"Being able to construct for yourself something wearable & durable in and age where tradition and skills are almost lost and manufacturing, even in its large scale, is almost invisible, is clearly more appealing than ever. In the twenty-first century, the need for RADICAL APPROACHES to production & consumption is arguably more pressing than ever."
-Annebella Pollen
-Annebella Pollen
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Needlewoman. Student. Historical Interpreter.
I graduated from Middlebury College in 2016 and since then have worked in the public history field at various museums and historical sites.
Currently, I am the executive director of Historic Red Hook, located in the Elmendorph Inn in Red Hook, NY. I'm also a third year graduate student at the University at Albany, SUNY, where I am working towards a Ph.D. in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century American consumer and material culture. I spend my time researching, constructing, and wearing historical dress while educating the public about history and material culture. Outside of work, I continue to share my enthusiasm for history by volunteering at historic sites across the East Coast. I believe that historical costumes and textiles have a unique relatability that encourages people to draw connections between their lives and the past. As a public historian, I have used this aspect to have more engaging and productive conversations. |
I'm Always Doing Something New!
Curriculum Vitae
Education
*updates coming soon*
Middlebury College--Middlebury, VT • 2016
- Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude • History and English & American Literature Major • Theatre Minor (Costume Design)
- Relevant Coursework: History of Western Dress • Costume Design I & II
- Studied abroad at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Skills
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Museum Experience
Click on links to view specific projects
Old Barracks Museum--Trenton, NJ • May 2016—Present
Costumed Historical Interpreter
Responsibilities
Costumed Historical Interpreter
Freelance Work
Historic Clothing and Textiles Intern
Senior Work
Costumed Historical Interpreter
Responsibilities
- First and third person interpretation of 18th-century history for tours and school programs
- Research, construct, and alter historical clothing and textiles related to the museum; projects include:
- Hand-sewed a complete 18th-century woman's wardrobe
- Assisted the tailor in the reproduction of 18th-century military uniforms
- Updated inaccurate costume and textile reproductions in galleries including bed hangings and ticks
- Contributed to the museum's collection of loaner costumes and items for school programs
- Rewrite old educational programming including “18th-century Child’s Play” and “Women’s Roles"
- Develop new family friendly programming such as children's activity books, and “Family-Friendly Tours."
- Create social media content for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Plan and write interpretive programming for special events, such a "Manufacturing a Revolution: Trenton in the Winter of 1777-1778"
- Tend the gift shop counter and assist patrons with purchases
Costumed Historical Interpreter
- Represent Red Cross nurse for WWI exhibit and demonstrate 20th-century knitting
- Interpret as 18th-century woman at the Village and demonstrate historical sewing and knitting
- Initiated the development of a costume policy for the interpretive staff
- Began “Stitching at the Low House Sundays” to engage local craftspeople and perpetuate historic crafts
Freelance Work
- Constructed 1790’s children’s try-on coats for upcoming interactive exhibit “Hamilton was Here”
Historic Clothing and Textiles Intern
- Manufactured and repaired clothing for interpreters in the 17th-century English Village
- Demonstrated 17th-century sewing and knitting for the public
- Created an archive of 16th-18th-century reference images for the Historic Clothing and Textiles Department
- Laundered and organized museum’s wardrobe collection
Senior Work
- Initiated and executed the cataloging of the college’s neglected collection of clothing dating from 1850-1930
- Applied for and received a grant from the Costume Society of America for the collection’s preservation
- Created an image database accessible to faculty and students for research and teaching purposes
- Acquired familiarity of c.1850-1930 garment construction through handling, photographing, and researching original items
Theatre Experience
Stitcher
- Adjusted and built period and modern garments by hand and machine
- Organized and restocked costume collection and assisted actors and crew backstage with wardrobe
- Princeton University Costume Shop--Princeton, NJ • November 2017—Present
- Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey--Madison, NJ • October 2017 Middlebury
- Middlebury College & Language Schools—Middlebury, VT • September 2012—May 2016
- Designed costumes and hair and makeup for students’ senior work and the Middlebury College Musical Players
- Worked with a budget to purchase, rent, and construct designs
- Assisted actors backstage with wardrobe and did laundry
- Middlebury College—Middlebury, VT • February 2013—May 2016
- Assisted with Off-Broadway and other New York productions building and adjusting modern and historic costumes
- Responsibilities included shopping for materials, renting costumes, running wardrobe backstage, and laundry
- Smith Street Stage—New York City, NY • July 2015
- Theatre East—New York City, NY • June 2015
- Potomac Theatre Project NYC —New York City, NY • June—July 2014
