Recycle Fashion Runway Show Success

Curbside Couture 2015

Sixteen art students ventured into another season of striving to create couture outfits from recycled and repurposed materials into wearable garments. We started in September and it concluded in on April 12^th at the Clinton Presidential Center. It was a long journey with many bumps in the road.

If you are an artist you understand that what you conceive as an idea may not actually be the end result. Since we are not doing this as a studio art course and it’s only volunteers who participate. It limits the amount of time we have available to do the creating. Balancing all of our academics and athletic responsibilities is a challenge on it’s own. Then you add up the hours to be successful at this project and you understand why some students do not participate. This project takes guts.

I start collecting and storing materials all year long for the possibility that the materials may be chosen to be used on a garment. I encourage people in my school community to bring in anything they might feel we could use for the designs. I have strong community support and I nurture it often. So I end up with loads of very interesting stuff.

My students will collect a lot of their own materials too, especially if they have a strong vision for the concept. This project is not for anyone who is particular about being super neat but it will require organization.

The projects start either from an inspired sketch or by the actual materials. Our garments are created to fit the student models that have decided to be a big part of the process. Our models are not just hangers that wear our garments on the runway. Our models help with the construction, offer opinions, and dedicate hours of time to be available to constantly make adjustments to the design. The pieces are more like sculptures that move and fit like garments.

Pointers for the art teacher or students:

• My advice to new students is to work on looking at what you like in fashion. I created a Pinterest Board for inspiration and I encourage my students to create their own inspiration board or have a sketchbook.
• Second bit of advise is to rummage through the materials we already have in the studio for the project and figure out ways to reimage the materials in new ways.
• Ask these questions: Can it be painted, cut up, weaved, braided, and or layered.
• Ask questions on what can be changed? Color is an element to make a decision about, shapes are also a decision, dimensions in relation to the size of the model, what will move well and be comfortable?
• I emphasize changing the materials so it looks like wearable beautiful garments. I want the viewers to see the garment and then wonder what is it made of not the other way around. It should surprise the viewer with how it is made and what it is made of.

This year I sat relatively invisible in the crowd and listened to the people in the audience as my students walked the runway. I heard people say “I’d wear that!” “Wow!”, “Episcopal Students pieces are always so good”. I am bursting with pride when people say wonderful things when they have no idea I am their teacher.

The show was a success because we had created dynamic and exciting garments. I was successful because I was able to get this group through another season of the recycle fashion show. It is a season and it is a long one with many hours outside of my regular school hours. I have had amazing talks with the students at our Saturday workshops. I learned so much about them. We laugh, we goof off, and we get to know one another. We build a level of trust and I love it. It is one of the most important elements of being successful with students. Building a community around positive and active ways to create art and make a difference in their lives. The art part will be the extra.

This year we are graduating three seniors. One of the seniors has been with me since the very first year of our venture in recycled fashion. The beginning was all new for me. I had a steep learning curve but it was fun because we were all doing it together. She has participated every year creating wonderful designs and encouraged others to get involved and take the risk. Although she may not have gotten the big prize, she has proven herself to all of us over and over. I am so very proud of her and I will miss having her in my studio.

I will also be losing my right hand for Homes for Haiti and our runway backdrop designer for the past two years. She is our cheerleader, a model, and always offers assistance.

Our last senior has only been doing the show for one year and she did a great job. She did not give up and she created a fun and inspired design and it was one of the favorites of my art teacher friends.

Lucky for me, I get to repeat again next year with a bunch of experienced and creative juniors. “Look out! We are coming hard next year.”

We not only had 16 students involved in the runway show but I had a bunch of student volunteers at the fashion bazaar selling our Homes for Haiti. We have been creating our pins, magnets, and ornament since the devastating earthquake in Haiti and five years later, $65,000 later we are still going strong. On this night we raised $80.00 at the runway show.

This event is a great opportunity to showcase what “art in action”, can do in helping young people realize new talents, take risks at being original, and to help students find ways to make the world a better place.

Reimagining materials that would fill up our landfills and creating an amazing event that hundreds people come to see. The room was filled to capacity with viewers lining all the walls, standing up to see what all the students created.

As an art educator witnessing this was awe-inspiring. If only more individuals, who make the decisions about cutting the arts, could realize the power of art.

The transformative power art does for a community is amazing.

I always get sentimental with my students when they leave the studio. It is not so easy when you work hard for many hours through frustrations, problems, disappointments, and successes. We get attached. I know my students have had a great time and have fond memories from all the activities we have done. All the beautiful art is all gravy to me.

Homes for Haiti- We are still going strong

Art Club selling our pins

It’s sometimes hard to imagine how this little project has evolved over the years.  We are stronger than ever this year with great student leadership.  I have students in middle school – high school who come to support our cause for Haiti. I have excellent students who articulate the project well and with passion.  We had over 25 different students for three different sifts sell our Homes for Haiti art pins and ornaments.  I had students stand in the road in the middle of the festival and invite festival goers to our booth to hear about our project.  Everyone was impressed with the pins and ornaments  and our passion for the project.  We had people purchase pins and ornaments and some plain straight donations.  We turned people on to the needs in Haiti and explained our commitment to Haiti.

