The Corona Chronicles Ep. 5 Patricia Mears (Deputy Director of MFIT, and curator of Ballerina: Fashion’s Modern Muse)
It’s been a month…with no end in sight… It was a rough week but my conversation with Patricia Mears, the Deputy Director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology was just the stimulation I needed. Patrica is the woman the curator behind the brilliant exhibition Ballerina Fashion’s modern Muse, which is now being held hostage by Corona. It was truly a feast for the eyes, The exhibition also presents the idea of the ballerina as a “woman of style.” Over one dozen ensembles by Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Halston and worn by stars such as Margot Fonteyn, Alicia Markova, Maria Tallchief, and Virginia Johnson illustrate the important role fashion played in the ballerina’s career. Although the exhibition is on lockdown like the rest of us, the MFIT website has a plethora of materials that is almost as grand as being there.
Hear how we became acquainted, Patricia’s er process of curation, her love and appreciation of ballet and who introduced her, as well as what she is up to while in quarantine with some interesting and entertaining creatures..hint, they make “egg”cellent companions…
Additional Links Mentioned in Episode:
And Still They Rose: The Legacy of Black Philadelphians in Ballet
Dark Muse: Balanchine and Blackness