JLN Costume Mounting

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JLN Costume Mounting

It is owned and operated by Jennifer Nieling out of New Haven, CT.

JLN Costume Mounting LLC provides costume exhibition and collections management services to museums, collections, and exhibition and design firms throughout the United States.

08/07/2025

Big news - I have relocated to New York City! I will be here for at least the next two years, so if you have costume mounting projects in and around the city, keep me in mind. I will also continue to travel for projects through the U.S. (or further afield, if the opportunity presents itself!)

Update email went out this morning! If you didn’t get it and want to be on my mailing list, you can sign up on my website or just reach out to me directly. Looking forward to catching up with my NYC-based colleagues, and please reach out if you’re visiting from out of town!

18/06/2025

My exhibition Behind the Seams: Clothing and Textiles on Nantucket opened a few weeks ago and will be open through November 2 at the Nantucket Whaling Museum! As guest curator and costume mounter, I spent the past year and a half doing research, writing, design meetings, building costume mounts, and installing and I’m so proud of how this exhibition turned out.

A product of the costume & textile collections inventory that I led at the Nantucket Historical Association back in 2017-2018, Behind the Seams presents clothing, textiles, and tools of the trade through themes of Making, Meaning, and Island Identity. As a maker and sewist, these themes are so personal to me, and I’m thrilled to present a show that draws focus to how clothing and textiles have been made, obtained, and cared for throughout history, and highlights sustainable practices from altering and strategic sewing to mending and upcycling. These objects are also a lens through which to present the unique history of Nantucket and its people, telling many stories of individuals, community connections, and the shifting identity of an island that went from a whaling port to a resort destination.

It was such an honor and privilege to engage with many talented textile practitioners in this community through this exhibition, from incredible weaving past and present, renowned embroiderers like Elizabeth Gilbert and the legacy of , and talented contemporary makers who are reviving sustainable practices like and - who are also doing live weaving demonstrations in the museum all summer!

Thank you to staff, and our designers Helen Reigle and for helping to bring this beautiful show to life!

Photos 1-14, 16-17 Bill Hoenk for NHA

05/05/2025

It’s my first day of install of my exhibition Behind the Seams: Clothing and Textiles on Nantucket, and this issue of Historic Nantucket magazine just came out with gorgeous photos by .e.amaral . I’m so excited to install everything and finally show everyone what we’ve been working so hard on for over a year!

31/01/2025

Before this first month of 2025 is over (already?!), I wanted to look back at 2024 - which included much more than my IG profile would lead you to believe! Filled with exciting projects and travel that kept me too busy to post. Here are the highlights:
1-3. I got to build custom mounts for rotations and the new Bethune Room at NMAAHC. This included garments worn by Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Stacey Abrams, and more!
4-5. I got to present about the Bethune Room custom mounts with at in Boston, where I met lots of great museum people and went on some cool tours!
6-7. I got to build custom mounts for the incredible Osgemeos exhibition at
8-11. I mounted some fabulous costumes at the including the famous Jack and Rose from Titanic and costumes worn by Gene Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, and Gina Lollobrigida!
12-13. I mounted costumes for ’s Pschedelic Rock Posters & Fashion of the 1960s with the help of their wonderful staff, and got to spend time in Portland, OR for the first time.
14. While in Oregon, I checked an item off my bucket list in seeing the Théâtre de la Mode fashion dolls at the Maryhill Museum!
15. All this time, I’ve also been working on my first big project as a guest curator (and costume mounter): Behind the Seams: Clothing & Textiles on Nantucket and the Nantucket Historical Association . From object selection to script writing to mounting costumes, it’s kept me very busy. I even made the cover of Historic Nantucket magazine! The exhibition will open on May 2025.
After that, who knows - the calendar is open for costume mounting or related gigs! Hoping for a 2025 filled with joy and success for all museum and cultural workers and everyone else 🤞

21/06/2023

Happy first day of summer! I recently had the pleasure of mounting costumes for a show all about Summer - specifically, Summer on Nantucket! This project was especially fun because I got to build full characters - a family going to the beach, a 1960s cocktail party, the tourist finding his way and the gardener keeping things beautiful - all complete with accessories, custom hair, and fun poses! Lots of work but I think it paid off! The ensembles included some of my favorite pieces from the collection - a 1960s skirt and contemporary classic sweater by the wonderful , dresses by Nantucket Designs for Children, a jacket from Stinchfield’s, and some lovely historic pieces including a 1900s bathing costume and a beautiful summer day dress from the 1870s. Summer on Nantucket: A History of the Island Resort tells the story of how Nantucket has evolved as a summer destination, what the challenges have been and continue to be, what goes into making summer work for visitors and the year round residents, and of course why Nantucket summer is beloved by many and what keeps people coming (Beautiful beaches! Friends, family, and fun! The old mill? Apparently meeting the oldey timey local characters in the past?) Make sure to see Summer on Nantucket at the Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum if you’re planning to visit the island this summer, or maybe here’s your excuse to plan a visit to Nantucket soon 😊

