Blog Posts

Designer Emily Rinehardt brings Sketch Class to DACO

6/14/2021

Fashion designer Emily Rinehardt remembers how intimidated she was when she learned to sketch.

Last weekend, she shared her techniques in the hopes that others may feel a little more comfortable with trying their hand at the craft and seeing their visions come to life. Through her Fashion Sketch Class, held on June 13 at DACO, Rinehardt explored the basics of sketching - drawing stylized figures, proportions and how to render garments.

“I think what is so fun about this type of illustration is that it can be very stylized,” she says. “Everyone has their own illustration style. There is more room to be creative with what you want your style to be.”

Even though there are guidelines, Rinehardt says that the creativity individuals bring to sketching makes it fun and easier to learn.

A Kent State Fashion School 2018 graduate, Rinehardt interned with fashion and textile designer Celeste Malvar-Stewart, who is teaching a “Farm to Fashion Nuno Scarf” workshop Aug. 14 at DACO.

“When I interned with her, I got a passion for sustainable fashion,” Rinehardt said. “She was so inspiring to be around.”

After graduating, Rinehardt worked as an assistant designer at La Senza, an intimate wear retail company, before co-founding a sustainable upcycling company in Columbus called Salvaged Apparel Co.

“Our mission is to upcycle clothing, redesign and reuse apparel, and to keep clothing out of the landfill,” she said. “We had our first collection in August 2020.”

Although her passion for sustainable clothing plays out in her company, she still embraces and practices her first passion, fashion illustration.

“Fashion illustration is so important because it’s the first step in the design process,” Rinehardt said. “I like to start with it because it’s the most emotional way to communicate what your design is, for yourself or a client.”

Rinehardt says she’s excited to work with DACO and those who share her passion. She recently visited DACO to see the “Distinctly Paramount” exhibition.

“The construction of those garments are so cool and I’d love to try to incorporate some kind of costume sketches into my class,” she said.

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Docent Spotlight: Debby Rockwood

4/21/2021

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Walking through the hallways of the Reese-Peters House, Debby Rockwood often imagines the previous families who called the historic structure “home.”

While her imagination paints vivid pictures in her mind, many of these images are also based on stories that have been passed down generation after generation in her husband’s family. Her husband’s ancestors once owned the home and eventually donated it to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, she says.

“Ever since I married my husband, I’ve heard stories about how they were contributors to the community and this house was always full,” she said

The home has come to mean a great deal to her, Rockwood says, spurring decades of volunteerism as a docent where she has continued to pass down the stories of those who once lived in the Reese-Peters House to visitors.

“When I am in here, I think about them walking around in the rooms,” she said. “My mother-in-law would come over here and say, ‘He sat over there,’ meaning her grandfather. So it means a lot to me.”

As a long-time docent, Rockwood has experienced many of the permanent and revolving exhibits at the center first-hand. Among her favorites are the “Paramount Pictures” exhibitions that celebrate fashion, movies and television.

A new exhibition curated by Lancaster native Randall Thropp, “Distinctly Paramount: Fashion & Costume from the Paramount Pictures Archive,” is set to open June 5 this year.

Rockwood says her interest in design dates back to her childhood. “Back when I was a young girl, a lot of girls and some boys made their own clothes,” she said. “My sisters and I made our own clothes, so we have always been interested in construction and how things are put together.”

As a docent, Rockwood says she also enjoys greeting guests, discovering their hometowns and answering their questions.

“It’s important that people who come from out of town realize this is their Decorative Arts Center, too,” she says.

Rockwood says she believes her husband’s ancestors would want it that way, as well.

“I think they would have been so proud of what this has become,” she says. “It’s an amazing thing that we can provide this education.”

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'Rocketman' Relics on Display in Lower Gallery

4/19/2021

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Have you ever watched a film and marveled at the historical accuracy of the set, props and costumes? Conversely, have you ever gasped in horror at a missed detail or historically inaccurate costume? Those examples highlight why mood boards are important to the film’s designers.

Costume designers use mood boards for information and inspiration, to help capture the “mood” of a scene and ensure its historical accuracy.

Visit DACO beginning May 5 to see how mood boards help inform the costume design process with a new pop-up exhibition in our Lower Gallery featuring costumes and mood boards from the Elton John biopic, Rocketman.

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Thropp Explores Fashion as Costume in New DACO Exhibition

4/19/2021

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Deep in the open stock of the Paramount costume archives is a special costume area called “The Gold Cage.” That’s where designer duds that didn’t make the film go to wait for the possibility of an appearance in a different film. Clothing ends up there for many reasons⸺maybe it didn’t photograph well, it wasn’t needed or the scene was cut in which the clothing was worn.

That’s when DACO Curator and Paramount Films Archivist Randall Thropp got to thinking.

