Vicki Penner treasures the aprons that her mother made by hand when she was a child, which are now part of a collection on display at the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur. "They're just really special to the home and people have memories of aprons that they'll really think about," Vicki says of the exhibit. About 50 aprons and other items are part of the exhibit, Aprons: Tying Together Chickasaw Kitchens, which explores kitchens within a Chickasaw context, and the historic influence that Chickasaw women had on homemaking, cooking, sewing and family care throughout the 20th century. Along with the skillfully sewn aprons, artifacts, photos and archival documents related to kitchen and home management are also on display. One of the sentimental snapshots is of Vicki's grandmother, Maude Ella Ryder Brown. Vicki says that she doesn't remember her grandmother not wearing her apron. "They dried tears and wiped dirty faces. Our grandmothers didn't have the clothes that we have. They might've had two, three or four dresses, so they protected the clothing they had by wearing an apron to keep it from ruining their dresses." Vicki also wants people to remember their childhood when they see the aprons and be reminded of the warm place in your heart for your family.