Art2Wear | Advance - Program Book by NC State College of Design

2021

Contents O4

Mission, Vision, Fashion, Art + Desgin

Word from Alumni

ADVANCE

Celebrating 20 Years

2021 Student Designers

Student Board

Back to 2020

RED-i

Special Thanks

Place, Progress, Purpose

A2W is supported by the NC State University Foundation 2

THIS IS THE 20TH YEAR OF OUR ANNUAL ART2WEAR FASHION SHOW. The theme “Advance” comes at a time defined by the challenges and harsh realities of the global pandemic COVID-19. For the first time in the history of our program, designers were tasked with continuing the activities of “collaborative making” through means of distanced learning and remote communication. For Art2Wear 2021, we celebrate not only the creativity of these students, but also the great resilience they showed to endure the challenges they faced. Indeed, “Advance” is what they have done for Art2Wear and presented a format completely original to any other Art2Wear program before now. While this year we

no longer have the physical runway, and are not gathered in person to take in all of the creative student work, we marvel at their creativity and the use of film and virtual environments to bring the Art2Wear experience to a much broader audience. This year’s students were given an unprecedented opportunity to work with NC State RED-i, a studentled marketing and communication team made up of graphic designers, photographers/videographers, and communication specialists from across the university. Keeping Art2Wear as a student-driven program, everything from the strategic promotional planning and poster and flyer design to the social media campaigns and website were all crafted by the students. All of this was coordinated by our student leaders, Tess Colavecchio and Tess Wiegmann. Together as leaders, they bravely navigated student engagement in a year of several challenging circumstances. We are also excited to welcome back alumni involvement in Art2Wear this year. As we ventured to develop parts of our program in the format of 360-Video for Virtual Reality (VR) viewing, both Mike Cuales (‘00) and Rhett Hissam (‘19) were instrumental in the vision and execution of this extended part of the Art2Wear experience. It cannot go without saying that Art2Wear was made possible by the

generous support of corporate donations as well as funding and support from many people and entities including local businesses, the College of Design Leaders Council, College of Design staff and administrators from the Dean’s Office, Department of Art + Design, Communications, Development, Finance and Facilities. I would also like to thank the tireless dedication of Katherine Klinger and Adrienne McKenzie for their leadership in managing multiple layers of people and procedures required to produce Art2Wear. It is with this support and creative passion that the 2021 Art2Wear program once again brings a showcase of innovation that is driven by creative material explorations in art and design to NC State. Our students have promising futures as the next generation of designers who will change our world. Let us celebrate their work as we experience the 2021 Art2Wear virtual experience!

Derek Ham, Ph.D. Head, Department of Art + Design

MISSION

VISION

Art2Wear™ (A2W) is an educational event where students gain experience by coordinating and producing an annual show. Young designers are challenged to imagine, create, and inspire by expressing their point of view through wearble art. This highly anticipated fashion show fuses the talents of several departments in the College of Design and beyond, exposing student designers to the broader field of fashion. A2W attracts approximately 1,000 attendees in addition to encouraging participation by engaging the student body, the Raleigh community, and the broader design industry.

A2W’s vision is to challenge our audience and designers to question the boundaries and conventional definitions of “fashion.” We seek to explore new fashion ground and create new design pathways by encouraging our students to blend their technical skill with innovative technology.

FASHION

A product or sculptural piece that interacts with the body and serves as either a cultural artifact, an artistic expression, a reflector of society, an outward illustration of a person’s identity (including but not limited to social class, religion, and ethnicity), a starter of revolutions, an economic building block, a basic human need, or body covering.

Art + Design The mission of the Department of Art + Design is founded in identifying, nurturing and cultivating the unqiue qualities of each student. As our name Art + Design indicates, we espouse an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to creative problem solving. Implementing innovative teaching methodologies that integrate a range of modes of thought, media, techniques and technologies is our standard.

We believe it is essential that thorough examination of an idea requires an inclusive perspective; and therefore, the cultivation of a diverse and multicultural awareness and sensibility in our students. We are first citizens of the global community. As artists and designers, we give form to ideas, emotions, and artifacts that service the needs of this communityrequiring knowledge, empathy, and sensitivity to the customs of the other.