“I was in the Gold Cage flipping through to see what we had,” he says. “I realized that nobody gets to enjoy these really high-end designer pieces, and we’ve never showcased this stuff before--it’s just being recycled,” he says. “I started pulling pieces out and realized it all would make a great exhibition.”

That exhibition, Distinctly Paramount: Fashion & Costume, opens at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio on June 5. From May 5 to June 5, visitors can view a pop-up exhibition featuring mood boards and costumes from the film Rocketman.

To Thropp, fashion and costume are a bit like the chicken or the egg. Which came first? We know that fashion imitates costume, and vice versa. It can be hard to separate the two.

“This exhibition is really a marriage of fashion and costume,” he says. “We see fashion as costume and we showcase some really nice designers, and some that people would not normally see.”

The range of designs span the 1920s to 2020.

When pressed to give his favorite costume from the exhibition, Thropp can’t name just one. “One of my favorite pieces is a blouse by Stella McCartney. It’s just beautifully done. And of course the pieces done for The Alienist (television series).”

Thropp says that he hopes the exhibition brings new visitors to DACO. “Get out with your masks on and visit the gem of Central Ohio,” he says.

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DACO Receives Grant to Digitize Family Archives

4/19/2021

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A new collection of artifacts will offer a glimpse into what life was like for an influential Lancaster family over the course of a century.

Thanks to a new grant, this collection of prized family archives will be preserved and available to all for generations to come.

In March, the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio received a $7,735 grant from the Ohio History Fund to support the digitization of the Peters-Whiley family archives. Caroline Rockwood’s family, who are descendents of the Peters family, gifted this comprehensive collection of memorabilia that spanned from the 1880s to 1990s to DACO in the summer of 2020.

“This has been a family who saved just about everything and after my grandmother died, the sorted papers and pictures went to the Ohio Historical Society to be catalogued,” Mitchell said.

The collection includes hundreds of documents⸺from photos to letters, telegrams and bills, she says.

There’s even a receipt for 6,600 feet of telephone cable, and an annual phone bill for $60. “They represent a picture of life at a certain time,” said Mitchell, whose grandfather, Phillip R. Peters, grew up in the Reese-Peters House. “This is like taking a microscope to history. You can put all these things together to get an understanding of what life was actually like.”

The collection originally belonged to Lancaster native Rockwood, whose ancestors had owned the Reese-Peters house. Rockwood passed away in 2020, and her daughter, Dodie Mitchell, recovered the collection in her mother’s basement. “She often expressed concern about what would happen to them. DACO as a repository would have pleased her,” said Mitchell.

Just as extraordinary has been the family’s collaboration to collect and preserve these artifacts, each telling its own story, over the course of multiple generations.

“Saving that and having it available for researchers and people interested, by ensuring it will be there for a while, is important to all of us,” Mitchell said.

DACO Executive Director Jason Crabill says the Ohio History Fund grant will allow DACO to digitize at least some of the archives so that individuals all over the world can learn about life for one Southeast Ohio family over the course of a century.

“We are thrilled to be trusted with this piece of Lancaster’s history,” he said. “While we do not have the ability to store or display the archives, digitization will make them accessible to everyone in the world, ensuring that these artifacts are saved for posterity.”

Once digitized, the collection will be freely available for researchers and the general public through a partnership with the Columbus Metropolitan Library. DACO expects the digitized materials to be available by next summer.

“We are grateful that DACO has accepted the archives and very appreciative of Jason applying very quickly to get the grant,” Mitchell said. “It’s very important.”

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Protocols to Keep DACO Visitors Safe

4/14/2021

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We are re-opening on May 5 with our pop-up exhibition featuring mood boards and costumes from the film Rocketman in our Lower Gallery. Distinctly Paramount: Fashion and Costume opens June 5. Please see our Re-Opening Plan below, so you know what you can expect before you visit.

Open to the public on May 5, 2021
Temporary Hours: Wednesday – Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

All visitors must call DACO at 740-681-1423 to make a reservation. Reservations are accepted on the half hour. Reservations are given on a first-come, first-served basis.

Requirements for Entry:
• If you are experiencing signs of illness, cough, difficulty breathing, fever etc., or have had contact with a person with COVID-19, please do not enter the Museum at this time.
• Face masks are required during your visit to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Thank you for helping protect our visitors, volunteers, and staff!
• If there are guests in the lobby, please wait before entering.
• Number of guests inside the Museum, at any one time, is limited. You may be asked to wait before entering the lobby.
• We ask that you observe social distancing (six feet apart) while in the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio.

Lobby Precautions:
• There is a 30” tall plexi-guard on the Greeter Desk.
• Limited elevator usage to one person/party at a time.

Visitor Traffic Flow:
• Guests will enter though Lobby doors as usual.
• Greeter will instruct guests briefly about procedures.

