By Chris Fish
cfish@hometownnewsol.com
BREVARD -- The deadline to purchase tickets for a portion of the annual "Uncommon Threads" symposium at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts is Friday, Jan. 25.
The "Uncommon Threads: Mad Fashion" symposium will be held on Feb. 7 and 8. As part of the event, Lauren D. Whitley, curator in the David and Roberta Logie Department of Textile and Fashion Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, will present a free lecture, "Hippie Chic," on Thursday, Feb. 7, as well as a ticketed presentation called "London Calling: British Fashions from the Titanic to Today" on Friday, Feb. 8.
The ticketed portion of the symposium will be at 10:30 a.m. and will include a champagne reception, three-course luncheon and silent auction in the Denius Student Center on Florida Tech's campus.
Ms. Whitley's presentation on Thursday, Feb. 7, will be a free lecture at 6 p.m. The talk will explore fashions that emerged between 1967 and 1973, including retro, fantasy, ethnic and craft.
"The 'Uncommon Threads' symposium is a unique event, celebrating textiles and their impact on society," said Keidra Navaroli, assistant director at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts, in an email. "Community members and textile and fashion enthusiasts have the opportunity to share their interests and interact with leading scholars in the field."
Ms. Whitley joined the staff of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1992. Since then, she has designed a number of exhibitions. She is currently preparing an exhibition of late-1960s to early-1970s fashions called "Hippie Chic" that will open in Boston in July.
Ms. Navaroli said the symposium is part of numerous other activities taking place this spring at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts.
"(This symposium) is part of an exciting line-up of season events associated with the Center's current exhibit 'Redress: Upcycled Style' by Nancy Judd," she said. "This exhibit, which runs through April 27, features 18 thought-provoking creations by national artists and environmental educator Nancy Judd. We encourage the community to visit this unique exhibition and attend its accompanying programs and lectures."
Reservations are not required for the Feb. 7 lecture, and free parking is available.
Tickets for the Friday, Feb. 8, portion of the symposium are $60 each, with limited availability. Valet parking will be available, and the honorary chair of this event is Bjorg Hermansen.
Platinum sponsor for "Uncommon Threads: Mad Fashion" include Northern Trust, Nita Grisham of Wells Fargo Advisors and "Cottonways" by Jennifer McNeill.
For more information, contact the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts at (321) 674-8313 or visit http://411.fit.edu/threads.