[382] MTSU Design Students Host April 1 'Big Hair, Big Chair' Lecture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 24, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919, or lrollins@mtsu.edu

MTSU DESIGN STUDENTS HOST APRIL 1 ‘BIG HAIR, BIG CHAIR’ LECTURE
Designers Nancy Hills & Darrin Brooks to Compare Clothing, Furniture Styles of 1700s

(MURFREESBORO)—“Big Hair, Big Chair: How Women’s Fashion Influenced the Evolution of Furniture” will be the fashion-forward focus of this year’s lecture sponsored by MTSU students who are members of the American Society of Interior Designers/International Interior Design Association student chapter at MTSU.
Set to begin at 6:30 p.m. April 1 in Room 121 of MTSU’s Cason Kennedy Nursing Building, the ASID/IIDA 2010 Lecture Series presentation will feature interior designer Darrin Brooks and costume designer Nancy Hills, both members of the Utah State University faculty. The pair will compare hairstyle sizes and clothing styles from the 1700s with period furniture pieces.
Regarding the free talk, Deborah Belcher, a member of MTSU’s human sciences faculty and a registered interior designer, said the April 1 event “is a fabulous opportunity to see history as a living entity in which fashion and taste influenced our built environment.”
Additionally, The "Big Hair, Big Chair" presentation “is remarkable in its revelations concerning anthropomorphic data, sizes of people,” she noted. “Have you ever tried to sit in a chair from the 1700s or 1800s? It is a different experience, especially when you begin to realize that the average height of a woman was less than 5 feet. Then, imagine being corseted.”
Just prior to the lecture, an open reception for Brooks and Hills will be hosted by MTSU’s ASID/IIDA student organization from 4 to 6 p.m. at Maney Hall in Oaklands Historic House Museum, with co-sponsorship provided by MTSU’s interior design program and the historic Murfreesboro-based house museum.
“This presentation will be enlightening and great fun,” Belcher added. “Darrin and Nancy are knowledgeable as well as entertaining. … We are excited about the entire evening and look forward to seeing many students, faculty and guests share our excitement!
For more information about the free and open lecture and reception, please contact Belcher, MTSU associate professor, by calling 615-898-5604 or via e-mail at dbelcher@mtsu.edu.

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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.