Senior Wednesdays are informational and entertaining sessions, designed for active seniors and offered by a collaboration of local institutions. Learn more at: https://www.seniorwednesday.org/
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum offers their Senior Wednesdays on the 4th Wednesday of each month, January-October.
SEPTEMBER’S TOPIC: “WASTE NOT, WANT NOT: REIMAGINING FASHION THROUGH THRIFT STYLE”
PRESENTATION BY MARLA DAY OF HUMANITIES KANSAS
Thrifting and upcycling are not new concepts. The practice of reusing empty feed sacks, flour sacks, and sugar sacks—also known as commodity bags—as raw material for clothing and other home goods was popular during the austere decades of the 1920s through the 1940s. This program highlights a collection of sacks from Kansas mills, thoughtfully selected to honor a family with deep Kansas roots in agricultural extension, 4-H, and a family-owned feed and farm supply store. This collision between commercial waste and homespun ingenuity provides a model for our modern emphasis on sustainability!
Marla Day is the curator of Kansas State University’s Historic Costume and Textile Museum in Manhattan.
“Waste Not, Want Not: Reimagining Fashion through Thrift Style” is part of Humanities Kansas‘s Speakers Bureau, featuring humanities-based presentations designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement
Doors open at 9:30am
Non-Member Admission Fee – $2 (Annual Memberships available starting at $25- Learn more at: Memberships)
Refreshments provided by the “Friends of the Historical Museum” (served prior to program).
Program starts at 10am in the DeVore Auditorium (2nd Floor) – Tour to follow at 11am
(Due to capacity restrictions, program has limited seating of 60.)
The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum’s Senior Wednesday programs are made possible through a generous grant from the Charles and Joanne McIlwaine Foundation.
About our Speaker: Marla Day
Marla received her B.S. and M.S. in Apparel and Textiles from Kansas State University. She is the curator of the university’s Historic Costume and Textile Museum. The museum just launched their online collection enabling the public to view and search through the museum’s holdings at a click of the button. She has been responsible for numerous curated exhibits including Thrift Style, an exhibition focused on the history of feed sacks which is currently touring the nation, managed by Exhibits USA; Pulp Sensations: 1960s Paper Fashions; and Nelly Don: Dresses that Worked for Women among many others. She serves as a consultant to the Save Our African American Treasures Program for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture since 2011. She is an active member of the Kansas Museum Association serving as the Vice President; and is on the board of trustees for the Riley County Historical Museum.
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit leading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home.