On December 31, the International Costumers’ Guild’s Marty Gear Costuming Arts and Sciences Fund approved ICG member Lisa Ashton’s application on behalf of Miss Lizzy’s Traveling Historical Fashion Show for a grant to support the Show’s efforts to increase knowledge of the clothing of the Victorian and early 20th century periods as well as better understanding of their culture and mores, politics, and daily life.. Ms. Ashton is the Show’s founder and curator. This was the Fund’s first grant.

The grant, for $656, will enable Ms.Ashton to participate in the spring 2015 Civilian Symposium: Mid-19th Century Clothing and Culture, in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area. This will help the Traveling Show to enhance its display of vintage photographs and clothing. As a result, Ms. Ashton will provide docent-led tours of the collection and other educational programming at Costume-Con 33, in Charleston, South Carolina, in May 2015. She also will prepare articles about the collection enhanced by her participation in the Symposium, as well as articles resulting from that participation, for ICG-related journals.

The International Costumers’ Guild established the Marty Gear Fund in 2014 to provide modest financial support for projects or activities by ICG members that advance the art and science of costuming and benefit the costuming community. It is named for the late Marty Gear, a founder of the ICG.

For more information, go to www.costume.org and select “Marty Gear Costuming Arts and Sciences Fund” in the menu, or contact the Fund at icg-grants@costume.org.

Byron Connell
Chair, Administration Committee
Marty Gear Costuming Arts and Sciences Fund