Panel presentation: “Stitching History in Czechoslovakia: A Survivor’s and a Historian’s Perspective” Co-sponsored by Center for Jewish Studies. This is a program of the Stitching History From The Holocaust Exhibit
– Simone Schweber, Goodman Professor of Education and Jewish Studies and Director, Center for Jewish Studies will chair the panel.
– Amos Bitzan, Frances and Laurence Weinstein Assistant Professor of History.
– Renata Lexova, Professor Emerita of Genetics at the Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Exhibit Runs: Sunday September 11th - Sunday, November 13th, 2016
This project was funded in part by an Innovation Panel Grant from the Jewish Federation of Madison
Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm; Sunday, Noon - 4:00 pm
Location: UW-Madison Ruth Davis Design Gallery in Nancy Nicholas Hall
Design Gallery events are free and open to the public
About The Exhibit
Paul and Hedy Strnad are trapped as the Nazis close in. Can Hedy’s dress designs and their cousin in Milwaukee help them get to the United States? All efforts failed. Hedy and Paul perished in the Holocaust, but their memory lives on in a letter and sketches, which form the core of this haunting exhibit.
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s costume shop meticulously created with historic accuracy the eight dresses and accessories from the original sketches by using period styles and techniques. The museum staff has collected years of research to give visitors a closer look into the lives of this couple — a story that represents one of the millions of lives extinguished by the Holocaust and the immeasurable loss of talent and creativity.
The Design Gallery is also pleased to feature a separate exhibition of garments created by UW Madison fashion design students who looked to Hedy’s legacy for a modern twist on late 1930s – 1940s styles.
Stitching History From The Holocaust is an original exhibit created by and on loan from the Jewish Museum Milwaukee. Supported by the UW-Madison Anonymous Fund, Friends of the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology, the Jewish Federation of Madison, the George L. Mosse/Laurence A. Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies, and Fran Weinstein.
Stitching History in the News: The New York Times, PBS Newshour Weekend, Madison Jewish News (page 3)