PAST EXHIBITIONS 2023-2024

Cross-Pollination: ¡Moda Hoy!
Gallery FIT
April 3 – 21, 2024

A collaborative showcase between FIT and LASALLE College of the Arts, this exhibition drew inspiration from The Museum at FIT’s spring 2023 exhibition ¡Moda Hoy! Latin American and Latinx Fashion Design Today. Students from both fashion colleges engaged in creative dialogues around the themes of Myth and Rituals, Beliefs and Economics of Care, and Activism and Resistance. Connecting the threads between Latin America, Singapore, and New York, these students bring to life fresh perspectives on our collective future. This thought-provoking exhibition celebrated the diversity in craftsmanship and individual identities and illuminates the boundless possibilities of our interconnected world.

The exhibition was curated by Allysa, Barnaba, and Dina Pritmani, seniors in the Art History and Museum Professions undergraduate program (AHMP) at FIT.

We are happy to partner with INNSiDE by Melia New York NoMad Hotel for this exhibition.

Image: Garments designed by Kassia Engelmann, modeled by Angelina Rataj (left) and by Divya Gupta, modeled by Priya Adhikary (right). Photograph by Danny Alvarado

Back to top

Untying the Bow
Gallery FIT
March 1 – 24, 2024

Unassuming as they may seem, bows have played an indispensable role in securing garments and accessories for centuries. Experience their allure in Untying the Bow, an exhibition curated by graduate students in FIT’s MA Fashion and Textiles Studies program. Discover the ubiquitous influence of bows in our lives, transcending shoelaces to become a subtle yet powerful element of personal style.

Untying the Bow was an exploration into the utility and symbolism of this pervasive element of clothing. This exhibition invited visitors to explore the rich history, symbolism, and enduring charm of bows in fashion. It unfolded in three thematic sections, beginning by tracing the bow’s origins and delving into its form and function for utilitarian purposes. The next theme was the bow's symbolism as a marker and subverter of status and gender. Finally, the exhibition examined how the symbolism of bows in fashion has evolved into abstract forms and patterns. Experiments with scale and technique allow bows to transcend their original form and become captivating motifs. Untying the Bow was a transformative journey, unraveling the hidden narratives and cultural expressions that have elevated the bow from a mere structural element to a timeless icon in fashion. 

Learn more.

Image: Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada, dress, white silk taffeta with hand-painted yellow dots, spring/summer 2014, Spain, gift of Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada, 2014.44.1

Back to top

Love Thy Neighbor’Hood
Gallery FIT
January 24 – February 11, 2024

What is a home? How do we view the communities that shaped us into who we are today? 
For Black History Month, FIT students from the Black Student Union presented Love Thy Neighbor’Hood, an exhibition that illustrated the dynamics of home and what that meant to each artist. From an outside perspective, many predominantly black neighborhoods are viewed as dangerous and scary places, where nothing good ever comes about. These artists challenged that narrative through their art. The exhibit featured works of varying mediums created by people of a wide-range of backgrounds across the diaspora.

Image: The Luxury of Knowing Me - TOLUWANI ADESANYA  

Back to top

Being & Becoming
MFIT Lobby
November 18 – December 10, 2023

The Fashion Institute of Technology proudly presented student work from the BFA Photography program in their first exhibition titled Being & Becoming. Twenty-eight students collaborated in this showcase featuring large-scale printed work and photo-based installations. Equipped with techniques developed through previous semesters and with the support of Adjunct Professors Tiffany Smith and Nat Ward, students have actualized their creative concepts. Through connective themes of identity, intimacy, and creative space, students shared in the ever-changing process of “Becoming.” This exhibition served as a celebration of each artist’s personal vision and dedication to their craft.

By Being, we are Becoming.

Image: Anna Jewel Schluterman

Back to top

Food & Fashion
Special Exhibitions Gallery
September 13 – November 26, 2023

Food and fashion are two modes of expression central to our daily lives. They address humankind’s most basic needs, and also offer a significant window into our societies. The histories of food and fashion as consumer and cultural products have converged over the past three centuries. Fashion designers turn to food themes and motifs to comment on critical topics ranging from cultural identity to sustainability, social activism, and body politics, to ideas related to femininity, domesticity, nostalgia, and consumerism.

Food & Fashion explored the relationship between these related topics. Featuring over 90 works, it included garments, accessories, and textiles by designers such as Chanel, Delvaux, Comme des Garçons, Carla Fernandez, Stella Jean, Judith Leiber, Issey Miyake, William Morris, Moschino, Rick Owens, Charles Frederick Worth, and Jason Wu. Food and Fashion illuminated the dynamic relationship between these two mediums as expressed in fashion design.

Learn more.

Image: Delvaux, French fries and burger miniature leather bags, 2017, Belgium. Gift of Delvaux, 2019.87.1

Back to top

We Are Nobody Else
The Art and Design Gallery's Studio Space, D–233
November 6 – 17, 2023

We Are Nobody Else presented the work of FIT students enrolled in Professor Bradly Dever Treadaway's Photography Concepts and Exhibition course. The exhibition was built on the creative efforts of a diverse roster of artists engaged in personal lens-based proejcts. These projects probed identity, gender, sexuality, life cycles, mental health, institutional critique, tableaux vivant, memory, memorial and family history, intimacy and relationships. The included scope of concepts and approaches represented a collective gathering point - a moment to pause, to reflect, and observe current creative threads that are continuously developing and evolving.

This exhibition was only open to the FIT community.

Image: Class of PH 352

Back to top

The Loop for Good | 2023 Annual Sustainable Design Exhibition
Gallery FIT
September 16 – October 15, 2023

Founded in 2019, the Loop for Good is a college-wide interdisciplinary experiential learning project focused on sustainability and technology. This year's exhibition celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Loop for Good. The exhibition theme was "Digital Athletes for Sportsmanship" to promote respect, ethics, and fellowship in a broader community. Each participating student artist integrated academic research, creativity, innovation, digital design technologies, and the art of physical craftsmanship into the presented work.

Image: Jennifer Lee

Back to top

Pareidolia | 2023 Illustration MFA Visual Thesis Show
Gallery FIT
June 17 – September 3, 2023

The 2023 Visual Thesis Show, titled Pareidolia, represented the culmination of three years of graduate study for the FIT MFA Illustration candidates. Each MFA candidate develops and executes a unique body of work that represents their exploration, artistic growth, academic research, and professional development. This year the exhibition included the work of 15 MFA candidates and consisted of works on paper, collaged drawings, digital art, animation motion graphics, comics, and picture books.

Image: Laura Marciniak

Back to top