Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising Artifact Donation

We are taking this time to enhance documentation and organization of our current collection of more than 20,000 clothing and textile objects. That’s a lot of stuff! We take our professional responsibility as a museum seriously to care for the physical condition of our collection and to keep detailed records of the cultural stories our artifacts can tell. By focusing our attention on our current holdings, we will be better prepared to use our collection for teaching, exhibitions, and digital content in the future.

Yes! If you are interested in contributing items to our collection, please continue to check this page periodically. During this collecting hiatus, we will be developing additional procedures for accepting donations as we work toward becoming an accredited institution with the American Alliance of Museums. We will also be determining specific target areas that we feel are not currently represented in our collection so that we can be strategic and responsible in growing the museum’s collection.

We understand that not everyone can hold onto items for possible future donation to our collection. We recommend contacting your local historical society or another university museum clothing collection. Local theater companies also often accept items to be used as costumes and stage props. And of course you can also look to online resale websites, consignment shops, or second-hand clothing stores to sell or donate your items. We encourage you to seek options for reuse and recycling!

The museum is so grateful for your interest. You can make financial contributions to the Avenir Museum to support museum operations, collections, acquisitions, and outreach by clicking the Give Now button on this webpage.