Museum Shop Precautions:
• Limited number of guests allowed.
• Hand sanitizer will be available near the Shop door.
• Plexi-barrier is in place at the checkout.

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Reese-Peters House Undergoes 'Freshening Up'

2/22/2021

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For over 20 years, DACO Board Member and Volunteer Nate Stitzlein has been inspecting homes, although perhaps never one quite as grand as the Reese-Peters House.

After a routine inspection, Stitzlein has created a laundry list of necessary projects, including plaster repair and window trim repair. “We are freshening up the gallery spaces,” said Stitzlein.

The house’s exterior brought with it a puzzle. The light posts outside the house have sat unlit for some time. Word on the street was that they are gas lanterns, so Stitzlein is doing some digging to determine how we can again illuminate them.

Additionally, Stitzlein is also looking to make additional repairs on the building’s exterior to prevent moisture intrusion, after having had the metal roof painted to prevent long-term damage. The glass around the front entry door will be replaced and exterior painting near the offices will be completed. Minor updates will also be made to improve the safety of the exterior doors and Stitzlein said that he hopes to have some lighting issues resolved this year.

While Stitzlein said he enjoys working to keep our promise to the community to preserve the Reese-Peters House, it’s not always easy. “It’s a pain in the neck trying to find contractors, especially trying to find contractors who specialize in working on historic buildings and homes,” he said. “I’m just doing my part to preserve the property for another 100 years or more.”

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George Johnson Takes a Historical Look at Valentines

1/24/2021

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Looking through his collection of antique postcards, George Johnson plays part detective, part historian and part storyteller. After all, each postcard has a story to tell, but it often takes a little bit of detective work and historical research to complete the full story.

A large floral and gold ring card from 1851 that Johnson acquired is the perfect example of this, as not every part of the story the card shares is obvious to the eye.

With the card maker’s name, “Mansell,” embossed at the top and bottom of the center medallion, the paper is watermarked “Twogood 1851.” The card opens, but there is no interior message—a feature Johnson says was not unusual during this time since great care had been given to embossing the cards on a copper plate and hand painting them with watercolors.

“In the early ones, there was no greeting on the inside so the sender could put their own thoughts in them,” he says. “Sometimes they were blank and they may not have had words inside, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t used.” In fact, some of the cards Johnson has collected over time have come with stamped envelopes, signaling that they were in fact sent even though there was no message inside.

“Imagine that you must have paid 5 cents in 1790, which was a lot of money, for a beautiful Valentine, and you smear ink or write the wrong word,” he said. “So you may have written a separate letter and inserted it in the Valentine.”

The border displays beautiful perforated lacework showing roses and various other flowers and foliage, while the center is embellished with applied silvered paper flowers, garlands, a gilded wreath and painted flowers and garlands.

The gilded motto of “Remember me” is at the top and a gold ring is displayed at the bottom—something Johnson says may uncover the sender’s intentions. “A gold ring on a Valentine is often considered to be a proposal of marriage,” he said.

Addressed to “Sue S. Slaton, Martins Ferry, Ohio,” the card was sent on Feb. 24 from Wheeling, Virginia. Johnson says this may catch the eye of someone today, but notes Wheeling was part of Virginia until 1863 when West Virginia became a state.

Inside the envelope is a handwritten note, “According to Mrs. Edna Buckwalter this Valentine came on Pony Express dated 1851.” Research indicates, however, that the Pony Express did not ride between Wheeling and Martin’s Ferry, leaving Johnson to believe that it is likely a postal rider who delivered the Valentine.

This proposal Valentine is just one of more than 100 valentines that Johnson shares as part of a special Valentine’s Day exhibition in February at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. The exhibition, due to COVID-19 restrictions, will be entirely online, offering a unique opportunity for people from around the world to view these snapshots in time through the lens of Valentines Day.
With cards ranging from the late 1700s to around 1950, the exhibition reflects nearly 150 years of valentines, Johnson says.“I tried to pick out Valentines that were interesting and had a story that went with them,” he said. “There are Valentines that have actual dates on them, as well as poetry and other notes in them.”

His collection has grown thanks to a variety of sources, from antique stores and dealers to museums that have gone out of business and sold their collections. It can be difficult for Johnson to choose his favorites, because each has its own unique features and story. He often imagines what the stories could be behind each, such as an 1849 Irish Valentine mailed from Zanesville, or handmade school valentines that children exchanged during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

“I find it interesting that a mother or older child sat down and made these valentines so they could have something to put in the Valentine’s Day box at school,” Johnson said. “One is a recycled Christmas card, and one is a page cut out of a wallpaper book or a Sears and Roebuck catalog glued together.”