WELCOME TO ART2WEAR I am elated to be celebrating the 20th year of the Art2Wear program at the College of Design. This innovative experience began with humble roots as an upstart event for students to have fun, blow off steam, and test the bounds of design. From humble beginnings in the “Pit” to a professional runway show hosted in Talley Student Union, the Art2Wear program has grown, and continues to do so each year. The remarkable collections displayed each year showcase the collective work of our students – and I am not just referring to the assemblages walking down the runway. One of the most inspiring things about Art2Wear is that it is a completely student-led production – from overall concepting for the show to the marketing and sponsorship generation to get VIPs and the public alike to attend. And with our new Department Head of Art + Design Derek Ham at the helm, I am excited to see how the fibers and soft construction at the College of Design continues to evolve and shape 6

the Art2Wear experience. Our students truly embody a life of design, and those students who pass the rigorous screening to become Art2Wear designers are no different. Each brings a personal voice and history to showcase their constructions on the stage, and each year, I look forward to seeing those personal connections come to life through the talent of our designers. I congratulate the designers on a job well done, and look forward to another twenty years of student exploration. Here’s to another twenty years of excellent design!

Mark Elison Hoversten, Ph.D., FASLA, AICP Dean, College of Design NC State University

WORD FROM ALUMNI As a College of Design student with a focus in Design Studies, being a part of Art2Wear during my time at NC State was truly an indescribable opportunity. Art2Wear allowed me to work with and learn from talented people from all different realms of the University—from fiber artists to videographers, animators, arts leaders, photographers, sponsors, marketing specialists, and more. Learning how to communicate with so many different types of people from various professions is a trait that has been extremely beneficial for me in my postgrad career. Art2Wear also taught me adaptability and resilience—two traits critical to my success as a producer, especially during this past year. As director of runway in 2014, I learned the art of pivoting quickly

under pressure when we faced a tornado warning that sent our beautiful plans for an outdoor show indoors. An experience that made me a stronger designer, leader, collaborator, and producer. To this year’s Art2Wear team who have truly made the impossible possible— congratulations! Even past June 11, Art2Wear and the lessons it taught will remain with you forever and lead you to your future successes.

Katie Scheuerle Associate Special Projects Producer, The Juilliard School BA, Design Studies (2O15) Art2Wear Director of Runway (2O14), Assistant Director of Runway (2O13) and Director of Treasury (2O13)

IT IS TRULY AMAZING THAT WHAT STARTED AS A FINAL CRITIQUE IN A FIBERS AND SURFACE DESIGN STUDIO HAS GROWN INTO AN EVENT THAT HAS CONTINUED FOR TWENTY YEARS!

Students in these Fibers Studios gained the technical expertise to weave, dye and embellish fabric and some chose to create wearables for their final projects. In 2002 it was this core of 7 students (Kate Carmicheal, Amy Fremin, Brannan Hackney, Orvokki Halme, Charlie Harbison, Gret MacKintosh and Kilara Little) who opted to show their work to a wider audience. Held in the Pit at the College of Design, Brannan Hackney’s dad provided the sound and light system, with all of us moving chairs in and out of Kamphoefner classrooms for the audience! With the white azaleas in bloom on a lovely spring evening - the show was exciting and magical – and planted the seed for Art2Wear. In 2003 students from several studios insisted that they wished to hold the event again. Amy Fremin took the lead and several designers from 2002 participated. Over the years, as the event grew the audience grew exponentially. In 2007 the show had to move from its

location in the Pit, due to construction work in Kamphoefner Hall. A stage set up in the Court of North Carolina was a beautiful and more public location which attracted a wider university audience. Then in 2009, threat of rain drove the show indoors to the Reynolds Coliseum. Each year the students’ vision, drive, and determination propelled growth. It was clear that inviting an audience raised the expectation level significantly. Both the designers and organizers responded to the real life challenge with high levels of design and creative work as well as organizational and administrative skills. At the event’s core was a sense of open interdisciplinary collaboration, cross college and community interaction, team building, and fun. This energy grew Art2Wear into the largest attended fashion show in North Carolina and the largest nonathletic event at the university. Still an extracurricular event, it mobilized two armies - volunteers and models. Faculty

