In 1985, spectacular ice sculptures stood on display in the Kent Ballroom, colored lights lit up the room and fireworks bursted bright in the night sky, as people watched in awe during the magnificent ”Dazzle” event held, in celebration of the grand opening of the Kent State University Museum.

This year the museum will be celebrating its 40th anniversary Oct. 30 and will be inspired by the “Dazzle” party that was held in 1985.

Jean Druesedow, former museum director, shared that “Dazzle” was known for being quite “spectacular” and “outstanding.”

“It was the most spectacular thing anybody at Kent had ever seen,” Druesedow said.

The museum  houses a collection of over 30,000 items and was ranked as one of the top 10 best fashion museums in the world by fashionandtextilemuseums.com. Making it one of America’s “hidden gems,” as it holds works by well known fashion designers like Vivienne Westwood, Coco Chanel and Valentino.

The Museum was founded in January 1982 by business partners Jerry Silverman and Shannon Rodgers of Jerry Silverman Inc., a clothing manufacturer focused on designing upscale clothing for women. Ladies would walk into their store located on Seventh Avenue in New York City, quoting the slogan, “Just show me the Jerry Silvermans please.”

Museum curator Sara Hume described it as “An all-American brand” as they dressed big names such as first ladies, the Nixon family and the Carter family. 

Rodgers served as the designer, with Silverman as his merchandiser. Rodgers was a collector of historic costumes and managed to amass a collection of 4,000 pieces. Rodgers and Silverman wanted to keep their collection together. Since Rodgers was from Ohio, she got in contact with the president of Kent State at the time, Brage Golding. 

Golding agreed to house the collection, leading Silverman and Rodgers to establish both the museum and the fashion school. Silverman and Rodgers main intention with establishing the museum was to offer it as a resource for the students. 

“Our exhibitions are educational and intended for the students as well as the general public,” Hume said. “We’ll have professors who arrange to come and bring their classes to see the exhibitions.”

The opening of the museum put Kent State on the map for something positive rather than negative. Kent State had received global attention from the May 4, 1970 shooting, but the opening of the museum opened the public’s eyes to the great opportunities offered at Kent State, explained Druesedow. 

“I think it’s continued to put Kent State on the map for something positive and something unique,” Druesedow said.

The museum currently features exhibitions such as “A Meeting of Cultures: Fashioning North Africa,” “Fashion Timeline” and costumes from “Wicked.” 

At this year’s ”Dazzle,” they will be debuting the new LeRoy Neiman fashion illustration exhibition, which will feature Neiman’s illustrations. It will be an exhibition of all artwork, differing from their exhibitions that feature costumes and textiles.

Along with the new exhibition, there will be live music, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, award recipients, a silent auction, a best dressed contest and a video that will take guests back in time as it discusses the museum’s history. 

The party will also be honoring Nancy McCann who “masterminded” the first two “Dazzle” parties. McCann was the fashion director at the department store Higbee’s, and was tasked by the executives of Higbee’s to organize the first “Dazzle” party, which occurred in Cleveland and raised money for the museum.

Druesedow respects McCann for the contributions she has made to the museum.

“She was instrumental and also key in placing it at Kent State,” she said. “Nancy did that and it was very successful.”

Other award recipients include Kyle Smith, the NFL’s first fashion editor, and School of Fashion Design and Merchandising Professor Catherine Leslie. 

Joanne Fenn, the museum’s lead event coordinator, shared that she hopes the museum can continue to gain support for the community as well as funding and grants that help make programming possible. 

“Dazzle 2025” will be held Thursday, Oct. 30, and tickets can be purchased ahead of time. Tickets are $50 for guests, $35 for faculty and staff and $15 for students.

Ava Drozd is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].