On July 18 and 20, the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) gave private tours of Taylor Swift: Storyteller. The exhibition displayed artifacts from Swift’s career. Barbara Tober, Chair Emerita hosted the event. Tim Rodgers and director Nanette L. Laitman assisted with the event. The museum’s Resident Swiftie, Kat Sloan Garcia, led the tour through the gallery.
Garcia started with a humorous introduction. She asked how many attendees knew about Swift. Many group members raised their hands. A few visitors considered themselves Swifties and even superfans. Comedically, one patron said that they had never heard of Swift. Garcia gave a brief introduction to the musician.
For two decades, Swift has written music. She released ten original albums and three re-recorded albums. Fans of her work referred to each album as a different “era.” The exhibit showed Swift’s progression throughout these eras, which included sonic and aesthetic shifts.
“You can almost consider each era as a ‘character,’” said Garcia. She started with the exhibit’s center display case.
It contained artifacts from her ten original albums. First, the museum displayed a blue dress from her self-titled record. BCBG Max Azria designed the custom garment, while Liberty designed the matching custom boots. Swift wore the outfit on her Soul2Soul tour performance on November 7, 2007. Garcia provided more insight into this album.
Swift was sixteen when the country album was released. Garcia described interesting facts about this release. She said, “When it was released, no young women were releasing country music.” This solidified Swift as a trailblazer from her career’s start. Garcia detailed Swift’s songwriting process.
Swift wrote much of her own music. Early in her career, she received help from co-writers, such as Liz Rose. Then, Garcia spoke about the next item in the display case.
On the cover of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” Swift wore a beige Fernanda Blouse. Brooklyn-based designer Ulla Johnson created the shirt. Originally, Swift released the album in 2008. Hits included “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” In 2021, she re-released “Fearless.” Garcia explained the bold move.
As a teenager, Swift signed a record deal for six albums. She released her sixth record and attempted to renegotiate with the label. The parties could not agree and Swift left the label. Unfortunately, this label still owned the album’s master recordings. “She decided to re-record the records so that she could own them,” said Garcia. Then, she spoke about an artifact from the Speak Now era.
Roberto Cavalli designed the golden beaded fringe dress. On the “Speak Now” World Tour 2011-2012, Swift wore the item while singing “Sparks Fly,” “Mine,” and “The Story of Us.” She paired it with a red electric Gibson guitar. While touring in Asia and Europe, she performed in the garment while singing “Back to December” and “Better Than Revenge.” In the “Red” era, Swift wore an iconic outfit as well.
Ashish designed the top, which read “Not A Lot Going On At The Moment.” Bloch provided the dance shoes. Swift paired the items with shorts and a hat for the “22” music video (2013). Garcia made a connection to one of Swift’s recent outfits.
“It’s been recreated for her current tour— the Eras tour— to say “A Lot Going On At The Moment,” said Garcia.
In the “1989” era, Swift wore a dazzling teal jumpsuit. Jessica Jones designed the custom costume, while Stuart Weitzman designed the boots. Swift wore the ensemble for “Shake It Off” performances during the “1989” World Tour (2015). Garcia noted the album’s significance in popular culture.
Swift released the album in 2014. “It marks her transition into pop music. It won album of the year at the Grammys,” explained Garcia. She cited the hit single “Never, Ever Getting Back Together.” The next artifact came from the “Reputation” era.
Jessica Jones designed the glittery, black jumpsuit with a hood. Christian Louboutin created the matching boots. Swift wore the outfit for the “Ready for It?, I Did Something Bad,” “Gorgeous,” and “Style / Love Story / You Belong With Me” medley performances in the “Reputation” World Tour (2018). Garcia commented on this era as well.
Prior, Swift released an album every two years in October. During the “1989” era, she became a global pop star. The public scrutinized her professional and personal lives. “She actually disappeared for a full year,” said Garcia. Swift reentered society with the “Reputation” album. The reinvention developed into a smash hit. Then, Garcia discussed an artifact from the “Lover” era.