and staff from the College of Design and the College of Textiles and the overseers of the Court of North Carolina and the Reynolds Coliseum all gave generously of their time and attention. Instituted in 2006, a jury was invited to select the participating designers. Photography students from Charles Joyner’s studios were enlisted to be ‘official’ photographers documenting both the event and the preparations. Multimedia students assisted with the audio and visual production. Landscape Architecture came to assist with the venue design in the move to the Court of North Carolina in 2007. Graphic Design students produced the logos, t-shirts, programs and invitations and in 2011, Marguerite Barnes designed an Art2Wear memory booklet. The energy extended beyond the campus - for several years students from the Aveda Hair and makeup school in Chapel Hill partnered with each designer to augment the look and concepts. The Raleigh News and Observer often did

“No one realizes how many people go into putting on a production this big until they’re right in the heart of it. It’s so much more than just the designersit’s teachers, students, alumni, citizens of Raleigh, businesses...its collaboration on a whole other level.” Eleanor Hoffman, 2O1O Art2Wear Director and participating designer

extensive pre- and post- coverage of the event. Financial needs increased as the event grew, with Dean Malecha and Dean Blanton Godfrey of the College of Textiles contributed from the start. The students worked out annual budgets, set fundraising goals, held fundraising events, sold t-shirts, and searched for sponsors. 2010 Live it Up on Hillsborough Street became an official sponsor. Art2Wear was an amazing pedagogical tool where the students developed real life skills – including fundraising asks, problem solving, conflict resolution and

understanding institutional agendas. These were truly outstanding students and it was my pleasure to work with them. In 2011 while the designers still created their lines in a variety of studios, the organization of the event became a class that was part of the Art + Design curriculum. Over the years, organizational binders were developed that recorded what each committee did with recommendations for change. An Art2Wear archive was gathered and added to each year and was housed in the Harrye B. Lyons Design Library. Many of the core organizers and participants were Anni Albers Scholars (a joint textile program of the College of Design and the College of Textiles). I am very sad to say that this program was terminated in the academic year 2015-16. Weaving classes have also been suspended from the current Art + Design curriculum. These were programs that supported the core creative side of the work presented in Art2Wear.

I know from experience that to make an event like this happen requires immense dedication and countless hours of work from a dedicated and determined core group. The fact that Art2Wear is still occurring is a tribute to the faculty advisors and students who have had the drive, vision, and commitment to the many hours of hard work it takes to produce an evening of Art2Wear.

Vita Plume Assistant Professor Emerita, College of Design Art2Wear Faculty Advisor (2OO2-2OO7 & 2OO9-2O11)

2OO2

20 YEARS OF

2OO3

2OO4

2OO5

2OO6

2OO7

2OO8

2OO9

2O1O

2O11

2O12

2O13

2O14

2O15

2O16

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2O19

2O2O

2O21

Tess Wiegmann Assistant Student Director

Tess Colavecchio Student Director

Kent Ortiz Motion Design

Liz Farin Photography

Art2Wear 2O21

Student Board Holly Grobholz Graphic Design 14

Gillian Johnson Creative Committee

Special thanks to Sadie Stoneheart for her contributions to the Photography Committee

Jane Thomas Photography

Katie Coyne Creative Committee

Olivia Bryant Graphic Design

Ziyue Peng Motion Design

Makayla Mack Graphic Design

Katherine Ryan Graphic Design

RED-i (Resource and Event Design Interactive) is a studentled digital media production team at NC State specializing in photography, videography and graphic design. RED-i provides services to all registered student groups at no cost to clubs. For RED-i, producing the 20th Anniversary of Art2Wear has been an unforgettable experience that’s impacted each member of the team in a unique and meaningful way. It’s hard to describe how excited we all were when we first heard about the project, and the sheer brilliance and creativity of everyone involved made for an inspiringly vibrant, inventive and outrageous production process. To quote Roald Dahl, “A little magic can take you a long way.”

Addy Holmes

Holly Grobholz

Team Lead Videographer, Photographer

Team Lead Graphic Designer

Maddy Giles

Anna Carlson

Kamrin Kunzel

Videographer, Photographer

Social Media & Marketing, Photographer

Photographer

Place As we claim our position in the future, we all have a role in advancing society. Each year, Art2Wear allows every student designer to express themselves and their point of view through wearable art. This is their time and their place to make a stand.

