Arts Council to present Shaner costume exhibit

Robin Shaner, costume designer.

PERK HULL

“As I get close to the completion of a costume, I begin to anticipate that moment when an actor puts their costume on for the first time and they become that character.”

As the pandemic eases, travelers are on the move in record numbers.

According to the July 13 edition of The Wall Street Journal, Heathrow Airport in London operates not just as a trans-Atlantic hub, but as a launchpad for travel across Europe and beyond.

“Over the past few weeks … we have started to see periods when service drops to a level that is not acceptable,” Heathrow Airport Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye said in a statement, citing “long queue times, delays for passengers requiring assistance, bags not traveling with passengers or arriving late, low punctuality and last-minute cancellations.”

What are travelers to do, as so many are wanting to visit different worlds to break the routine of isolation of the past months? We want to experience new cultures, learn and escape.

Let the Washington County Arts Council help!

Many of our daily senses can take us away from our routines when we aren’t traveling. A whiff of suntan lotion gives us the hint of the beach; the smell of barbecuing takes us to the outdoors; a scent of someone’s perfume might trigger a sense of an elegant event. Foods from different countries remind us of faraway cultures and different ethnic groups.

On Oct. 6, the Washington County Arts Council will present “Robin Shaner: A Stitch Through Time,” an opportunity to “travel” through history with the costume drawings, sketches and dress of Shaner, a designer with more than 30 years of extensive costume experience from concept to development.

To date, Shaner has provided costuming for more than 100 shows, including “Camelot,” “Little Women,” “Pirates of Penzance,” “42nd Street,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “A Chorus Line,” “The Addams Family,” “Oedipus” and “Antigone,” along with “Ariodante,” “Cosi fan tutte,” “Carmen,” “The Magic Flute” and “Don Giovanni.”

What wonderful places await!

According to Shaner, a costume designer at Hagerstown Community College, “the process of constructing a costume is a mixture of creativity and craft. I use a variety of techniques, including flat patterns, draping, using historical patterns or the manipulation

of commercial patterns. I cut, serge, sew, alter and finish the costumes with sew, alter and finish the costumes with professional expertise.” professional expertise.”

Design, through its detail, creates authentic connections to cultural and life experiences. Travel with Shaner and share her excitement when she says, “As I get close to the completion of a costume, I begin to anticipate that moment when an actor puts their costume on for the first time and they become that character.”

As the arts council winds down the year, it will host two additional exhibits: “Four Sights: Avila, Shapiro, Shapiro, & Wright” in November and “Annual Community Art Show: The Best Local Art of 2022,” a juried community art exhibit planned for December. Local artists working in any medium are invited to submit their best new works.

Both exhibits will be on display in the galleries and online, in addition to being promoted in “Artist Alley,” the arts council’s electronic newsletter (www.washingtoncountyarts.com/ artist-alley-newsletter).

The 2023 exhibits will be announced in late fall, following a jury review.

For more information, go to washingtoncountyarts.com.

Written by Mary Anne Burke Executive director Washington County Arts Council

Little Women

Little Women