Although a virtual exhibition does not offer the opportunity to see these Valentines in person, Johnson says it offers visitors the chance to see the notes in more detail. “If you would have come last year, you may have seen the valentines, but not seen all that it offers,” he said. “The vast majority are at least over 100 years old, so they’re fragile, and I can’t open and close them a hundred times during an exhibition.”

This year’s online exhibition, however, will offer photos and video, which can show individuals viewing the exhibition all aspects of the valentines without opening them repeatedly.

“So that’s a major advantage of a virtual tour,” he said. “It’s also a way to make a historical record of these 200-year-old Valentines.”

If you would like to sign up for our mailing list to learn more about special exhibitions like this, please email kennedy@decartsohio.org. Stay tuned for the virtual tour, available Feb 1.

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Professor to provide look into tsarist Russia through virtual talk

11/30/2020

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Transport to tsarist Russia, exploring the savage destruction of the First World War to the 1917 Revolutions and the establishment of the world’s first communist society—all from your home. Professor Nicholas B. Breyfogle, Ph.D., will present a virtual talk, called Historian Talk: Russia in War and Revolution that will soon be available virtually.

This fascinating look at the end of tsarist Russia will delve into topics like the Civil War and the establishment of Bolshevik power.

“I’ll give a historical background to the remarkable artifacts and in particular focus on certain aspects of the history of the Soviet Union,” Breyfogle says. “We’ll look at Soviet history in the 20th century, at Russia and the Soviet Union in World War I, the socialist revolution and what life was like in the Soviet Union into World War II.”

Breyfogle, who contributed to the DACO exhibition, Russian Decorative Arts from the Tsars to the USSR, is an associate professor in the history department at The Ohio State University. He also serves as the director of the Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching at the university, has authored or edited nine books and is a magazine editor.

Despite his extensive research in Russian Soviet history and society, his love for this intriguing time in world history was a bit of an accident.

“My parents sent me on a school trip to the Soviet Union while it was still the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, and that was one snowflake that created the avalanche,” he says. “I got so interested by what I saw there, that led to college and grad school. I got interested in how times began to change in the Soviet Union and then it collapsed. It was watching history unfold before one’s eyes. It remains a fascinating place to me.”

Helping to bring the exhibit curated by Michael Reese to DACO that focuses on this culture and time period brings many memories to life for Breyfogle.
“Michael’s collection is a pretty remarkable personal collection of items,” he says. “Eclectic and quite remarkable what he was able to pick up from the former Soviet world.”

During Breyfogle’s travels, he recalls spotting similar items.

“I remember these things being sold as people were trying to pay the bills, and to see it all together in an apartment in Victorian Village, it has been incredible to see and get to know him,” he says.

Through Breyfogle’s virtual historian talk, he hopes to help bring this visual and cultural story to another audience.

“It’s part of the work I do at the university in public history, bringing great stories from the past to as wide of an audience as I can,” he said.

The Virtual Talk will be online at 2 p.m. Jan. 10. Tickets are $5. Register here.

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Campus Closure - See You Online

11/20/2020

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Dear Friends of DACO:

Like many of you, we’ve been watching the developments surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and have seen the troubling news that the spread continues at an explosive rate, resulting in record numbers of cases. Taking that trend into account, and following the recent guidance of the Governor and state and local health officials, we have made the decision to cancel all previously scheduled public events and close the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio's buildings to the public beginning Friday, November 20 at 4 PM.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and determine a reopening date when appropriate. While our staff has taken extensive precautions to make visits as safe as possible, these discouraging developments only signal that this temporary closure is best for everyone’s health and safety.

We are so excited to share with you the amazing exhibits that were scheduled to open this weekend, Russian Decorative Arts from the Tsars to the USSR and A Russian Christmas, this year’s version of our always popular holiday display. Please know that in the absence of in-person experiences, we will continue to provide to our membership and community a wide selection of virtual experiences, both via our website and social media. This will include curator tours, talks by experts, arts education programs, related materials on our blog, and other unique and exciting opportunities we are actively working to develop in response to the undeniable realities we all face.

The health, safety, and well-being of our guests, supporters, and community are our highest priority. We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and understanding during these challenging times.
We deeply appreciate your support, and we can’t wait to welcome you back to DACO, in-person, as soon as we are able.

Take care and best regards,

Jason Crabill, Executive Director

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Designer Emily Rinehardt brings Sketch Class to DACO

Docent Spotlight: Debby Rockwood

'Rocketman' Relics on Display in Lower Gallery

Thropp Explores Fashion as Costume in New DACO Exhibition

DACO Receives Grant to Digitize Family Archives

Protocols to Keep DACO Visitors Safe

Reese-Peters House Undergoes 'Freshening Up'

George Johnson Takes a Historical Look at Valentines

Professor to provide look into tsarist Russia through virtual talk

Campus Closure - See You Online

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