UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Who wears the pants? That question could be answered differently depending on when and who you ask, as shown in the current exhibition, “Who Wears the Pants?! Fashion History One Leg at a Time,” on view through April 26 at the Palmer Museum of Art, part of the College of Arts and Architecture.
The exhibition in the Barbara and Lee Maimon Teaching Gallery, organized by Charlene Gross, associate professor of theater in costume design, and Keri Mongelluzzo, educator for academic engagement and access at the Palmer, explores the often-complex history of who wore pants, who didn’t and why it matters.
“The exhibition is part of the ongoing conversation about gender, freedom, bodies in motion, and who is physically and socially able to move freely,” said Gross, director of the School of Theatre's Fashion Archive. “The title is supposed to be humorous while also challenging people to think about what it means to actually wear pants. It questions who is in charge as seen through their clothing. I want to scratch the surface on questioning who gets to move freely — physically and socially — and how clothing can both limit and liberate.”
As with every teaching gallery exhibition, “Who Wears the Pants?!” embeds Palmer collection objects into the University curriculum and provides students the opportunity to engage with course concepts outside of the traditional classroom, explained Mongelluzzo. Fall 2025 students from Gross’ Theatre 464: Fashion History I course contributed research and writing that shaped digital interpretation for the exhibition, which visitors can explore on the interactive, in-gallery tablet. This semester, students in Michael Ciaramitaro’s Theatre 465: Fashion History II class have been involved in the development of a gallery talk and used the exhibit in their class modules. Ciaramitaro is an adjunct instructor who served as a teaching assistant for Gross while pursuing his master of fine arts degree in costume design.
Gross had the idea for the exhibition when she was reading a history book on the women of medieval times.
“[The book] got me thinking about the empowerment of women — until the Enlightenment, women had more freedom and power than we normally assume they had in Western society. Many of them were written out of history. This paired with the idea that wearing a dress was universal for all genders was intriguing. Men in skirts was the norm for much of fashion history,” said Gross.
Gross took advantage of the Palmer’s online form for submitting a teaching gallery exhibition proposal in summer 2024, after discussing her idea with Mongelluzzo. Mongelluzzo noted the interdisciplinary nature of the exhibition, exploring the intersections of gender, fashion and power, aligned with the museum’s goals for the gallery.
Gross and Mongelluzzo worked together to select the exhibition’s 29 works, which span the seventh century through 2007 and are divided into four thematic sections on gender, labor, mobility and self-expression.
One highlight is a limited-edition lithograph of Mary Beth Edelson’s “Some Living American Women Artists/Last Supper,” in which the faces of Christ’s disciples from Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” are replaced with cut-out photographs of American women artists.
“This piece confronts male-dominated spaces and institutions, prompting us to consider how ‘wearing the pants’ is often gendered and relates to occupying a position of power,” said Mongelluzzo.
Gross and Ciaramitaro’s students explored those themes when working on the exhibition, during which time they had the opportunity to examine pieces up close and in person.
“The students were so into it. They were amazed they could be so close to the actual pieces,” said Gross. “When we examined a piece from the Nuremburg Chronicle, one commented, ‘I can’t believe I am really touching something from the 1500s.’”
Gross will discuss the exhibition during a gallery talk at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, during the Palmer’s Art After Hours event, “College Couture,” which will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. The evening will also include an in-gallery fashion show and art-making activity.
According to Gross, the exhibition is “the icing on the cake” for her fashion history students, whose research is now on display at the Palmer.
“I’m really proud of this show,” said Gross. “I’m really pleased with how willing the Palmer was to make the pieces available to my students to respond to, and how excited the students all were about being able to see these works first-hand.”
Mongelluzzo also praised the collaboration experience.
“It has been both a joyful and rewarding experience. I was so impressed by Charlene’s Theatre 464 students’ observational skills and thoughtful contributions that shaped the digital interpretation for the exhibition.”