ABOUT ARIZONA COSTUME INSTITUTE

Phoenix Art Museum is one of few art institutions in the United States that continually collects, preserves, and exhibits works of fashion. The Museum began collecting fashion in 1966, when Arizona Costume Institute was founded to support the acquisition and preservation of garments and accessories of historical and aesthetic significance. Today, the PhxArt fashion collection houses more than 9,000 objects of women’s, men’s, and children’s dress spanning the 18th century through the present and is home to three special archives, including the Geoffrey Beene Archive, the Emphatics Archive, and the Ann Bonfoey Taylor Archive.

ACI Membership provides an opportunity to be in community with others who share an interest in fashion as art. Some member activities include fashion and textile programs with guest speakers, visits to private collections and studios, events at local fashion stores, luncheons and cocktail receptions.

Exhibitions that focus on clothing both as an art form and cultural phenomenon are rotated regularly in the Kelly Ellman Fashion Galleries. They underscore the significance of fashion as it relates to social and economic history.

The Astaire Library of Costumes included in the Museum's Lemon Art Research Library houses many rare books and prints relating to costume and textiles.

ACI's support of the collection and library depends on the enthusiasm of dedicated volunteers to help maintain and expand the collection.