Sharon Mang

“Through the Eyes of Margaret and John Bird: The Civil War in Decatur County, Indiana”, Mang’s winning program idea, is designed for her fashion/textiles and housing/interior design students to study the Civil War through the eyes of Margaret and John Bird, residents of Decatur County from 1850-1865. The fashion/textile students will construct and reproduce clothing and a Union quilt. They will collaborate with author Deborah Petite on the effects of the war on the textile industry. The housing/interior design students will create scaled models and drawings of the courthouse square and display the results of these projects during the fall Chautauqua Community presentations. Through the presentations, students will gain an appreciation for the history of their community as well as gain a deeper appreciation of the effects of the Civil War on the home front, and the textile and housing industries. Mang, who lives in Greensburg, hopes her program will help students develop employable skills in clothing construction, alterations, drafting and problem solving.