October 26, 2014 to January 18, 2015
Goggles and airships and ray-guns. Steampunk is, once again, the Next Big Thing, influencing fashion designers, home decor, movies, and more. Even I.B.M. and Time magazine have taken notice. So what is Steampunk, anyway? Steampunk is a type of Science Fiction literature. Stories. Stories which inspire costumes, fashion, crafters, musicians, directors, and, of course, writers. So what, then, makes a story a "steampunk" story? This question has been asked ever since K. W. Jeter coined the term in 1987. Eight things seem to bind these stories together, to make them "Steampunk" stories. This exhibit explores each of those eight themes with costumes, props, and of course books which reflect the themes in question.