Some of our ornaments

This project is  much bigger than raising money for the needs in Haiti.  It is also about global awareness, leadership, building self esteem, opening the eyes of others to philanthropic works, and the power of art to change the world.  As an art educator I strive to bring what they learn in the art studio into the real world.  I want my students empowered to create art and change the world for the better.  I want them to embrace an idea and do the hard work to achieve greatness.  On this beautiful day in Arkansas we raised $1288.25 for the Bill Clinton Haiti Relief Fund.  We also got invited to sell our pins at three different events at no charge to help our cause.  Seriously- I am exhausted…I spend all week with my art students in class, lots of time after school, and my Saturdays.  But I find the excitement in my students contagious and the esteem growth intoxicating.  I feel I have found the fountain of youth.   

Mr. Carr comes to see our good work.

The support I get from my students, parents of my students, colleagues, and the community is amazing.  Life is good.

Look at my students work

Kismet

On May 17th I was awarded the highest honor a faculty member can receive at our school.  It was our Class Day Awards ceremony and I had my son a graduating senior in the audience, in addition, my husband, my parents, and my brother-in-law and sisters-in-law.  I was already feeling very nostalgic about my son and this graduating class.  It was a big day and I had a heavy but full heart.  I hung in the balance of near tears most of the week and this day was not helping.

It has been a full wonderful school year and I have accomplished so much in my new school, my new city, and my new art studio.  This graduating class was instrumental in following my lead and supporting the efforts to help Haiti and improve and heighten the visual arts in our school.  I am the only art teacher in the Upper School and I teach several different courses.  I love the variety and I cannot imagine limiting my options.  It has been hard work but I finally feel I am making some headway.  I work hard to raise the standards, expand my student’s experiences, and provide new exciting opportunities.  The opportunities vary in range from local art shows, local art competitions, charity events, and community based exhibitions.  My students excel in all venues and I am so proud of them.

On this day my son was awarded the Citizenship Award and I was filled with pride.  He sang in the choir a beautiful song and I began to cry as I heard his voice sing out to the audience.  I did regain my composure to award the Fine Arts Awards and my voice only quivered once when I announced some of my student’s names.  A few are seniors and they are moving on…I will miss their faces.  I listened again to the other awards and my son was awarded an AP Calc Award, super happy…. Wow!   I was thinking to myself, I will miss him in my daily life at school and at home so much.  But I know he is well prepared and excited about his future so I am very happy.

Then the Trustee stepped up to read the award and he begins to mention bits and pieces of the award winner’s accomplishments and whispers fill the area surrounding the students.    Then it hits me…he is talking about me.  I am unable to breathe and I say to myself breathe and live in this moment.  My colleagues closest to me begin to tear up and this is not helping me maintain my composure.  So I decide to keep breathing and look out to the audience.  I spy a parent and trustee of one of my senior students and she is crying through her smile.  I look to my students below and they are all smiling and several are crying too.  At this point I glance to my family in the crowd and I see my husband.  It takes my entire self-talk not to get sick or break out in tears.

I accomplished something that I was always hoping to achieve.  I did it!  I stood up and accepted my award and I did not cry.  I did have damp eyes but I stood proud.  I really believe I made a difference in my student’s lives and I was accepted into my new community.  One of the things that was said during the reading of the award was the mention that,” I was a transplant Arkansan from Milwaukee, Wisconsin”.  I was touched that I did break through, I broke out, and I made it!

The Jackson T. Stephens Faculty Award-2013 winner is Joy Schultz.  I will be able to go to Haiti now with the award money to see the BeLikeBrit Orphanage, something I really need to see.  I will be able to select another enriching professional development experience too.  I am just not sure what that will be.

Right now, I am satisfied and looking forward to spending the summer with my son before he leaves for college.   I will refresh and begin a new school year ready to take on the world!

Wow! What a wonderful way to end the school year.

Finding rewards after a long school year.

At the semesters end we all are exhausted and have lists of things to complete before we can be off on our summer adventures.  We need to stay focused on our students and remember what is truly important.

Relationships with our student’s and celebrating successes our students have achieved by our combined hard work.

I have several things to be celebrating as the year wraps up.  One is the acceptance of two of my seniors heading to SCAD to explore an exciting fine arts education.  Plus- four of my younger students will be enjoying SCADs summer art experiences as well.  A bonus is one of my talented Juniors was awarded a scholarship to attend the Rising Star program.

Second is a request from our Congressman who was so impressed with my student’s photography submissions that he asked to display three of my student’s works in his local and DC office.  Two in the local office and one in Washington D. C.  This is so wonderful for my young photographers to get kudos for their hard work.

Third is one of my artists is donating a photograph to the local permanent art gallery collection at the Psychiatric Research Institute.

