SCF in Bradenton hosts art exhibit of woman’s uniforms

First there were the costumes from productions at Asolo Repertory Theatre. Then an exhibit of theatrical costumes fashioned from recycled materials. And last year’s exhibit of wedding costumes from different eras, different ethic backgrounds and different economic strata.

All the exhibits in State College of Florida’s “Art of the Costume” series have proven to be extremely popular with the community, to a degree that has surprised even its curators.

The latest entry in the series is titled “Working Women in Uniform.” It opens Friday with a free reception from 6 to 8 p.m. and runs through late October in the Fine Art Gallery at SCF in Bradenton.

Most of the uniforms came from people in the Bradenton area, including women’s military uniforms, a jail inmate uniform, a judge’s robe, housekeepers’ outfits and a Playboy Bunny costume. The Playboy Bunny costume is perhaps the rarest piece in the exhibit. Co-curator Ken Erickson said only two others are on display. One is in the Smithsonian and one is at the Chicago History Museum.

In all, the new exhibit includes more than 60 uniforms. There are several examples of uniforms for some professions, including flight attendants also known as stewardesses, whose attire went from military-looking to very feminine then swung back toward being more businesslike, and nurses, whose uniforms changed in style and material over the decades. There’s also a mask from an woman who was a simian extra in “Planet of the Apes” and a uniform from a now-defunct profession called “tuna nurse.”

Details: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 26-Oct. 26, State College of Florida, 5840 26th St. W., Bradendton. Free. 941-752-5225, www.scf.edu.

This story was originally published August 24, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "SCF in Bradenton hosts art exhibit of woman’s uniforms."