The Cultural Arts Center of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department will debut its citywide program, “Hey, Columbus … What’s on Your Head?” tomorrow.

The subject of the interdisciplinary cultural project – hats, hats and more hats – seems like such a niche topic that many are startled by the ambitious nature of the event. Gayle Sterge, curator of the Ohio State historic costume and textile collection at the College of Human Ecology, said she was surprised when told about the month-long, cross-disciplinary project.

“I didn’t think anyone not connected with the fashion industry would be at all interested,” Sterge said. “But given all the people who have become involved, I know that’s the case.” Sterge’s department had loaned 76 vintage hats to the project’s main exhibition.

The organizations that have agreed to play a part in the celebration read like a who’s-who of noted cultural institutions. Among them are the Columbus Museum of Art, the Wexner Center and the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

“Each partner is doing a little something different – from exhibiting hats to putting on special programs and workshops about hats,” said Jennifer Robinson, program specialist for the city-funded Cultural Arts Center.

The project began when Robinson saw a news feature related to hats and their social significance on a morning television program in fall 2000. A number of co-workers at the center also saw the piece, and after some discussion, it became the inspiration for a then yet-to-be-titled event that would place hats in cultural and historical significance.

“We wanted to explain why hats have been such an important part of fashion, and to point out their significance in terms of both design and culture,” Robinson said. “What do they say about who we are and what we will become?”

Funding for the project seemed an uphill battle at first, with the city’s economy lagging and budget resources dwindling.

Corporate America came to the rescue, however, as representatives from Marshall Fields informed the Cultural Arts Center that the company had funds set aside for a community project. Even though the department store chain closed the shop in Columbus a short time later, Target – the corporate owner of Marshall Fields – came up with the money to get the program off the ground.

As planning turned into execution, Sterge was brought in to organize the festival’s centerpiece, an exhibition. that features hats of every vintage and variety from 1900 to the present and is housed at the Cultural Arts Center on 139 W. Main St.

Sterge said she helped streamline the exhibit so that the sequence of hats on display appeared in understandable chronological sequence.

“You get a look at the Hollywood glamour of the ’30s, the World War II look of the ’40s, the more modern styles of the ’60s and ’70s,” Sterge said.

Other activities organized in collaboration between the city, the Cultural Arts Center and its partners include a Wexner-hosted discussion about how hats are used in the theater to develop characters, and a luncheon and fashion show at the Franklin Park Conservatory (See sidebar at right for a full list of activities that will take place during the festival month.)

“Hey, Columbus … What’s on Your Head?” begins at 6 p.m. tomorrow at the King Arts Complex with a fashion show and auction of hats made by Columbus artists and runs until May 17.