About this Event
This fall, Bard Graduate Center presents Goddesses in the Machine: Fashion in American Silent Film, the first major exhibition exploring fashion’s role in early American cinema. On view September 18, 2026–January 3, 2027, the exhibition traces the evolution of screen costume, from actors wearing their own clothes to the rise of professional costume designers. Rare garments and accessories appear alongside film clips, photographs, posters, and costume sketches, revealing how fashion became a powerful storytelling tool and shaped modern movie glamour. Join curators Michelle Finamore and Emma Cormack for a private tour across all four floors, with opportunities for questions throughout.
Contributors
Michelle Finamore (BGC PhD 2010) is a fashion and design historian, curator, and author. She cocurated Goddesses in the Machine: Fashion in American Silent Film (2026) and Shoe Stories: Past, Present, Future (2026). Formerly at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, she curated exhibitions including Fashioning America: Grit to Glamour (2022–23) and Gender Bending Fashion (2019). Her publications explore American fashion, film, menswear, sustainability, and design.
Emma Cormack (BGC MA 2018) is associate curator at Bard Graduate Center, specializing in fashion and textiles, consumer culture, and print advertising in France and the United States. Her BGC projects include Threads of Power: Lace from the Textilmuseum St. Gallen (2022–23), French Fashion, Women, and the First World War (2019–20), and Eileen Gray (2020). With Michelle Finamore, she cocurated and coedited Goddesses in the Machine: Fashion in American Silent Film (2026)
NYCJW26: November 16–22, 2026
Each November, NYC Jewelry Week presents The Week, a seven-day celebration of jewelry and the people, ideas, and craftsmanship behind it. NYCJW26 brings together a global audience for a dynamic mix of in-person and virtual experiences across New York City and beyond.
Explore the full , featuring exhibitions, shopping experiences, retail collaborations, talks, panels, workshops, demonstrations, tours, and more. Virtual programs will be streamed on YouTube, while in-person events offer opportunities to engage directly with artists, designers, curators, collectors, and other members of the jewelry community.
With many programs free and open to the public, NYC Jewelry Week invites everyone—from longtime jewelry enthusiasts to those just beginning to explore the field—to discover the artistry, ideas, histories, and craftsmanship that make jewelry so compelling.
Join us for NYCJW26, November 16–22, 2026.
Event venue & nearby stays
Bard Graduate Center, 18 West 86th Street, New York, United States
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