Versace designed the pastel jacket, top, and shorts. Christian Louboutin created the boots. Swift wore the ensemble for the “Lover” and “You Need To Calm Down” performances at the MTV Music Awards. The show occurred in Newark, New Jersey on August 26, 2019. The display case contained artifacts from the “Evermore” era as well.
On the “Evermore” cover, Swift wore a brown-and-orange plaid wool coat. Stella McCartney designed the jacket. Garcia mentioned this fact’s significance. For the first time, Swift wore a non-custom-made outfit. Fans found the garment and similar styles on store shelves. Garcia described the characteristics of this era.
The songs sound more quiet with a more indie style. It coincides with the sister era, “Folklore.” Initially, Swift did not tour for these albums. However, she incorporated some songs into her ongoing “Eras” tour. The right-hand case had outfits from re-recorded album eras.
In the “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)” music video (2021), Swift wore extravagant red costumes. Coofandy designed the crimson band jacket, while Christian Louboutin created the shoes. Swift wore custom-made pants and a hat. The video featured another gorgeous outfit as well.
In the same video, Swift wore a stunning red ball gown with a hoop skirt. Nicole + Felicia Couture designed the gown. Swift paired the piece with a crimson microphone. To its left, the museum displayed an outfit from the initial “Red” era.
Marina Toybina created the custom black lace dress. Also, they provided the grand piano. Swift utilized the materials for “All Too Well” performances in the “Red” tour (2013-2014). The same case showed an outfit from her latest era too.
Michael Schmidt Studios designed the custom outfit. Swift wore the unique costume for the “Bejeweled” music video (2022). Courtesy of the aforementioned studios, the gallery displayed a behind-the-scenes video. It revealed how the production team created the official music video.
Next to the museum’s grand staircase, a screen displayed other music videos on a loop. First, it showed “You Need to Calm Down” (2019). Second, it presented “Lover” (2019). Drew Kirsch and Swift directed both music videos. Swift directed the rest of the screened videos.
The museum showed “Cardigan” (2020) and “Willow” (2020). “All Too Well: The Short Film” (2021) appeared stunningly. Sadie Sink, Dylan O’Brien, and Swift starred in the production. Recent music videos played as well.
The exhibition showed “Anti-Hero” (2022) and “Bejeweled” (2022). The “Lavender Haze” (2023) video displayed elegance. The exhibition featured stunning decor.
A neon sign stretched across the grand staircase. In a fuscia script, it read “Taylor Swift.” A guitar separated her first and last name.
Next to the elevator, a wall explained Swift’s connection to feminism. It said that she “discussed the pressures that women musicians feel to constantly transform their public images.” The wall pointed out, “the broad array of characters she plays in her music videos and performances may also be seen as a commentary on female archetypes.” The wall illustrated Swift’s storytelling abilities with similar wanderlust.
It said, “Swift has built distinctive worlds through both her songwriting and her meticulously crafted videos and live 
performances.” The wall described the stories as “eminently relatable to her legions of fans.”
Near the center cases, pink lights projected onto the floor. They read “Love, Taylor.” The R stretched into a gorgeous heart.
The exhibit displayed two lyric walls. A portion of the song “All Too Well” was painted on a wall parallel to the elevator. An excerpt from “Tim Graw” was painted on a wall opposite the right-hand case. It had cross-outs to look more authentic. After the tour, the museum treated guests to lunch on the seventh floor.
The first course consisted of a garden market green salad. It had kiwis, mixed berries, Marcona almonds, watermelon radishes, and champagne vinaigrette. The second course tasted delectable too.
The Scottish salmon came with English peas, red lentils, and peri-peri aioli. The dessert had a decadent flavor.
The peach tart had vanilla Greek yogurt, almond brittle, and a lavender haze. Servers offered wines too.
The list consisted of Domaine des Verchères Chardonnay, Mâcon-Villages Burgundy (2021), and Marques de Riscal Reserva Rioja (2018). Guests can easily access the Taylor Swift: Storyteller exhibition.
Guests can find it on the museum’s second floor. Attendees can access it from the grand staircase or the elevator. MAD will display the artifacts until September 4.
