California State University, Long Beach
Reach Higher: College of Continuing and Professional Education
 

Costume and Textiles Collections Management
Certificate Program

This dynamic, interactive program is the first of its kind to specialize in training collections managers for costume and textiles. After completing the five modules, you will be prepared to help meet the growing demand for skilled professionals to work with museums, studio archives, and private and corporate collections. The program culminates in mentor-sponsored fieldwork where you will have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with professionals in a variety of notable institutions.

Career professionals from museums, academia, and historic sites will teach the skills and key aspects of materials and agents of deterioration, care and storage, and management issues that are the foundation of collections management.

This Online Program is Designed For:

  • Collections professionals who wish to augment their expertise
  • Museum and archive professionals
  • Volunteers and docents
  • Private collectors
  • Career professionals in the costume, apparel, and textile fields who wish to retool their skill sets
  • Those interested in pursuing a career in textiles and collections management

How Do I Complete the Certificate?

  • Complete all five modules.
  • Complete the project. Portfolio and report presentation to faculty and a panel of experts will include: executing accession and deaccession procedures, preparation of a care plan for a collection item, preparation of a storage plan for a collection item, preparation of a display using collection items, and conducting an on-site survey.

25.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be provided upon request as a permanent record of one's attendance, if requested by the last class meeting.

Program Coordinator:
Tawny Sherrill, Lecturer, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences in Fashion Merchandising and Design program at CSULB. She has served as a costume consultant for the Skirball Cultural Center, Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site, and the Nixon Presidential Library, among others. Her particular area of expertise is sixteenth century Italian women's dress, a subject on which she has published a number of articles.

Introduction to Collections Management

This module will provide an overview of critical areas in the field of collections management. Understanding preservation and the differences between conservation and restoration of historic apparel and accessories are key to maintaining integrity of costumes and textiles throughout time. Guest speakers will share information about their career experience.

Topics Include:

  • What is collections management?
  • Career opportunities
  • Definitions and technical terminology
  • Comparing and contrasting various types of collections
  • Various uses of collections
  • Professional organizations
Instructor:

Nature of Materials and Agents of Deterioration

This course will provide you with an understanding of the basic elements of science and the environment, which affect handling and storage of collections.

Topics Include:

  • Types of textiles and associated materials
  • Basic materials science
  • Fiber analysis using microscopes and other lab equipment
  • Environmental factors: light, humidity, pollutants, and pests
  • The relationship between environment and materials
  • Defining the role of collections manager vs. conservator
Instructor:

Care and Storage

The focus of this hands-on course will be the handling, storage, and exhibiting of collection items. Evaluation of artifacts and proper cataloging will be explained and practiced. Emphasis will be placed on the effects of artifact composition on storage choices and support/barrier systems. Storage methods and materials will be discussed.

Topics Include:

  • Safe handling of collection artifacts
  • Health and safety issues
  • Cataloging process, accession and deaccession
  • Understanding the relationship between the use of object and storage planning

Issues of Collections Management

The logistics of managing a costume collection extend beyond the articles themselves. Often included in this responsibility are issues of personnel, facilities, training, budget, organizational policies, and social expectations. This module will explore the roles and responsibilities for successful collections management.

Topics Include:

  • Staffing and personnel
  • Ethics
  • Insurance and legal Issues
  • Social expectations and donor interaction

Fieldwork in Collections Management

In this intense field experience, you will assume a pre-professional role in a collections setting. Internship mentors will monitor and evaluate your work based on pre-established criteria stated in an internship contract. You will also evaluate your internship experience at the end of the course.

Instructors:
Cara Varnell, Textile Conservator in private practice, specializing in costume conservation. She has more than 20 years conservation experience with institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Her free-lance clients include the National Museum of African Art of the Smithsonian Institution, the American Textile History Museum, Walt Disney Imagineering, and Universal Studios.
Tawny Sherrill

Additional Information