Audrey Kalman solicited personal histories about prized denim clothing for her Communication and Media Studies Master’s capstone project.
For her Communication and Media Studies Master’s capstone project, Audrey Kalman ’24 explored the importance of clothing as a medium of expression. To do this, she solicited pictures and stories about beloved denim clothing and created a digital archive of about 20 pieces.
“Almost everyone has a pair of jeans,” Kalman said. “People told me these great stories over the years. For instance, ‘These were my grandfather’s jeans and I love them and wear them every day.’ Or ‘My mother’s mother wouldn’t let her buy a pair of jeans so she had to sneak them.’
“I thought it would be great if there was a space where these stories could be archived just to make someone smile or laugh,” Kalman said.
The project also tapped into Kalman’s deep interest in archiving. Using a Google Form, she solicited denim stories and photos from friends, family and friends of friends.
Kalman said the goal was to focus on the stories behind the clothing. “It was not important if I thought these were the coolest jeans,” she said. “They are important because someone submitted them.”
For example, Nicholas Olenich submitted what he calls his Boro Levi’s jacket, a piece he thrifted and then, with the help of a family friend, adorned with patches of traditional Japanese fabric.
Kalman sees potential for turning the project into an art book or a museum show. Or the project could be repeated with different beloved objects using her open-source method, which she outlines on the project website.
“It’s important to not gate-keep your methods,” she says. “I wanted to make it repeatable.”
She also shares links to tools that are helpful, like a free image background remover, to make it easier for people to submit cutouts of their photos.
The archive remains open for others to submit artifacts, and she’s hoping more people will participate.
“It’s important to have an archive that is open and easily accessible,” she said. “People are interested in their clothes, but there are not a lot of outlets to document their clothes or even talk about why they are important to them.”
—By Jennifer Snelling
Jennifer Snelling is a Eugene-based education journalist. She graduated from the SOJC with a master’s degree in journalism in 2001.