Flower Power: Flora in Fashion and Botany in Buttons are now open!
We will be following CDC protocols and state health orders. Face masks are welcome during your visit to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Social distance will be maintained and visitor numbers monitored. Thank you for helping protect our visitors, volunteers, and staff!
We look forward to seeing you!
We will be following CDC protocols and state health orders. Face masks are welcome during your visit to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Social distance will be maintained and visitor numbers monitored. Thank you for helping protect our visitors, volunteers, and staff!
We look forward to seeing you!
Current Exhibition
Flower Power: Flora in Fashion
Gayle Strege, Curator
February 4 - April 23, 2023
Flower Power explores the relationship humankind has with its natural environment – specifically, how we adorn our bodies with botanical elements from head to toe. Creators of textiles, garments, gloves, shoes, purses, hats and buttons
have found inspiration in flowers, vines, trees, fruits, leaves, nuts and almost every type of vegetation. Manufacturers
stretch the limits of creativity as they produce apparel that reflects the colors, textures, and shapes of flowers, and shows the universal beauty of botanical elements. Designers’ conceptions of floral elements echo the art and social movements of their time, place and culture. Artisans translate those concepts into garments and accessories that can be worn to express one’s personal style and individuality.
This exhibition displays artifacts in OSU’s Historic Costume & Textiles Collection from several continents that span the 20th century. The galleries are arranged counter clockwise into color schemes that reflect a stroll from early spring through late summer. We invite you to wander our garden and experience the tranquility and power of floral design.
Exhibitions presented in collaboration with the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection at the Ohio State University with support from the Fox Foundation, Inc.
Gayle Strege, Curator
February 4 - April 23, 2023
Flower Power explores the relationship humankind has with its natural environment – specifically, how we adorn our bodies with botanical elements from head to toe. Creators of textiles, garments, gloves, shoes, purses, hats and buttons
have found inspiration in flowers, vines, trees, fruits, leaves, nuts and almost every type of vegetation. Manufacturers
stretch the limits of creativity as they produce apparel that reflects the colors, textures, and shapes of flowers, and shows the universal beauty of botanical elements. Designers’ conceptions of floral elements echo the art and social movements of their time, place and culture. Artisans translate those concepts into garments and accessories that can be worn to express one’s personal style and individuality.
This exhibition displays artifacts in OSU’s Historic Costume & Textiles Collection from several continents that span the 20th century. The galleries are arranged counter clockwise into color schemes that reflect a stroll from early spring through late summer. We invite you to wander our garden and experience the tranquility and power of floral design.
Exhibitions presented in collaboration with the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection at the Ohio State University with support from the Fox Foundation, Inc.
Botany in Buttons
Running concurrently in the Lower Gallery, Botany in Buttons features hundreds of items from the Ann W. Rudolph Button Collection, a comprehensive collection of historic buttons and related artifacts within the Ohio State University Historic Costumes and Textiles Collection. Visitors can enjoy the floral designs of hundreds of buttons made of glass, metal, ceramic, bamboo, vegetable ivory (tagua nut) and other media.
Running concurrently in the Lower Gallery, Botany in Buttons features hundreds of items from the Ann W. Rudolph Button Collection, a comprehensive collection of historic buttons and related artifacts within the Ohio State University Historic Costumes and Textiles Collection. Visitors can enjoy the floral designs of hundreds of buttons made of glass, metal, ceramic, bamboo, vegetable ivory (tagua nut) and other media.
Exhibition Programming
Curator Talk
Sunday, February 5, 2:00 pm
$10/$5 members prepaid registration, $15 at the door
Gayle Strege, curator of the Ohio State University Historic Costume & Textiles Collection, will share historic insights about the items in the exhibition and the relationship between human adornment and plant life as expressed through all levels of fashion from everyday dress to couture.
Sunday, February 5, 2:00 pm
$10/$5 members prepaid registration, $15 at the door
Gayle Strege, curator of the Ohio State University Historic Costume & Textiles Collection, will share historic insights about the items in the exhibition and the relationship between human adornment and plant life as expressed through all levels of fashion from everyday dress to couture.
Silk Scarf
Ages 15-adult
Saturday, March 25, 12:00-2:00 pm
Lisa Schorr, instructor
Class full
Create a wearable piece of art in this silk scarf class that will heighten your sense of design and leave you with your own unique wardrobe piece. An experienced instructor will be on hand to guide you through the process and help you develop your own style.
Ages 15-adult
Saturday, March 25, 12:00-2:00 pm
Lisa Schorr, instructor
Class full
Create a wearable piece of art in this silk scarf class that will heighten your sense of design and leave you with your own unique wardrobe piece. An experienced instructor will be on hand to guide you through the process and help you develop your own style.
Flower Arranging with Bluegreen Gardens
Ages 14-adult
Saturday, April 8, 1:30-3:00 pm
Elizabeth Fox Zawislak, instructor
$60/$54 members
A colorful assortment of fresh-grown American flowers is your canvas as you design a fresh flower arrangement inspired by a piece in Flower Power: Flora in Fashion.
Ages 14-adult
Saturday, April 8, 1:30-3:00 pm
Elizabeth Fox Zawislak, instructor
$60/$54 members
A colorful assortment of fresh-grown American flowers is your canvas as you design a fresh flower arrangement inspired by a piece in Flower Power: Flora in Fashion.
Register for Flower Arranging
Tataki Zome
Ages 15-adult
Saturday, April 15, 12:00-2:00 pm
Lisa Schorr, instructor
Class full
In this class that explores the ancient art of Tataki Zome, participants will apply leaves, flowers, and ferns onto fabric and paper to create original works of art. Pieces created using this safe, easy, and environmentally-friendly technique are suitable for framing.
