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Archived Exhibition

Cool Breezes: Handheld Fans in 20th-Century American Folk Art, Fashion, and Advertising

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Before air conditioners started cooling the country, Americans fanned themselves when they got hot. The fans might be plain or fancy, riotous or refined, meticulously crafted or mass-produced, but everyone had them and used them. Cool Breezes: Handheld Fans in 20th-Century American Folk Art, Fashion, and Advertising introduces exhibition visitors to the world of handheld fans and to the roles they once played in the everyday lives of Americans.

Cool Breezes explores fans as common objects in American popular culture and presents a wide range of fan genres, from sturdy folding fans built for daily use to fragile and elaborately decorated fans that served as fashion accessories and flirtation tools as much as movers of air.

It also locates fans within a visually rich design tradition in a larger historical and global context. The Asian and European fans from which American fans evolved are displayed, as are fire fans—used both historically and currently by indigenous peoples worldwide.

The exhibition is curated by Joyce Cheney, an independent scholar with a strong interest in textiles, folk art, and popular culture. Previous exhibitions she has organized, including Apron Strings: Ties to the Past and Kuna Mola: Maintaining Tradition Amid Change, have been highly successful. Cool Breezes continues her exploration of seemingly ordinary objects to uncover the living history they contain—not only the creativity that went into their making but also the human stories they suggest.

Exhibition content:
80 fans (bamboo, silk, paper, plastic, and mixed media)

Checklist (pdf)

Curator:
Joyce Cheney, independent curator, St. Louis, Missouri

Essayist:
Wendy Hamilton Blue, independent scholar, Whitehall, Pennsylvania

Organized by:
ExhibitsUSA

Educational materials

Press release

Exhibition Schedule:

September 1, 2001–October 5, 2001, Museum of the Gulf Coast; Port Arthur, Texas

October 21, 2001–November 30, 2001, South Dakota State Historical Society; Pierre, South Dakota

December 15, 2001–January 19, 2002, Arlington Heights Historical Society; Arlington Heights, Illinois

February 3, 2002–March 10, 2002, Hannah Lindahl Childrens Museum; Mishawaka, Indiana

March 25, 2002–April 30, 2002, Audrain County Historical Society; Mexico, Missouri

May 15, 2002–June 20, 2002, Bicentennial Art Center and Museum; Paris, Illinois

July 5, 2002–August 16, 2002, McLean County Museum of History; Bloomington, Illinois

September 1, 2002–October 5, 2002, Mesquite Arts Council; Mesquite, Texas

October 21, 2002–November 30, 2002, Museum of Texas Tech University; Lubbock, Texas

December 15, 2002–January 19, 2003, Lafayette Natural History Museum; Lafayette, Louisiana

February 3, 2003–April 30, 2003, Naper Settlement; Naperville, Illinois

May 15, 2003–August 16, 2003, Clark County Heritage Museum; Henderson, Nevada

September 1, 2003–October 5, 2003, University of Arkansas Art Galleries; Little Rock, Arkansas

October 21, 2003–November 30, 2003, Spring Street Historical Museum; Shreveport, Louisiana

December 15, 2003–January 19, 2004, Museum of Lifestyle and Fashion History; Delray Beach, Florida

March 25, 2004–May 2, 2004, Morton-James Public Library; Nebraska City, Nebraska

July 5, 2004–August 16, 2004, High Plains Historical Society; McCook, Nebraska

September 1, 2004–October 5, 2004, Anderson County Museum; Anderson, South Carolina

October 21, 2004–January 19, 2005, Wisconsin Historical Society; Madison, Wisconsin

March 25, 2005–April 30, 2005, Powers Museum; Carthage, Missouri

May 15, 2005–June 20, 2005, Santa Fe Trail Center; Larned, Kansas

July 5, 2005–August 16, 2005, Museum of History and Art Ontario; Ontario, California

For more information:

E-mail or call Molly Alspaugh or Rachel Saalweachter at 1-800-473-3872.