08/04/2023

When curator Christopher Malone at the American Swedish Historical Museum reached out to me to mount costumes for his latest exhibition Radically Marimekko, I was so excited for the opportunity not only to get involved with this wonderful small museum again, where I interned almost 10 years ago and learned more about my Scandinavian roots, but also to work with pieces from an iconic design brand from my favorite fashion history era, Marimekko! ASHM is a gem of a small museum in Philadelphia, now representing all the cultures of Scandinavia, and Radically Marimekko is a gem of an exhibition, presenting the history and evolution of the iconic Finnish brand through the fabulous dress collection of Dr. Kirsten M. Jensen and Freja A. Jensen as well as supporting objects and textiles, many on loan from ASHM members. It was such a pleasure to work with such colorful, joyous, and playful pieces (each one I mounted became my new favorite!) that have such an important place in the history of design and connections to so many people, places, and aspects of social and cultural history (see the exhibit to learn more!). It was also such fun to work with ASHM’s small but mighty staff to mount the costumes in this exhibition. Thank you to our friends at Drexel’s for loaning the mannequins and forms, we couldn’t have done it without your generosity! And a big congratulations to Chris who not only curated a beautiful exhibition but also jumped into costume mounting for the first time like a pro - who knew he could drape such a nice tulle skirt? Must be the architecture background! Go see Radically Marimekko, open now through September 24, 2023!
Keep an eye on my stories for some !

24/03/2023

I’m thrilled that Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures is now open at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture! I had the pleasure of spending some time in DC this past fall/winter building custom mounts for costumes in this show, including the iconic Star Trek costume worn by Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura, an incredible costume worn by Dee Dee Bridgewater as Glinda in the original Broadway production of The Wiz, and some fabulous costumes worn by musicians like Sun Ra Arkestra and Jimi Hendrix! I had an amazing time working with these pieces and the wonderful staff at and I can’t wait to see the full exhibition! There are so many fabulous pieces and stories, make sure to visit if you’re in DC!

costume

03/01/2023

Happy New Year, friends! How is it 2023 already? I haven’t posted to IG in a while, but I’ve been busy with exciting projects! 2022 was a great year for JLN Costume Mounting - my second year in business as an independent contractor with lots of traveling gigs, conferences, new colleagues, and fun challenges. And I moved from New Haven to Philadelphia! Here are some highlights from 2022:
1-2. Round 2 of costume rotations at the - I got to mount over 30 costumes including the gown Halle Berry wore for her historic Oscar win, and I was featured in a reel on their IG!
3-4. Costume mounting at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture was a wonderful experience - I got to work with , got intimate with some Dorman forms, and worked with cool pieces like the original Lt. Uhura costume worn by Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek and other fabulous costumes that will be in their upcoming Afrofuturism exhibition!
5-6. I built a custom form for an 18th century robe a la française that the lent to for display in the exhibition that just closed with rave reviews!
7. I attended my first AIC conference in LA and taught a costume mounting workshop!
8. I returned to the Nantucket Historical Association to mount some Chinese robes
9. I’m continuing my research about the history of and will be contributing an essay on the subject to an exhibition catalog! I had a wonderful research visit to Nantucket to interview the women who continue on the legacy of this truly special hand weaving business.
10. Earlier in the year, I worked for Yale Art Gallery on a photo shoot project of 300+ Indonesian textiles - absolutely incredible pieces, and some over 800 years old!
(Not pictured) I also got to guest lecture at my alma mater Fashion & Textile Studies MA program at !
I couldn’t have imagined a year like this when I started my business in the fall of 2020. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, recommended me, and generously shared their skills and knowledge. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

12/08/2022

Had such a fun time making a custom 18th century dress mount this week!

21/05/2022

I was so excited to finally make it to the at the conference earlier this week for a special tour of their exhibition and a behind the scenes looks at their collection! Curator showed us some incredible rare historic royal garments, including one for which they made a replica to use while building a custom mount - love it! 😍 ✨ The exhibition featured a wonderful array of 2021 film costumes, and told us what it takes to get these recent costumes from the film studio to the fabulous display we saw (complete with custom wigs!) I especially loved to see the great explanation of on the wall. And of course, the costumes from Cruella 🔥 Such a well-deserved Oscars win for best costume design! Thank you FIDM museum for hosting us!!

18/05/2022

Happy ! I spent the past few days immersed in all things museums and specifically conservation at the AIC annual meeting in Los Angeles. It was so exciting to teach my costume mounting workshop (thank you to all those who attended!), see some fabulous talks and posters on costume and textile conservation treatments, costume mounting, and more, and learn about new conservation and museum products from vendors in the exhibition hall. It was especially wonderful to reconnect in person with many colleagues from all over the country after two years of remote interactions and limited travel!

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