This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Karan Feder, curator of the new Barbie exhibition, Barbie®, A Cultural Icon: 60 Years of Fashion and Inspiration (located inside The Shops at Crystals). In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Karan talks about how COVID (and her downtime from the Nevada State Museum) led her to put the exhibition together; how she met and relied on Las Vegan David Porcello and his extensive collection of Barbie dolls; why the exhibit is a deep dive into fashion; why culture and fashion cannot be separated; why the Ken doll came on the scene; the evolution of Barbie dolls; her favorite fashion year; the surprising discovery about the Mattel archives; and what the 250 vintage Barbie artifacts represent.
Karan Feder is a leading expert in the field of performance costume history, preservation, and exhibition. She is an experienced museum professional with expertise in the development and execution of compelling costume and fashion exhibitions. Feder excels in all aspects of archival costume collection care, management, database administration, and costume mounting. She is a veteran of the entertainment industry with additional professional experience and resources in the museum, attraction, fashion, and marketing fields.
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