Avenir Museum Education Programs Coordinator Sarah Lillis recaps the Avenir’s community activities.

It was an exciting summer as the Colorado State University Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising had a strong community presence. Alongside our three exhibitions, we hosted many programs and events both at the museum and in the community.

The museum was a hit with coordinated visits on Tour Tuesdays, summer camps, and by several community groups. In particular, we enjoyed hosting the Fashion FUNdamentals STEM enrichment camp for middle schoolers. Participants visited our collections and connected with objects to gain appreciation and inspiration for their work during the camp. They made some spectacular pieces during their time here at CSU.

In addition to tours, we hosted some exciting programs and events such as our first Make & Mend sessions. This fall we are looking forward to welcoming several CSU classes from across the University and expanding our programs available to everyone. Check out our website and watch our newsletters for a variety of engaging events!

The museum also appeared a little further away from home, hosting booths at different campus events. We enjoyed attending three Lagoon concerts on the CSU campus where we led interactive activities for concertgoers. At each concert, we spoke with over 100 people! As a new member of the staff, I enjoyed getting out into the welcoming Fort Collins community to share our work here at the Avenir. With the kids who visited our tent, we practiced plain weaving on recycled cardboard looms. They enjoyed making their own textiles and taking their projects with them to work on while listening to the concert.

We also appeared at the 4-H State Conference and the CSU Involvement Expo. Keep your eyes open for our booth at upcoming events like Ag Day before the CSU football game (September 30) and the Festival on the Oval (October 14)If you have any ideas about engagement opportunities – from hosting a group tour to the museum, or community events where we can bring the museum to the public – or if you would like to get- involved in programs at the museum, please contact me at Sarah.Lillis@colostate.edu

Make & Mend for all

CSU students and the Fort Collins community are invested in sustainability and creativity. To support these priorities – and to have some fun! – the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising is hosting monthly “Make & Mend” events. The goal is to build community and share knowledge around working with textiles. The museum provides basic supplies, snacks, and our welcoming environment where everyone can support each other’s projects. We aim to promote sustainability by teaching how to fix and reuse clothes.

People of all ages and experience levels are welcome to work on all types of projects. New to sewing? No problem!  If you know how to sew and want to share your expertise, come mentor others in the textile arts. Together we can learn to make and mend our wardrobes to keep fast fashion out of the landfill.

Some supplies the museum provides-

• Irons
• Sewing Machines
• Darning Eggs
• Needles and Thread
• Patches
• Cutting Mats
• Scissors

Some projects we have already seen at make & mends-

• New dress construction
• Mending tears
• Repaired holes in shirts and jackets
• Hemming
• Stuffed animal surgery
• Darned and patched holes
• Cutting out pattern pieces

Find info on upcoming Make & Mends and other events on the Avenir Museum website.

The Avenir Museum is in the Department of Design and Merchandising, part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.