04.08.2008
Art students don homemade duds in fashion show
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Senior Leigh Ann Walker gets help from Sarah Long (right) and Christina Irizarry (left, background) while putting on a dress made out of aluminum foil. Chyna Broadnax photo |
Students at Statesville High School and Visual and the Performing Arts Center are preparing for what is sure to be a very unique show this weekend.
Nearly 100 students will present “Urban Essence,” a wearable art fashion show.
The show will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday in Mac Gray Auditorium. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $4 per person.
The event will be much different than a normal fashion show because it will feature clothing the students have created from everyday items.
“This is the first really big thing we’ve done and we’re pouring our hearts and souls into it,” said student Sarah Long, 18.
Wearable garments include an aluminum foil dress, a tutu made from newspaper clippings, dresses fashioned out of coffee filters and playing cards and a jumpsuit made of caution tape.
Outside of fashion there will be entertainment provided by SHS Steel Drum Band, theater art skits and break dancing.
There will also be art on display in the lobby.
Long and another Art Club member, Christina Irizarry, 18, came up with the idea to have a fashion show last semester, but the idea has since grown.
The two girls said they wanted to incorporate the talents of the students in various art programs.
“Statesville High School has a lot of talented artists, so we need to show them,” Long said.
“People are talented in all sorts of ways,” Irizarry added. “There are so many different types of art out there. It’s important to show how diverse we are.”
The girls said they want to do something really cool that would set them apart before they graduate.
Christina said art helps students have a voice because many times teenagers are looked over or frowned upon.
Student Christopher Atkins will perform a break dance routine with his group, Zero Gravity.
Atkins, who takes a dance class at the magnet school, said having the opportunity to be in such a class gives him a chance to improve his skills as a break dancer.
He and his group are anxious to perform in front of their peers and the community.
“It’s an honor to show our skills in school,” the 16-year-old said.
Art teacher Karen Bullard said the show is not a fundraiser, but will serve as a platform for students to display their ability.
“It’s more of a way to showcase the talent of the students and show their creativity,” she said.