prepped for new storage unit installation during a May 2000 storage upgrade project funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant.

Photograph of three men moving a storage cabinet

Photograph of movers pushing a new storage unit down the hall in the Gifford Building during a May 2000 storage upgrade project funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant.

Photograph of two women hanging up garments

Photograph of volunteers Anne Kylen and Jan Else placing historic clothing into new storage units during a May 2000 storage upgrade project funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant.

Changes also took place on the east side of campus after the University purchased the old Fort Collins High School building in 1997. A major renovation and remodel of that space opened in 2009 as the University Center for the Arts (UCA). The facility brought together the visual and performing arts into one building filled with classrooms, performance venues, and galleries. A lead gift from the Avenir Foundation and another grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services secured a space for the Historic Clothing and Textiles Collection as part of this multidisciplinary facility. The Avenir Gallery in the UCA became the main venue for exhibiting the collection. The transformation of a portion of an annex building created a collections storage space, but necessitated the most complicated move of the collection yet. Conservator Jeanne Brako helped again, along with preparator Jack Townes and a student, to carefully pack everything to be transported on trucks across campus. The quality storage units purchased a decade earlier were moved to the UCA Building and the collection was unpacked in its new home. This expansion of storage space also included a classroom, reading room, and spaces for processing and studying the collection. The collection area now had enough space for people to lay objects out on large tables for studying, and the Avenir Gallery provided an exhibition space more accessible to visitors.

Photograph of woman stacking drawers on pallet

Photograph of Curator Linda Carlson preparing drawers for the collection move out of the Gifford Building in 2008.

Photograph of a man and two women holding mannequins

Photograph of Jack Townes, Curator Linda Carlson, and a student moving mannequins out of the Gifford Building in 2008.

Photograph of a mover unloading a rack of historic garments into the new storage facility in the University Center for the Arts annex building in 2008.

Clipping of an article from the April 5, 2009 issue of the Collegian titled “Design museum set to open doors” about the 2009 opening of the Avenir Gallery in the University Center for the Arts.

Collections Manager Megan Osborne and Curator Linda Carlson had barely unpacked and reorganized the collection in its new UCA home when, only four short years later, Megan had to pack it all up again for another temporary move. An additional lead gift from the Avenir Foundation expanded the annex building into the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising, a facility with three exhibition galleries, a large reading room, and a multipurpose teaching room for classes and public events. The existing portion of the annex building was renovated to add more storage space, improve the temperature and humidity control, and create additional spaces to study and care for the collection.

“I had to hire three people, two of them were graduate students. It took us a full summer and a fall semester to get everything packed.”
- Assistant Curator and Collections Manager Megan Osborne in 2019 oral interview

In 2015, once the renovation and expansion of the annex building were complete, Megan Osborne along with students and community volunteers began unpacking the collection in the back storage areas while also planning and installing the first exhibitions for the new galleries.

Photograph of a woman standing in front of a construction site

Photograph of Curator Susan Torntore standing at the corner of the new classroom on the construction site of the museum building expansion in 2014.

Photograph of man moving pallet of drawers into building

Photograph of a mover unloading collection drawers into the newly completed Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising in 2015.

Photograph of Director Doreen Beard unpacking books in the new reading room of the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising in 2015.

Photograph of woman standing among pallets of drawers

Photograph of Collections Manager Megan Osborne standing among stacks of collection drawers waiting to be unpacked into the newly expanded Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising in 2015.

Photograph of two women moving a textile

Photograph of volunteers Terrie Cornell and Jessica Sholts unpacking rolled textiles in the collection storage room of the newly expanded Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising in 2015.

The Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising opened on January 30, 2016, featuring exhibitions of traditional and contemporary Guatemalan fiber arts, the fashionable apparel of designer Mr. Blackwell, and dozens of miniature quilts made by Lucile Hawks, a department alum and supporter of the collection for over three decades.

Photograph of museum staff and supporters helping Colorado State University President Tony Frank cut the ribbon at the opening gala for the newly expanded Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising on January 29, 2016.

Photograph of people viewing an exhibition

Photograph of visitors viewing the inaugural exhibition in 2016 in The Lucile E. Hawks Gallery, “Tiny Bits and Pieces,” featuring miniature quilts made by Hawks.

Photograph of people viewing an exhibition installation

Photograph of visitors viewing the inaugural exhibition in 2016 in The Richard Blackwell Gallery, “Mr. Blackwell: ‘Artist of Subtle Witchery,’” featuring designs made by Blackwell.

Photograph of visitors viewing the 2016 exhibition “Layers of Meaning: Color and Design in Guatemalan Textiles.”

Photograph of woman viewing an exhibition in a gallery

Photograph of visitors viewing the exhibition “The Power of Maya Women’s Artistry: The Maya Women’s Rug Hooking Cooperative of Guatemala” held in the Avenir Gallery in the University Center for the Arts in spring 2016.

Photograph of people entering a building

Photograph of the exterior of the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising building on opening day January 30, 2016.

“To me it's a very inviting building. It looks good from the outside. It feels good when you walk into the building.”
- Building Project Manager Cass Beitler in 2020 oral interview