Warning: Whatever you wear to view the Worn to Be Wild exhibit is going to seem instantly less cool among all the decorated black leather jackets on display.
The multi-media Worn to Be Wild exhibit has over 150 artifacts that channel the cool vibe characteristic of rock-and-roll stars, subculture punks, and movie heroes with authentic historical and pop-culture leather jackets and motorcycles, captioned videos with curated talks and movie clips, print vintage ads, and a little bit of rock and roll music playing in the background.
Curated by the Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle, WA and the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI, the Worn to Be Wild exhibit chronicles the history, contemporary relevance, and the many social connotations of the black leather jacket.
The display shows just how diverse an item the jacket has become, from a functional, protective garment during WWII, to a teen rebel statement jacket, to a high-end couture garment. For instance, there’s a collage of movie stills on one walls that shows Chris Evans in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Rooney Mara in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, pop artist Fergie, Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2, metal band Judas Priest, and Hugh Laurie in House — these pop culture icons hardly share the same personality or fan base, yet they’re all photographed wearing a leather jacket (you can see the real jackets on display in the exhibit).
At the conclusion of the exhibit is a fun photo booth opportunity—slip into a leather jacket (they’ve got all sizes, even ones for the tiniest tot riders), hop on to a shiny new 2013 Harley-Davidson FLSTN Softail Deluxe bike, and channel your inner rebel.
Worn to Be Wild is on display at the Royal Alberta Museum through September 7, 2014 and is included with General Admission to the museum.
