Samuel Snodgrass is an artist, designer, educator, and historian. His research is object and exhibition based, often concerning wearable objects and their histories. His interests range from eighteenth-century Italian opera to twentieth-century athleticwear to queerness throughout history. Born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, he received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MA from the Bard Graduate Center in New York City. He currently serves as a professor in the History of Art Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, a Museum Educator at the Frick Collection, and has presented his research as a panelist with the Chicago Fashion Lyceum and Association of Dress Historians. In addition to conducting written and object-based research, Snodgrass is a hat maker trained in traditional millinery, tailoring, and textile creation techniques.
For commissioned work, pricing requests for pieces shown online, or general questions send an email here:
samuel.edmond.snodgrass@gmail.com
CV
Current Positions
Adjunct Professor - History of Art Department, Fashion Institute of Technology – New York, NY
Teaching a geographical overview of adornment and dress practices in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania from ancient origins to the 20th century.
Museum Educator, The Frick Collection – New York, NY
Leads private tours, both online and onsite. Facilitates public gallery talks and guides school, college, and university visits.
Education
MA in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture, Bard Graduate Center, 2020 – 2022
Thesis: “May I be deaf at the Opera”: Dress and Voice of Macaroni and Castrati
BFA with Visual and Critical Studies Thesis, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2015 – 2019
Thesis: Gentlemen Prefer Robes: Garments of liminality from the 1700s to Hugh Hefner.
International Baccalaureate Diploma, Central High School, Springfield, Missouri, 2011 – 2015
Valedictorian, ranked #1 out of 365 senior students, GPA 5.0
Professional Experience
Instructor, Bard Graduate Center – New York, NY, 2021 – 2022
Developed and led a summer course for teens exploring material culture and the art of everyday objects.
Presented various interpretive approaches (creative, descriptive, curatorial/conceptual, and research) that the students used to convey their interpretations to an audience.
Mentored students in creating individual “sound walks” or audio guides corresponding to objects in the BGC Gallery exhibition Richard Tuttle: What is the Object?
Educator and Exhibitions Department Assistant, Bard Graduate Center Gallery – New York, NY, 2020 – 22
Wrote and edited exhibition labels for Majolica Mania and created a digital interactive for Threads of Power: Lace from the Textilmuseum St. Gallen
Wrote and lead tours of the gallery.
Curatorial Intern, Textile Museum – Washington D.C. (virtual), 2021
Contributed to the writing of the book proposal for The Textile Museum Collection Handbook and by researching and evaluating similar museum publications made recommendations for the upcoming Handbook.
Edited exhibition texts, compiled information and images associated with museum objects.
Updated and organized significant records using MuseumPlus database.
Researched and wrote social media postings (FabricFriday) about a diverse group of objects from the collection.
Specialist, Apple – Chicago, IL, 2019 – 2020
Advised customers and collaborated with peers ensuring clarity of purchases and technical issues.
Textiles Department Intern, The Art Institute of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois, 2019
Created a pattern and replica garment of a Halston piece within the collection.
Conducted extensive research on the garment’s construction, condition, and material as well as Halston’s design and pattern making process.
Installed art works for exhibitions, verified provenance, and assisted in major acquisition and deaccession projects.
Assessed condition and used best practices of handling, documenting, labeling, and packing pieces for long and short term storage.
Costume Collection Intern, Chicago History Museum – Chicago, Illinois, 2018
Published the online exhibition Mainbocher: the First American Couturier on Google Arts & Culture.
Conducted research for Silver Screen to Mainstream: American Fashion in the 1930s and ‘40s.
Managed both physical objects and TMS records in the Costume Collections.
Havner Curatorial Intern, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art –Bentonville, Arkansas, 2018
Conducted preliminary research, drafted and edited written content for Crafting America.
Liaised between the museum and artists, patrons, other institutions, and the local community.
Katzenberger Art History Intern, Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum Library – Washington D.C., 2017
Developed a new system for assessing and housing the museum’s artist files.
Conducted research on the performative works of Yoko Ono and published an article on Unbound the Smithsonian Libraries’ blog.
Ambassador and Tour Guide, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust – Chicago, Illinois, 2017 – 2020
Conducted research and interpreted architectural spaces in order to convey information about design history and Frank Lloyd Wright to visitors. Representative and ambassador for the Trust.
Curatorial Intern, Gallery 400 – Chicago, Illinois, 2016
Volunteer, Springfield Art Museum – Springfield, Missouri, 2014
Publications & Presentations
Author, Peer-reviewed essay in Fashion Studies, Volume 4 Issue 1, 2022
Presenter, Association of Dress Historian’s “Fashioning the Body for Sport and Leisure: A History of Dress and Textiles,” London, UK, 2022
Author, In-gallery digital interactive for “Threads of Power: Lace from the Textilmuseum St. Gallen,” 2021
Lace in American Portrait Photography, 1850–1900
Featured Artist, BASIC Magazine, Issue 14, 2020
Author, Essay in The Yellow Gloves, May, 2020
Nature’s Gentlemen: Akeley & McQueen
Panelist, Chicago Fashion Lyceum’s “Fashion at the Periphery” conference, virtual, 2020
Featured Artist, Fashion 2018, SAIC 2018
Author, Unbound, Smithsonian Libraries, 2017
Exploring Yoko Ono’s work through exhibition ephemera
Featured Artist, Untitled, Issue #7, SAIC, 2017
Featured Artist, First Catalog, SAIC, 2016
Cover Artist, What I’ve Learned so Far…The Next Generation, Springfield Public Schools, 2014
Exhibitions
Curator, Artificial Landscape, SITE Galleries, Chicago, IL, 2018
Artist, Undergraduate Exhibition, Sullivan Galleries, 2018
Artist, Fashion 2018, Spertus Institute, 2018
Artist, Swarovski Exhibition, Sage Studios in Fashion Design, 2017
Artist, Fashion 2017, Spertus Institute, 2017
Co-curator, Dear Folks, Roger Brown Museum and Study Collection, Chicago, IL, 2016 – 17
Artist, ArtBash, SAIC Sharp Building, 2016
Co-curator & Artist, International Baccalaureate Exhibition, Creamery Arts Center, Springfield, MO, 2015
Artist, All School Art Exhibition, Springfield Art Museum, 2014
Artist, Art Walk, Obelisk Home, 2014- Accessioned piece into permanent collection
Artist, Metamorphosis: Transform, Evolve, Grow (Best in Show Award), Creamery Arts Center, 2014
Professional Development
Diversity, Equity, Access, & Inclusion Working Group Member, BGC, New York, NY, 2021 – 23
Student Ambassador, Teacher’s Assistant, & Orientation Leader, SAIC, Chicago, IL, 2016 – 19
Participant, Object Lab at the Chipstone Foundation, Milwaukee, WI, 2018
Volunteer conservator, Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, IL, 2016
Awards
Graduating Student Leadership Award, SAIC, 2019
John W. Kurtich Foundation Travel Scholarship to study design history in London and Paris, 2018
Student of the Swarovski Workshop and recipient of Raymond Hudd Millinery Award and DAKOtravail Worker Award, 2017 – 19
Nick Cave’s Body Builder Award, 2018
John Dickey Scholarship 2015
Placed 2nd out of 800+ in Savannah College of Art & Design’s 3D Design Challenge (Scholarship Offered) 2015
Rotary Club Outstanding Senior 2015
Best in Show at Springfield Regional Arts Council’s exhibit “Metamorphosis: Transform, Evolve, Grow” 2014
Skills
Elementary proficiency in French speaking, writing, and reading
Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, TMS/Gallery Systems, and MuseumPlus