Progress Progress is where evolution meets innovation. We may think of this as technological advancement, but this encompasses many issues in 2021 – including inclusivity, sustainability, health, and socioeconomics. We’ve encouraged our designers for Art2Wear 2021 to advance societal issues and push the limits of fashion’s agency for change.

Purpose As students prepare for the show, we are preparing for what’s to come at the end of our college careers. Right now, we are on a journey together at NC State, but soon we’ll begin new journeys of our own. Every student involved in Art2Wear, our designers and our student volunteers, are motivated to think about their purpose. Consider the world beyond campus and take what you know – your history, your truth – and make it your destiny.

STUDENT DIRECTOR’S NOTE Welcome everyone to the 20th anniversary of Art2Wear! Thank you all who have supported Art2Wear throughout this process and encouraged the students to create an event as remarkable as this. My team and I are excited to introduce Art2Wear in an entirely new way - this year’s virtual premiere is unlike anything we have done before. About a year and a half ago, we were all forced to drastically change our day to day lives. This year’s theme is representative of that change and embodies our growth out of 2020 and into 2021. Since 2001, Art2Wear has empowered students to be innovative and creative. We have embraced that innovative and creative thinking to bring you something that is extraordinary. I

am so grateful for my fellow student volunteers and their passion for Art2Wear. I personally would like to thank Derek Ham, department head of Art + Design, Katherine Klinger, university program associate, and Adrienne McKenzie, arts production specialist at University Theatre for supporting me and the students during this process. I’d like to thank RED-i, our student production and editing team: Addy Holmes, Maddy Giles, and Anna Carlson, who were introduced to Art2Wear at the beginning of 2021 and worked with me to create a beautiful show. I hope that you all enjoy what we have in store for Art2Wear 2021; I am beyond excited to bring Art2Wear into a new light.

Tess Colavecchio 2021 Art2Wear Student Director

2021 ART2WEAR THEME

moving forward

in a purposeful way. 21

CARMINE

CHIANA ROYAL Fashion Design Major

When I think of advancement, I consider the goal towards which we all advance, the concept of perfection. Perfection, as dictated by society’s definitions, is a toxic notion that has a very narrow perspective of what beauty is. But perfection can mean many things, and one’s advancement towards self expression is a much more empowering journey. The idea that when you look in the mirror, you see not the product of societal definitions of perfection, but the product of a long journey of individuality and acceptance. This collection shows one woman’s advancement towards liberty of self-expression irrespective of societal dictates. At the beginning of the journey, society’s expectations are conveyed in a rigidity of form and shape that obscures the model’s natural form. Each subsequent outfit incorporates an advancement towards lighter, softer colors and fabric, which celebrates the model’s natural beauty. The final outfit represents her liberated joy of self-expression.

I would like to thank my family for being so supportive and motivating me to take risks and go outside my comfort zone. I would like to thank Katie Coyne for helping me with everything, and the Art2Wear team for bringing this collection to life!

I would like to give a special thanks to my mom, Cheryl, for her relentless support, much needed advice and encouragement in everything I do!

INTERWOVEN My collection relates to the theme “Advance” through bringing awareness to plastic waste and racial injustice. Moving forward in a purposeful way is so important, especially now with the COVID-19 pandemic and continued publicized racial injustice happening all over the world. My inspiration comes from activism through fiber work and recent global events. In this collection I will utilize materials like plastic from different types of packaging to further symbolize the mass amount of consumption occurring globally. My portrayal of racial injustice will play a role using embellishment and embroidery on my work through thought provoking and maybe controversial text. Overall, I want to create a meaningful and beautiful collection that brings empowerment and awareness to the viewer.

