Since its launch in 2010, The Will to Adorn project has gained significant momentum. Project partners have continued to document and interview people, and a beta version of the research protocol Web site continues to be refined. The project has been professionally recognized through research awards and support by the Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Program and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. Team members have presented their work at conferences in Indiana, New York, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The project team continues to deepen its research, expand partnerships, and fundraise to support the work that will be shared through the 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, a major publication, a travelling exhibition, and additional online/social media platforms.
Explore some of the project's themes through a session—“What does clothing communicate?”—that was part of an online conference presented by the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies.
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Alfred Street Baptist Church Runway Fashion show, May 12, 2012. Photo by Sharon Farmer, courtesy of National Museum of African American History and Culture