Ages 15-adult
Saturday, April 15, 12:00-2:00 pm
Lisa Schorr, instructor
Class full
In this class that explores the ancient art of Tataki Zome, participants will apply leaves, flowers, and ferns onto fabric and paper to create original works of art. Pieces created using this safe, easy, and environmentally-friendly technique are suitable for framing.
For more classes, visit our Programs, Classes and Events page
Upcoming Exhibitions
Intrinsic Luminescence
Ross Lesko, Curator
June 3 - August 27, 2023
Intrinsic Luminescence features the work of three outstanding artists. Whether it’s the dreamlike, epic landscapes of Judith Brandon; the poetic figures of Stanka Kordic; or the architectural, sculptural glass forms of Michael Mikula, each of these artists employs techniques that create a sense of inner light. This luminescence emanates through layers of media, subject and abstraction, illuminating the masterful craftsmanship that is fundamental to each artist’s creation.
Presented with support from the Wendel Family Fund of the Fairfield County Foundation and Patrick & Brenda Smith
Ross Lesko, Curator
June 3 - August 27, 2023
Intrinsic Luminescence features the work of three outstanding artists. Whether it’s the dreamlike, epic landscapes of Judith Brandon; the poetic figures of Stanka Kordic; or the architectural, sculptural glass forms of Michael Mikula, each of these artists employs techniques that create a sense of inner light. This luminescence emanates through layers of media, subject and abstraction, illuminating the masterful craftsmanship that is fundamental to each artist’s creation.
Presented with support from the Wendel Family Fund of the Fairfield County Foundation and Patrick & Brenda Smith
Previous Exhibitions
Ohio: The Start of It All
September 24 - December 31, 2022
- May 21 - August 28, 2022 -- Chronicles: The Great Depression and the Pandemic
- Jan. 29 - April 24, 2022 -- Hindsight: The Art of Looking Back
- June 5, 2021 - Jan. 2, 2022 -- Distinctly Paramount: Fashion & Costume from the Paramount Pictures Archive
- Nov. 21, 2020 - February 28, 2021 -- Russian Decorative Arts from the Tsars to the USSR
- July 18 - October 25, 2020 -- 2 + 3 x 18: Diptychs and Triptychs by 18 Contemporary Ohio Artists
- Jan. 25 - April 26, 2020 -- Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund
- Sept. 21 - Dec. 29, 2019 -- The Ohio Presidents: Surprising Legacies
- May 25 - Aug. 18, 2019 -- Selections from the Pizzuti Collection
- Jan. 26 - April 28, 2019 -- Lilly's World: Decorative Arts & the Art of Lilly Martin Spencer, 1840-1900
- Sept. 15 - Dec. 30, 2018 -- Imagining a Better World: The Artwork of Nelly Toll
- May 19 - Aug. 19, 2018 -- Creating the Illusion: Costumes & Characters from the Paramount Pictures Archive
- Jan. 20 - April 15, 2018 -- Artists of the Winding Road A-Z
- Sept. 9- Dec. 31, 2017 -- In Our Own Image: The Genesis of Photography and the Contemporary Eye
- May 20 - Aug. 13, 2017 -- Three Voices: Conversations on Life and Conflict
- Feb. 4 - April 23, 2017 -- Circular Abstractions: Bull's Eye Quilts
- Sept. 10 - Dec. 31, 2016 -- An Ohio Childhood: 200 Years of Growing Up
- May 21- Aug. 14, 2016 -- Edith Head and Company: Costumes and Jewelry, 1924-2015
- Jan 23 - April 24, 2016 -- Blue Walk: The Art of William Kortlander
- Sept. 12 – Dec. 31, 2015 -- Early Visions of Ohio - 1765-1865
- June 20 – Aug. 23, 2015 -- Persistence of Nature: Featuring the works of James Mason and Karen Rumora
- February 7 - May 17, 2015 -- A Tradition of Progress: Ohio Decorative Arts 1860-1945
- Oct. 25 - Dec. 31, 2014 -- Campana Brothers: Brazilian Design Now
- June 7 - Aug. 24, 2014 -- Designing Woman: Edith Head at Paramount 1924-1967
- Jan. 25 - April 13, 2014 -- My Best Friends are Potters: Ceramics from the Tim Frederich Collection
- Oct. 26 - Dec. 29, 2013 -- Joseph O'Sickey: Unifying Art, Life and Love
- May 4 - Sept. 1, 2013 -- Gorgeous Threads: A World of Textiles
- Jan. 26 - April 7, 2013 -- A Remarkable Menagerie: Animals in Art
- Oct. 20 - Dec. 30, 2012 -- Outcault/Stahler
- June 23 – Sept. 9, 2012 -- Appalachian Strings
- Jan. 21 – May 20, 2012 -- Looking Forward
- Oct. 22, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2011 -- Once Upon a Page
- June 26 – Sept. 4, 2011 -- David Hostetler Unabridged
- Jan. 29 - June 5, 2011 -- Equal in Goodness: Ohio Decorative Arts
- Oct. 23, 2010 - Jan. 2, 2011 -- The Creative Spirit
- May 22 - Sept. 5, 2010 -- Paul Hamilton: Poetry of Place
- Jan. 30 - April 18, 2010 -- Artful Paper: Cut, Folded and Fabulous
- Oct. 3, 2009 - Jan. 3, 2010 -- The Shakers: Abiding Inspiration in Faith and Design
- June 25 - Sept. 6, 2009 -- Along Water Street: New Work by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
- April 4 - June 7, 2009 -- Nancy Miller: An Artist's Creative Journey
