Fall 2023
Twelfth Edition
Pathways Faculty Win National Teaching Award
Award
Organization
International Textile and Apparel Association
Faculty
- Eunju Hwang is an associate professor with the Department of Apparel Housing and Resource Management
- Dina Smith-Glaviana, assistant professor in the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management
- Victoria Ferguson, program director for Solitude/Fraction
Courses
- Fashion Merchandising and Design 1204: Clothing and People
- Residential Environments and Design 3644: American Housing
The Exhibit and Lecture
“The theme for the award this year was intercultural and global awareness, which tracks closely with the Pathways curriculum,” said Smith-Glaviana. “I thought working with Victoria Ferguson, with her experience as a history interpreter with a Monacan background, would be a great opportunity for students to learn about another culture, which is right in our own backyard and very much a part of U.S. culture.”
The lecture submitted for the award was an exhibit displayed at Solitude, the oldest structure on the Blacksburg campus, and was visited by 40 students during the fall 2022 semester. It featured more than 20 garments and items which were all hand-crafted by Ferguson using historically accurate materials to illustrate the story of the Eastern-Siouan culture from pre-European contact through colonization to modern day.
The exhibit included a pre-contact twined hemp skirt dyed with goldenrod and indigo and decorated with sea shells and a knife sheath with porcupine quillwork. Later period pieces incorporated European trade items such as glass beads, silver (called German tin), wool blankets, and ribbon work.
“My goal for the students was to introduce them to these different clothing and items and tell the story of colonization moving across the region,” said Ferguson. “One of the most important things about this exhibit was also to show that indigenous people from the region are still here. We still have some knowledge and information to share.”
Experiential Learning
“The ability to touch things - kinaesthetic learning - is very important to indigenous people,” said Ferguson. “We have a land-based approach which is very different from a Western approach to education. The Indigenous approach lets students touch, experience, and be actively involved. It’s hands-on and connected to the land.”
Impact
“The biggest takeaway was that students adopted our interconnected approach to understanding how artifacts and designed environments shape our identity and society values,” said Hwang. “As one of our students commented, ‘Having the opportunity to learn directly from a Native American [woman] helped increase my understanding of not only their culture, but how I could apply what I learned to other cultures as well."