Everything Nac

New York fashion historian Rebecca Jumper Matheson will present “Pinnacle of Fashion: Hats of the 20th Century” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in conjunction with an ongoing exhibit at the Stone Fort Museum at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The lecture will be held in the Kennedy Auditorium adjacent to the museum on the SFA campus. A former research assistant at The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Matheson has taught in the History of Art Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is the author of “The Sunbonnet: An American Icon in Texas” and “A House that is Made of Hats: The Lilly Daché Building 1937–1968” included in “The Places and Spaces of Fashion: 1800–2006.”

Matheson has worked in costume design and museum collections, and she has taught at FIT and Berkeley College, New York City. Her current book project “Young Originals: Emily Wilkens and the Teen Sophisticate,” forthcoming from Texas Tech University Press, explores the life and work of Wilkens, an innovator in the field of American teenage clothing in the 1940s.

The museum be hosting a reception for the exhibit “Old Hat: 100 Years of Headgear” from 2 to 5 p.m. on that Sunday. The exhibit explores the social and cultural context of wearing hats with 65 hats, caps and bonnets dating from 1850 to 1950. Everything from the ubiquitous sunbonnet to the popular fedora is on display.

“Historic photographs and a wide variety of hat styles tell a story that is about more than function,” said Museum Director Carolyn Spears. “Until the 1960s, hats were a wardrobe necessity for both men and women. Phrases such as ‘mad as a hatter’ and ‘tip of the hat’ are reminders of the pervasive influence of hats at one time.”

The display includes artifacts from the museum’s permanent collection, as well as the Human Sciences Costume Collection at SFA, Nacogdoches Historic Sites, Millard’s Crossing Historic Village in Nacogdoches, the Heritage Society Houston, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, and two private collectors, along with photographic images from the East Texas Research Center in the SFA Steen Library.

The reception will feature special activities, including portrait sittings and hat-making. The public is invited to bring a favorite hat and sit for a portrait in the museum’s “studio,” make a paper hat, and enjoy an afternoon dessert on the lawn.

The exhibit will run through Friday, Dec. 19. For more information or museum hours, call (936) 468-2408, email stonefort@sfasu.edu or visit www.sfasu.edu/stonefort.

The Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce Fourth Friday Luncheon presented by Regents Academy is noon to 1 p.m., Oct. 24 at Quality Inn & Suites, 3400 South St. Dr. Dan Bruton, professor of Physics at Stephen F. Austin State University, will present “Engineering at SFA.”
“Earlier this year the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved a new Engineering Physics degree program at SFA. Students are now able to pursue a bachelor’s of science degree in Engineering Physics which includes new courses in mechanical and electrical engineering,” Bruton said. “Graduates will be prepared to enter such diverse areas as mechanical controls, digital and analog electronics, instrumentation, robotics and manufacturing process control.”
During the presentation, Bruton will give a brief description of the program and outline plans for partnerships with local business. To learn more about Engineering at SFA, go to www.engineering.sfasu.edu.

“The addition of an engineering degree at SFA brings a lot of new possibilities for the local business community,” said Dr. Adam Peck, program chair. “I am excited that Dr. Bruton will have the opportunity to inform our Chamber membership about this development.”

Bruton teaches courses in engineering, physics and astronomy and conducts research at the SFA Observatory. He is the Associate Dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics. He received his Ph.D. in physics from Texas A&M University and has a bachelors and masters degree in physics from SFA.

The luncheon serves as the Chamber’s monthly membership meeting. Reservations are required by noon, Wednesday Oct. 22, and lunch is $16 at the door. Find the event registration form and a secure “pay online” option at nacogdoches.org or call the Chamber at 936-560-5533.

A brunch designed to bring together East Texas art educators is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Sponsored by the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts, the event provides an opportunity to “connect with fellow art teachers and teachers who are interested in integrating the arts into other subjects,” said Cala Coats, assistant professor of art education in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art.

Coats said she and colleague Bill Nieberding, who is also an assistant professor of art education at SFA, view the event as a good opportunity to meet teachers from Nacogdoches, Angelina and adjoining counties in an effort to “strengthen the community of artists, art teachers and educators interested in the arts.”

“We hope to further develop the sense of community among local art teachers and make them aware of the resources and opportunities offered by both the Cole Art Center and the art education program in the School of Art at SFA,” Coats said.

Any art educators may attend the event. For more information or to RSVP, email Coats at coatsc@sfasu.edu. Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St.