Garment Register

Garment Register recalls the toils, sacrifices, and experiences of countless anonymous women who contributed to the development of modern American society. Designed by Harriet Bart and Philip Gallo, this artist’s book juxtaposes prose by celebrated artists such as pioneering choreographer Martha Graham and novelists Virginia Woolf, Doris Lessing, Willa Cather, and Collette, with historic photographs, fabric samples, and facsimiles of pages from an old ledger (on view in this exhibition) listing the names of anonymous women and the dues they paid. Though its origin and details are unknown, this handwritten artifact, in its repurposed form as an editioned artist’s book, is a poignant commemoration of the myriad women whose civic efforts have remained unrecognized.