克城消息

Designing Your Dreams

伊利華報英文特邀撰稿人Cynthia的家是克利夫蘭指定的百年歷史老屋City historical central house。Cynthia在Kent大學敎的一位華裔學生Anneliese Meck非常特別,她喜愛美國歷史,自己親自做18世紀的服裝。
     Anneliese 2歲時被一美國家庭從中國收養爲女兒,她特喜歡美國文化,歷史和古裝。在這時尙橫流,紙醉金迷的年代實屬不多見。師生情誼加上共同熱愛設計,讓她們有許多共同的語言,在當今穿戴傳統眞的所剩無幾,這是上帝的安排,難逢的知音。
    Anneliese她在紐約歷史博物館半工半讀,看到Kent大學服裝設計系整容強,還有這么一位Cynthia親自敎學生做帽子,她從紐約到了Kent,爲的就是學習做帽子。
   3月8日下午,她們師生加上我在Cythia的家,我們在一起聊了3個多小時,仿彿時間就像倒流,這對師生與地處繁華鬧市,好似生活在不同年代的世外桃源。怎不令我隨波逐流的普世大衆嘆而觀之啊,3小時就像30分鐘,和她們在一起是一份快樂與喜悅.....
   Anneliese Meck 中國父母給了她生命,美國在圖書館工作的媽媽給了她生命的意義,書本讓她生命活得很有價値,Anneliese Meck她喜歡美國歷史,她的夢想就是修補歷史遺失的遺憾,她也寫過幾篇重量級的文章,讓我感到時間倒流,歷史重現。
    我看着Anneliese,突然想起好年前,俄亥俄州中文學校創始人之一,已故的王建軍先生曾經講過一句話:未來華人能夠眞正在美國站立起來,領導華人社團的人物,是被美國家庭從小收養的華人。我恍然大悟他這話的含義…

文：浦瑛

Dear Readers,
    If you or someone you know is having a difficult time deciding on a college major due to a diverse range of interests, Anneliese Meck, a student at Kent State University has a secret to share with you: you can design your own unique program through a Bachelor of Integrative Studies (BIS) to create the career of your dreams. To say that Anneliese has a diverse range of interests is an understatement. From reproducing historic costume, presenting educational programs and conducting tours, to writing scholarly articles, Anneliese has leveraged a passion developed in childhood into a full-fledged field of study and career.
    By combining elements from the School of Theatre focusing on costume design and construction with a minor in textiles through the School of Art, Anneliese is further refining her skills which she has already put to great use at the Genesee Country Village & Museum, a living history museum, in upstate New York.
    It is interesting to note that the English word “museum” is derived from two Greek words, translating literally as “a shrine of the Muses,” Muses being mythological figures who preside over the arts and sciences. While we often think of museums as places where we can look but not touch, this is where a living history museum makes a point of departure, for exquisitely crafted reproductions of historic objects provide an extra dimension for learning through the sense of touch. An object may be heavier or lighter than is apparent from its size or perhaps surprisingly soft, which may not be discerned from a picture, and Anneliese observes that adults are just as eager as children to have the opportunity to learn through the sense of touch.
It is this difference in philosophy which sparks Anneliese’s enthusiasm. Understandably, ancient, rare and fragile objects must be protected from damage, thus the staff of living history museums have devised an additional way for the public to learn: through painstaking research, historic objects and costume are reproduced using, to the greatest extent possible, the same or similar materials along with exacting historic techniques of construction. Thus, there are opportunities for visitors to the living history museum to try on reproduction garments, as was the case when Anneliese taught a “Fashion Fun” program for summer camp students. By actually wearing the accurately reproduced clothing as opposed to merely observing it, students could feel the texture of the fabric as well as what it is like to move in historic garments, which might not be as difficult as you think. As living historians engage in the activities of yesteryear, Anneliese noted that she has chopped wood wearing the long day dresses which you see accompanying this article!

   Moreover, all the costumes in the images you see accompanying this article were created by Anneliese through a combination of machine work and exceptional handwork. It is often thought that machines are always faster and more efficient, but there are certain techniques which Anneliese points out cannot be performed by a machine and require the finesse of the human hand.
   The historic costume which Anneliese constructs serves another important function, that of adding to the aura of authenticity which she creates in her work as an historical interpreter. Historical interpreters do more than tell the story of a particular time period, they dress in the garb of that time period and may take on the persona of a well known historical figure in order to recreate the sense of living in that era for their audience.

   In addition to her current work, Anneliese’s career goals include consulting for living history museums, theatre and film. It is inspiring to know that she traces the origins of her passion to a box of “dress up” clothing her grandmother let her play with as a child and has transformed this early introduction to history into a career through which she can enrich the lives of others.
   Anneliese is quick to point out that it is not only those with an interest in the arts who may benefit from a Bachelor of Integrative Studies. She mentions that her cousin has melded an interest in statistics with the medical field to create a specific niche career interpreting research studies.
  Let us wish the best of luck to Anneliese Meck in her future endeavors and hope that her story may inspire others to design their dreams.
***
   For more information on the Bachelor of Integrative Studies at Kent State University, visit https://www.kent.edu/cas/bis
For more information on Anneliese Meck’s current work, visit https://youngsewphisticate.blogspot.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/youngsewphisticate/
For more information on the Genesee Country Village and Museum, visit https://www.gcv.org/