NAJEEL RANGE Art + Design Major: Fibers and Soft Construction

EYRE

SARAH QUINN Design Studies Major Creative Writing Minor

LIZ BRAAKSMA Enviormental Design in Architecture 26

By looking at past trends in women’s fashion from the 16th to the 19th century, we noticed a pattern in the restriction of movement caused by these garments. This restriction seems to mimic women’s roles in society at the time. To highlight the advancement of fashion and the advancement of feminism, “EYRE” focuses on contrast and juxtaposition. It is dark yet romantic, stiff yet loose, trapped yet free, and black yet white. Each piece unveils the bones of fashion trends of the past, both literally, through a look at how these garments are made, and figuratively, by communicating the dark reality of fashion. But “EYRE” simultaneously brings forth a sense of liberation and freedom. The product of this constant juxtaposition throughout our collection is a symbol of advancement in our society and fashion.

Sarah would like to give a special thanks to her friends and boyfriend for being amazing supporters, her loving parents that taught her everything she knows about sewing, and her partner Liz who is incredibly talented, smart, and kind. Liz would like to give special thanks to her partner Sarah for sharing this experience with her and inspiring and challenging her to think in new realms of design. Liz would also like to give another warm thanks to her supportive family, friends, and professors.

I’d like to thank my family for their endless love and support. Also, to Adrienne McKenzie and my professors at the College of Design for encouraging me to challenge myself and helping me along the way. To my friends, lovely models, and the wonderful Art2Wear community for inspiring me over the last four years, thank you.

CAUSE TO UNITE An exploration on the importance of coming together to form necessary structures for change. The last year has surfaced a great need for societal change. The global pandemic, political tension, and environmental stress have contributed to a need for unity and comfort in our society. Knitting and other fiber manipulation techniques represent the idea of modular pieces interlocking and working together to create a whole. Using a modern perspective on the traditional craft, and experimental soft construction processes, this collection represents a future in which inclusion and sustainability are celebrated and society may move forward in purposeful ways.

TESS WIEGMANN Graphic Design Major Art + Design Minor

ELEGY An elegy is a poem of deep, somber reflection, traditionally lamenting the death of a loved one. The purpose of this collection is to visually represent an elegy that honors the life and death of a relationship. Each garment represents a different stage in the relationship, illustrating its gradual decline. Beginning with flowing, unconfined silhouettes, the garments become more rigid and transparent over time. This signifies how the relationship progressed from something pure, simple, and beautiful into something more difficult and constricting. Something that feels like work. This elegy seeks to highlight each one of these stages as it grieves the loss of love.

LYDIA FARRO Art + Design Major

I want to thank Adrienne Mckenzie for always making me feel confident and capable. And Andy Hilts for always coming with me to JOANN and talking me off many figurative ledges.

I’d like to thank my family for supporting my health through this process, and these crazy times in general. I’d also like to thank my friends for the long nights of moral support and last minute button sewing.

VITA As life has continued through time, the bodies that carry it have morphed and advanced in order to adapt for better survival. Through the evolution of humanity, our bodies have had to coexist with constant danger and risk, adjusting slowly over time to fight off the pathogens around us. These adaptations have become especially prevalent in 2020, as humanity navigates living around COVID-19 and balancing physical survival with mental and emotional health. Vita explores the theme of advancement through visual displays of the human form molded with abstracted patterns from virus, bacteria and fungi cells. These combinations create a visualization of coexistence, while showing the dark beauty of these microscopic cells when examined on an intimate level. I want my pieces to be bold and dramatic, accurate for the current times, while being a stark contrast to the vulnerability and soft curves of a human form.

MORGAN CARDWELL Art + Design Major

Back to 2020

Hello, we are Tess Wiegmann and Clara May and we had the honor of being student co-directors of Art2Wear 2020. Throughout both of our times at the College of Design, Art2Wear was a major part of our experiences–in fact, we both started as freshman presenting our paper project and continued on throughout our tenure. Together we had big dreams for the 2020 show of Art2Wear; we created new committees, developed new work streams for the committees to collaborate, and we worked really hard to create a holistic experience to showcase the talent of our student designers. We chose the theme, Selcouth - rare, strange, unfamiliar, yet completely marvelous, to inspire the designers to push the

boundaries of fashion design and create original wearable art pieces. Despite all of the challenges, confusion, and uncertainty that the pandemic brought, we found a way to flex our problem solving skills and transition to a virtual experience on social media. We want to thank our dynamic student and faculty team for their support and especially our student designers for their dedication and endless talent. Tess is returning to A2W 2021 as a student designer and Clara has since graduated and is honored to return for the 2020 showcase during the virtual event.

