Synopsis

White Gloves explores the shifting definition of the phrase "Women's Work" through the lens of the Oakland Museum Women's Board, and their White Elephant Rummage Sale, which they have been running for the past 54 years. As they sift through objects; those donated to the sale and the artifacts in their own homes, they bare witness to the enormous changes for women during the twentieth century. The Women's Board began as a small group of mothers who in the mid-1950's petitioned for a world-class museum in their own underfunded Oakland, and raised money for the cause by selling their own hats and gloves. They now make nearly two million dollars a year in their annual rummage sale to support Museum activities.