They’re not designing clothes. They’re designing dreams.
Students from Port Townsend and Quilcene are fastening fantasy onto reality through fashion for PT Artscape’s Wearable …
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They’re not designing clothes. They’re designing dreams.
Students from Port Townsend and Quilcene are fastening fantasy onto reality through fashion for PT Artscape’s Wearable Art Student Show.
Two showings of the surreal stitchings will strut the stage at Key City Public Theatre at 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday, March 4.
This youth-centered event offers students a chance to explore their creativity while advancing their skills as makers.
“I’m always pushing them to see wearable art as sculpture, and weird as wonderful,” said Margie McDonald, a PT Artscape teacher and youth coordinator for the Port Townsend Wearable Art Show.
McDonald’s work has also been seen on Key City’s stage before with costume design for “New Moon: A Dog’s Tale,” as well as art adorning the theatre itself along the walls and stairwell. And she’s no less integral to the 12-year history of PT Artscape’s wearable art shows.
“I’ve been making wearable art pieces since our big show began, and I’ve been in the biggest wearable art show in the world in New Zealand twice. And I was in Hollywood last year with a piece for a show down there,” McDonald said. She’ll be showing that same piece from Tinseltown in Seattle in May.
While the larger wearable art show with adult attire has yet to come back from its pandemic-induced hiatus, the student event — which was born out of it — is returning to keep the finery flowing.
“We haven’t had a large wearable art show since 2019, but the student art show we are carrying on with,” McDonald said.
“It takes a little less organizing than the giant show,” she added.
Part of what has yet to be patched up is volunteer support.
“We have a lot of artists who want to make art, we don’t have a lot of people who want to organize it. Because it’s so huge, it takes 60 workers or so,” McDonald said.
The student show, on the other hand, operates a little more easily with teams of one to four kids sewing alongside seven adult volunteers.
Mending that connection between artists and students is at the heart of PT Artscape.
“Our main goal is to connect teaching artists with classrooms,” said Port Townsend High School art teacher Michele Soderstrom.
“Back when we started in ’98, there was maybe a quarter of the representation of art teachers that we have now,” McDonald said.
In addition to the work at Port Townsend High School, volunteers have been going to Quilcene to attach seams across the county.
“Margie and four volunteers called the Swatch-Team have been going to Quilcene every Thursday to work with kids down there,” Soderstrom said.
During a workshop at Northwind Art’s facilities at Fort Worden on Saturday, Feb. 18, students from Quilcene had another chance to get the help of their embroidery advisors and let their sights soar in more ways than one.
“I’m just winging it,” said junior Kristian Escano of his bird-inspired outfit. Working without a reference design, he began fastening cardboard armor to the frame and a whole new shape began to emerge.
Makayla Robinson, a sophomore, was stretching possibilities to create a blend of snake tails and tentacles out of wire-framing which would eventually wrap around her torso and reach out from her arms as she plans to take the stage in stilts.
Sophomore Anna Munn and senior Ashley Jones were collaborating on a floral-inspired gown. The work is familiar to Munn but more fun on her second time around after getting special permission to participate when she was in sixth grade.
“I’m definitely enjoying making this piece more than my last piece,” Anna said. “I was alone before, so it’s helpful having a partner.”
While some students are more used to fabric mediums, like seventh-grader Kai Campbell whose finger-knitting skills go beyond needles, for other’s it’s a new challenge.
“I’m much more of a drawer than a builder,” said Jazz Sutphin, a senior, as she worked away on a headpiece for what she described as half-knight, half-princess.
Instead of choosing a human-centric size, freshman Alexis Miller crafted monarch wings for a miniature model.
“Alexis is building hers on her little mannequin because that works best for her,” Soderstrom said.
Others took the time to try on their designs.
“Some of them are working towards being in the Wearable Art Show,” McDonald said. “It’s their choice.”
With just over a week until the big event, tickets are going fast, but still affordable.
“It’s a pay-as-you-wish situation so that families can afford to come,” McDonald said.
The show is a fundraiser for PT Artscape, so sizable donations are also appreciated. To purchase tickets, go to keycitypublictheatre.org/wearableart.
