Hasta La Ideas

Just three weeks after the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin kicked off a campaign asking for donations to restore five of the original dresses used in the film Gone with the Wind, part of their very large David O. Selznick Collection, which contains more than 5,000 boxes of the legendary film producer’s archives, the museum has announced that they’ve already reached their $30,000 goal. They received donations from more than 600 people across 44 states and 13 countries, helping them to reach their needed total in record pace. The money will be put into working to restore the costumes, which are scheduled to be displayed in 2014, the 75th anniversary of the famous film, as well as giving the museum the ability to loan them out to other organizations following that exhibition. Here’s a bit:

“Most costumes are not constructed to last beyond the production of the film nor are they finished in the same way as a ready-to-wear garment,” said Jill Morena, collection assistant for costumes and personal effects at the Ransom Center. “We’ve taken steps to prevent further damage, but we want to be able to safely display and share the dresses.”

“These generous donations confirm that the film’s legions of fans do, in fact, care,” said Steve Wilson, film curator at the Ransom Center.

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