Photograph donated to Arkansas PRI Hospital- Artist Nick Simmons

 This makes me so proud that one of my students was selected and is donating his piece without a prize award for his contribution.

 Fourth is all my students who have donated time, energy, and talent to support local and International charities with their art.  I have dozens of orphan portraits to send to Haiti to the BeLikeBrit orphanage.  I also have five Home Plates to submit for auction in the Fall to help support local children’s charities.

 Fifth is the completion of three separate successful Curbside Couture fashion shows. We brought awareness and excitement to our community.

 Sixth are my students having confidence and works to sell on their own Etsy stores. Excited to see them taking control of  opportunities and learning about business.

 Seventh is completion of a fourth year working and continuing our work to help Haiti with our Homes for Haiti project.

  Eighth is all the beautiful art works that competed in local art shows.  Winning awards are great reinforcement for their talents but completing original pieces to showcase is a reward too.  I especially love to hear compliments from viewers and smiles on my student’s faces= priceless.

It has been a very busy school year with so many projects completed; artists’ works developed, minds expanded, hearts opened, and one proud art teacher.  Phew!  Yes- there are days I am stressed out and exhausted but I need to reflect on the accomplishments.

 Focus on the students because they are only in my presence for a short time and I want it to be worthwhile.

To all the art educators out there finishing up AP Art portfolios’, firing up the last kiln firing, returning art work, and hugging Seniors as they walk out your door.  We have an important job to do and we will be gathering strength soon enough, so take time to write down all of your accomplishments and reflect too.

Celebrate!

   We  need to be ready to inspire next year’s students.  We have a very important job to do.

Helping Students See What Is Important

After all the glam of the runway, I am back at work and focused on Haiti.  Yes- I am still an art teacher and I am working hard at teaching all the varied skills my student need to learn for creating an etching in Printmaking, using the Text tool in Media Art to create a Band Cover, finishing up AP Art Portfolio’s, and so much more… but  I am drawn back to my thoughts of the children in Haiti.  I have been raising money for Haiti for four years now and specifically focused on one special orphanage called BeLikeBrit.org.  I follow the Facebook updates and read the blogs posted by the director of the orphanage.  I get to see photos of the children getting good meals, nice clothing, playing, going to school, and watching “A Bug’s Life” on a projected wall.  24 little children watching a movie is not too amazing in America, but if you know the stories about these children and how this all came to be, you would be filled with pride and tears would well in your eyes.  

My art students have been on this journey with me for four years, helping me create art pins for our community service project Homes for Haiti.  It has grown and is still raising funds to help build Haiti Back Better with the Bill Clinton’s Haiti Relief Fund.  I decided to have my students get a more personal feel about the conditions of the children in Haiti, so I linked them to the orphanage.

 We had a Cultural Festival yesterday and I set up a table about Haiti.  I was lucky to have some photo frames donated to help me raise money for the orphanage, the frames were made and painted by Haitian Artists.  I also requested that my students select an orphan and to paint a portrait of them to send to them in Haiti. I wanted a few portraits to have on display for the Cultural Festival to bring awareness to our project too. 

My heart was warmed by students enthusiastically selecting one child at a time.  We began our portraits this week.  Word got out about our portrait paintings and soon other students not enrolled in my art classes asked if they could paint a portrait?  I said yes.  Some needed more support to get facial features correct or skin tone to look just right, but the students are doing a great job.  I have a few more children to paint to make sure every child will receive a painted portrait, but I know some students will double up.   

The discussions at the art tables are so wonderful.  The students are following the orphanages FB page and sharing news about the children.  The big news this week was the new school bus.  My students love the new photos of the children playing, attending school, painting pictures, and watching movies.  We talk about the children in Haiti as if we know them.  We daydream about their personalities and dream of one day going to Haiti and volunteering at the orphanage.

We raised some money from selling our painted photo frames and as soon as all the portraits are complete we will send them to Haiti with our love and hope for a bright future. My students are understanding the value of the simple but so important things about a child’s life in Haiti.  They are learning to enjoy the smiles and bright big brown eyes that we see on our computer screens.  

I am so proud of my students.  I am hopeful that our work will help the children in Haiti become strong, educated, wonderful Haitian leaders.

The Circle is Closed.

I started the Homes for Haiti Project the day after Missy was missing in Haiti after the earthquake.  My students have been busy working on this project ever since and I never told them why.  Well- they do now. http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=534362    I was also able to share with Missy all the hard work I have been doing in her honor.  My heart is filled with pride and excitement for all the good work we are doing.  Missy’s parents visited us in Little Rock too and they showed their appreciation by purchasing blocks for an orphanage in Haiti in my name and in our schools name.  I have never been given a better gift.  The orphanage is BeLikeBrit – an orphanage built by Britney’s parents in her memory after her passing in the collapse of Hotel Montana.  The very same Hotel Missy climbed out of from a small hole.  Check out the link to read about this wonderful dedication to their daughter. http://belikebrit.org/blocks/  Page down the page to see our name too.