Tess Wiegmann Clara May Art2Wear 2020 Co-Directors

Sara Bailey

Julia Koff

SPLAT!

Kalopsia

Dillion Brown New Cognitive Archive

Kellie Sims

Kathleen Harmanson

Elysian

Atavistic ‘40s

Maggie Jarrett MOD

Morgan Cardwell Frisson

Abby Redus Belladonna

Katie Rant & Ty Van de Zande 21-ology

SPECIAL THANKS FACULTY ADVISOR Adrienne McKenzie

Arts Production Specialist and Lecturer of Art + Design

ART2WEAR LEADERSHIP TEAM Derek Ham

Department Head of Art + Design

Katherine Klinger

University Program Associate

Candice Murray

Associate Director of Development

Lauren Hipp

Assistant Director of Development

Kathleen Rieder

Associate Professor of Art + Design

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

Christine Klocke

Director of Marketing and Communications

Max Cohen

Digital Content and Social Media Specialist

IT OFFICE Jonas McCoy

Director of Operations

Tih-Yuan Wang

Technology Support Analyst

VIRTUAL REALITY 360 CONTENT Mike Cuales

Creative Director New Media Development

Rhett Hissam

Immersive Media Producer

Rob Watson

Facilities Maintenance Supervisor

RJ Washington

Junior in Art + Design

COLLEGE OF DESIGN DEAN Mark Hoversten, Ph.D, FASLA, AICP

CHANCELLOR

UNIVERSITY STAFF Jessica Paige

University Communications Marketing Coordinator

Olivia Gross

University Student Centers Event Sales Coordinator

Ellen Klingler

University Special Events Executive Director

Stephanie Money

University Special Events Director

North Carolina Museum of Art Heritage Properties Inc. Dorotha Dix Park

Randy Woodson 39

CONTRIBUTING SPONSOR Vescom America, Inc

PATRON SPONSOR Katherine White & Tom Urquhart

SUPPORTERS BERNINA World of Sewing Linda J. Noble Illustration & Design Belk The Mahler Fine Art

SPONSORS 40

Tector Metals

ANNOUNCING THE RUBY C. MCSWAIN ART2WEAR ENDOWMENT We are pleased to announce that the Ruby and Ernest McSwain Worthy Lands Trust established an endowment in Ruby McSwain’s name to support the annual Art2Wear fashion show. Each year the endowment will provide funding to help support the Art2Wear show and the student designers. Known as “Miss Ruby” at NC State, Ruby Vann Crumpler was born in Sampson County, NC. Her rural upbringing and love of community would greatly influence her long philanthropic life. She married Ernest P. McSwain in 1945, and they settled in Lee County. There they were successful entrepreneurs and supported many non-profit organizations in the county. The McSwains were married for 30 years before Ernest’s death, and Ruby continued with their shared interests locally and state-wide until her passing in 2015.

Ruby’s deep desire to become an artist and to study at Meredith College led her to make significant contributions to the institution and in recent years expanded her philanthropic support to NC State University’s College of Design. This passion to promote the arts in North Carolina would carry on through her longtime service with the North Carolina Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees. Her love of the NCMA will greatly impact North Carolinians in the future, most notably, through her substantial pledge of an endowment to fund the growth of the museum park. In honor of Ernest McSwain’s studies at NC State University, and due to her love of education, Ruby played an important role in the university through her investments in the institution’s student and community outreach. Ruby made a substantial gift to the JC

Raulston Arboretum at NC State in order to create the state-of-the-art Ruby C. McSwain Education Center building and complex in 2002. The Ruby and Ernest McSwain Worthy Lands Trust believes in the potential of young artists and chose to support the College of Design and Art2Wear through this endowment to allow student designers to continue to be challenged to imagine, create, and express their point of view through wearable art. We are so grateful to the Ruby and Ernest McSwain Worthy Lands Trust for their support of Art2Wear and our student designers. Miss Ruby is loved and remembered fondly, and we thank those friends and family who have honored her legacy and wishes for continued philanthropy for years to come.

