Fashioning Kimono features formal, semiformal and casual kimono and kimono-related garments created between the 1890s and the 1940s. During this time, fashionable silk kimono with intricate designs, once reserved for the wealthy, were brought to the masses through advances in silk production and distribution. Many new designs and styles broke from the traditional in favor of large, bold patterns evocative of Western art movements such as art deco and art nouveau.

“The excitement and responses thus far stemming from Fashioning Kimono have been tremendous,” said Jason Steuber, Cofrin Curator of Asian Art. “Many visitors have returned several times, finding new ways to enjoy the exhibition with each visit.”

Steuber will give a gallery talk May 3 at 3 p.m., where he will explain the styles, types and uses of various kimono on display.

The exhibition is organized and circulated by Art Services International in Alexandria, Va. His Excellency Ryozo Kato, former ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America, is the Honorary Patron of the exhibition. Fashioning Kimono is designated as the Samuel P. Harn Memorial Exhibition and made possible locally by the AEC Trust. The kimono are on loan from the internationally recognized Montgomery Collection of Lugano, Switzerland.

Admission to the Harn Museum of Art is free. For more information, visit www.harn.ufl.edu or call 352-392-9826.

Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art
The Harn Museum of Art at SW 34th St. and Hull Rd. is one of the largest university art museums in the country with nearly 7,000 works in its collection focusing on African, Asian, modern and contemporary art and photography. The museum enhances the activities of the University of Florida and serves a culturally diverse audience through educational programming. Admission is free. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Parking is free on weekends. The Camellia Court Café is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information call 352-392-9826 or visit www.harn.ufl.edu.

Art Services International
Art Services International is a nonprofit educational institution that organizes art exhibitions of the highest quality. These exhibitions include paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, and decorative arts that range from art of the ancient world to works of the Old Masters, and continue through to the contemporary period. ASI exhibitions are drawn from museums, galleries, and private collections in the United States and abroad, and are hosted by museums throughout the United States and Europe. ASI shares with the hosting museums a commitment to enhancing the appreciation of art. Fully-illustrated catalogues and additional educational materials are provided for each project.

Media contact:
Tami Wroath, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Harn Museum of Art
352.392.9826 x116
twroath@harn.ufl.edu