For Immediate Release
Chicago,IL -- Columbia College Chicago's Fashion Study Collection is the recipient of the archived collection of fashion designer Mark Heister who is known for his elegant, versatile separates and sculpted evening fashions. Valued at $500,000, this gift includes 428 samples, marketing materials and media coverage that span the first 30 years of his career. According to Harold Koda, curator of the Costume Collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, no museum or institution has such an extensive collection or complete body of work from any single designer.
"We chose Columbia College Chicago because it does the finest job of preparing students for careers in fashion design and retail. We also appreciate how Columbia College will manage and make this comprehensive collection available," says Mark Heister.
"Mark Heister's gift to Columbia College is most significant because it helps students integrate design theory and practice," says Nena Ivon, adjunct faculty member in Columbia's Arts, Entertainment & Media Management Department and who facilitated this gift to the College. "The fashion and retail programs at Columbia College excel at preparing students for the realities of working in the industry. By studying Mark Heister's collection, they will develop a finer understanding of how leading designers create their collections."
There are more than 400 students enrolled in fashion design and retail programs at Columbia College Chicago. "Our students can study Mark Heister's designs spanning three decades which gives them an opportunity unique to fashion and retail students across the country," says Hugh Manning, curator of the Fashion Study Collection at Columbia College Chicago. Most of Heister's collection will be available for handling with white gloves; some items, which are duplicates, will be selected for total or partial dismantling with an advisory group.
"Mark Heister's artistic flair and earlier career as a graphic designer is evident in other elements of his archives. His drawings for each season's collection are suitable for framing, according to Diane Erpenbach who displays a signed drawing from Heister's fall 1995 collection in her office. "Mark Heister's studies and line sheets for merchandising illustrate how he views the total experience for his clientele, including his clear and precise direction about presenting collections in retail environments."
To learn more about the Mark Heister Collection at Columbia College Chicago or to schedule an appointment to view it, please contact Hugh Manning at 312.344.6283 or hmanning@colum.edu.
Columbia College Chicago, an urban institution committed to open access and excellence in higher education, provides innovative practice and education in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Founded in 1890 as a communications school for women, Columbia College Chicago was revisioned in 1963 as liberal arts college with a "hands-on minds-on" approach to arts and media education and a progressive social agenda. Under the modern leadership of President Warrick L. Carter, Ph.D. Columbia is aggressively pursuing its mission to bring a richness of vision and a multiplicity of voices to the creation of culture through the diversity of our students and graduates. For further information visit www.colum.edu.