ART2WEAR IS AN EVENT THAT SO MANY OF US LOOK FORWARD TO EACH SPRING SEMESTER AT NC STATE UNIVERSITY. It has come to be a tradition that endlessly attracts the interest and support from a creative student body and dedicated contributors; so much so that it is now in its 20th year of production. And although Art2Wear had to be put on an unexpected hold due to the global pandemic of 2020, in the hands of our innovative and resilient students this year the show shall, and must, go on – and so it has! The Art2Wear student committee chose Advance as the 2021 theme as it resonated with them “moving forward in a purposeful way” with three focus areas of place, progress, and purpose. Place: claiming position in the future; Progress: where evolution meets innovation; and Purpose: finding truth and destiny. Each 2021 Art2Wear designer chose to interpret the theme of Advance into a concept that was visually evident through the production of a collection of on-thebody wearable art and fashion pieces. Each collection took countless hours over 42

the course of many months (both in and out of class) to complete. What makes the Art2Wear collections so remarkable, and sometimes goes unnoted, is that unlike in other settings, both educational and professional, each designer is the sole creator – charged with all elements and tasks of completing each look, of which there are many, to create a collection. From research, shopping supplies, patterning, cutting, sewing, embellishing, to fitting, and funding - they do it all! All this in addition to their other scholarly responsibilities, employment, volunteer work and personal lives. Working with their fellow peers in a studio community and along with supportive staff/faculty members, the Art2Wear student designers are encouraged to not only showcase their current skills, techniques and (Design) studies but also pursue new ones as they develop and produce their collections throughout the semester. Our campus culture of Think and Do drives our

students to want to know as much as they can and to put that knowledge out into the world in a tangible/useable form; likewise, as educational support we too are driven to see them succeed at this and work to help them take those ideas and materialize them into reality through design thinking and fabrication tutelage. From weekend workshops on flat pattern making and draping, and inclass consultations on fitting garments and free-motion embroidery, to late night research on corsetry construction and writing original hand-knitting patterns – these students have done it all and more. Their flexibility and dedication to creating safe and ruleabiding practices of working as a studio community in the midst of a pandemic has been a testimony to an enormous level of respect, care, responsibility and engagement with one another as fellow peers and as a classroom community. I would go so far as to say that they have truly emulated our Wolfpack saying “for

the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” This year’s venue of production of Art2Wear has resonated within the theme of Advance as well; finding safe and effective ways to work around our need to socially distance and abide by local governance in accordance to group gatherings, the idea of filming came to the forefront as a way to an audience/ user “end product.” This turn towards filming also opened up a venture of cross-campus collaboration between Art2Wear/College of Design with the RED-i Marketing and Communications intern team which is made up of student graphic designers, photographers/ videographers and communications specialists. Through the “technological lens” and the dedication of the RED-i student team in working with Art2Wear students, each collection has been carefully directed to draw the viewer into a visual experience of storytelling with the finest of details on each Art2Wear

piece – a cluster of hand embroidered beads, the textures of remnants of yarns to be used as embellishments (instead of waste), machine embroidered statements for social justice on plastic scraps, and hand-dyed natural fabrics – up close and personal, zoomed in on for you to appreciate on your screen where it might have been slightly missed on the runway in the past. Though we missed planning for our in-person event and celebration this year, we appreciate that the filming technology has allowed for our students to still express their creativity with you in new and innovative ways and can only add to the future for Art2Wear’s continual enjoyment and success. As one of the faculty advisors to Art2Wear this year I have been both incredibly awed and humbled as I have watched all of the students (both “on stage” and “backstage”) tirelessly and relentlessly work to produce their collections; striving for the best work possible while honoring a position for

learning and growth. They have not only wanted to add their own creative works to an established history of collections, but to make their own personal imprint as the 2021 designers with a theme of Advance. No doubt you will see their great success and that it will encourage other students to rise to the challenge and tradition of growing Art2Wear into the future.

Adrienne McKenzie Arts Production Specialist Lecturer of Art + Design Art2Wear 2O21 Faculty Advisor

NC State University College of Design Campus Box 7701 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695

academics.design.ncsu.edu/art2wear @ncsuart2wear