$5/person, free for members. Advance tickets not required. A wedding dress is not any old dress. It is an expression of the bride-to-be’s identity, their hopes and their dreams. The New York State Museum has a wonderful representation of wedding gowns, demonstrating the changes of this sacred ritual throughout our history. By identifying the wearers of these garments, we can place them in the context of their era, and gain a better understanding of our community and its changes across time. In this program, NYSM curator, Connie Frisbee Houde, will examine a selection of this collection. Come walk down the aisle of history and gain a peek into the closets of the NYSM’s clothing collection. Connie Frisbee Houde is the curator of the NYSM’s clothing and textile collection. She has worked in the museum field since graduating with her master’s degree in the early 1970’s specializing in the identification, care, handling and exhibiting of period clothing and textiles. She began her career as the director of Historic Cherry Hill culminating in an exhibition, Not Just Another Pretty Dress held at the Albany Institute of History and Art. Working as a consultant, Connie has assisted many museums across New York State identify and care for their clothing collections and led numerous workshops in the care and handling of our precious textile heirlooms. She has been at the New York State museum for the past 15 years.