An opening reception for the portrait exhibit ADORN was held on March 11 at Cosumnes River College’s library, hosted by anthropology professor Anastasia Panagakos and photography professor Kathryn Mayo.
ADORN was a project that portrayed members of the CRC community dressed in clothing and accessories special to them in order to invite conversation on individuality, collective identities, histories and social roles, according to the CRC event page.
“I’ve always been immersed in my Greek culture and Greek traditional dresses, so it started as something personal for me, then it became something universal for me, and I wanted to be able to portray as many other cultures and different clothing with meaning to others,” Panagakos said.
The exhibit consisted of a group of portraits hung in the library. Every portrait was of someone in a different type or style of clothing, ranging from traditional and cultural garments such as Japanese kimonos to work attire like doctors and police officers.
“All of the portraits were meaningful, but the ones that were interesting to me were the occupational dress. They were all wearing something meaningful to them and they’re all in healthcare because it’s not just a job, it’s a calling,” Panagakos said.
The event was attended by staff, students and members of their families.
Fashion itself means a popular trend, usually in ornaments or styles of dress, it’s a way of expression to others and is always changing, according to Panagakos’ speech.
“I resonated with the portrait with the Mein traditional clothing because the person in the portrait talked about how their culture was dying, and I relate to that because Korean culture has gotten more popular,” said Jacqueline Choi, a 20-year-old pre-nursing major. “Meaning that a lot of the historical and cherished old traditions are being overshadowed.”
There was a snack bar that served grapes, crackers, cheese and an assortment of meats. It was a place where people went to grab food and talk about the exhibit.
Not all of the attendees at the event knew what the exhibit was, some were students who partook in the event because of extra credit opportunities in their classes.
“I personally just throw on whatever fits, but I think it’s cool to see what others do wear, like the Oaxaca traditional garb over there in that photo,” said Caesar Salazar, a 27-year-old pre-health major. “It reminds me of my culture and something that I would see in Mexico from the dancers.”
ADORN lasted for about an hour with the first 30 minutes being free time to look at the exhibits.
Panagakos and Mayo concluded the ADORN exhibit with a speech to thank the members, and one last group photo was taken with all of the ADORN participants.
“Globalization kinda makes us all dress the same, but I like to think that the world is so much more interesting when we’re all a little bit different. Fashion is just one of the ways that people can be more expressive and that’s what’s great about it,” Choi said.