This course explores the ways in which objects and material culture embody personal narrative. Moving back and forth from ephemeral traces of events and experiences to the culturally invested luxury goods that create legacy to the objects that facilitate daily life, this class will use, as its primary references, examples that draw from queer and African American cultures to underscore the potential of objects to tell the stories that not only reflect majority traditions and experiences but those of the disenfranchised, the details of whose lives are often obscured. In addition to readings that will provide background for class discussion, student will be asked to play the roles of detectives, archeologists, and curators at various sites around New York City. Each student will also be asked to create an annotated material record that reveals the public and private lives of one individual. That record may consist of texts, objects or any variety of media chosen or designed by the student. This blogs serves as an archive for the work done in the context of this course and related materials that become relevant to this exploration.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Naomi Sims

Evidence:

From Cover Girl to Cover Up: Naomi Sims Turns Wigs into Millions.
The times were right for Naomi Sims. When she made her debut as an 18-year-old in 1967, it was the peak of the civil rights movement. The chant of "black is beautiful" was in the air, and Naomi became the first woman of her race to arrive in the world of high fashion. "She was the great ambassador for all black people," Halston recalls. "She broke down all the social barriers.”

“At 28, Naomi enjoys all the perks of a millionaire female executive—chauffeured limousine, Tiffany jewelry, designer clothes, a Manhattan co-op, a Connecticut summer home with houseboy and cook. She also has an Ecuadorian nanny to look after 2½-year-old John Phillip, nicknamed "Pip," the product of her four-year marriage to British-born art dealer Michael Findlay, 32. “

“Today their mutual interest in art—Findlay owns a gallery in Manhattan, she collects the work of young American painters—remains strong. So does their marriage. Naomi believes its success rests on being co-equals. "If a woman is financially independent, she's more her own person," she explains. "She has emotional freedom." Does she miss being a cover girl? "No," Naomi replies firmly. "What I'm doing is far more fulfilling. I'm more in control of my life." 

Naomi Sims: Cover Girl (mental illness)

Bob Findlay says his mother never spoke publicly about her mental illness, and told few friends, out of a sense of propriety and perhaps from a fear of damaging the Naomi Sims brand. “Three months ago, as she knew she was dying, she told me, ‘I’m ready to share it.’”

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Life story of Naomi sims
“Naomi’s face became the muse for the Black is Beautiful movement”

Famed model Naomi Sims dead at age 61

Religion:

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Artifact:

Wig business:
“Again timing was on Naomi's side. In 1973 the vogue for the Afro was waning and there was a new interest in wigs. On the basis of her reputation as a model, she persuaded 80 stores to show her line. White store managers were reluctant, even in neighborhoods with a large black clientele. But sales have mushroomed through word of mouth. Also helping to promote her name is her 1976 book, All About Health & Beauty for the Black Woman (Doubleday), which has gone into six printings. Today the Naomi Sims Collection is carried in 2,000 stores in the U.S., Africa and the West Indies, and 1977 sales are expected to top $6 million. “

Cosmetics collection:
“Black is beautiful The most famous skin care is not good enough for the black skin-Naomi Sims has created one!”
category: books/fragrance/cosmetic collection/fragrance/hair care/holistic products/NS silver Collection/skin care/whig


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Heirloom:

Late supermodel Naomi Sims’ estate is to be auctioned in Montclair
A quarter of the proceeds from the auction will go toward research and treatment of mental illnesses. Sims, who died in August of cancer, suffered from bipolar disorder for much of her adult life but rarely spoke about it, according to friends.”




Shuyang Peng 

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