Adjunct Faculty, Fashion Design
Recent Professional Projects
This past year I was featured in The Costumer, the magazine for the Motion Picture Costumers Union, Local 705. The article was written because I had been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This is not an annual award but is given only when membership and the Executive Board choose to honor a member’s work and achievements.
In 2019, I began working with the costume designer and artist, Michael Schmidt, and the
Tony Award winning production designer, Derek McLain, for Swarovski Crystal on an exhibit
for their museum in Austria. The gallery was designed during covid on Teams and the
installation was a feat of creativity and logistics. Swarovski is in the process of a seven year
contract renewal for Michael and I have been invited back to continue my role as
collections manager and associate curator.
The film costume collector, Larry McQueen and costume historian, Coleen Scott published
a beautiful book cataloging his costume collection and work in preservation. I was asked to
make editorial comments along the way to publication and my endorsement was included
on the back cover and print ads.
I continue to teach seminars on genre for the Costume Designers Guild and the Motion
Picture Costumers Union. Woodbury students keep my seminars relevant and well
attended. My excellent teaching assistant, Marissa Soto, is a Woodbury graduate and
member of Local 705. We have already scheduled two more seminars for next year.
In June and August, I met with costume history teachers throughout the country on zoom. I
also co-led a Costume in Animation seminar for this same group. During covid, Professors
from Harvard and the University of Michigan organized on line seminars about the
challenges and privileges of teaching costume at the college level. We have continued
meeting annually. Attendance ranges from 38 to 80 and is conducted over four weekend
days.
Last year I had several students from Animation and Gaming in my classes. I was able to
introduce five students from this group to Rachel Meinerding, one of the founders of the
Concept Art Association. They have all been asked to participate in Lightbox 2025.
I was invited to join a small group of textile collectors on a six city tour of museums and
private archives in Eastern and Southeastern India. We also visited many Indian textile
artists in their homes and factories. The collectors are returning next year for a similar trip
to Jaipur and have generously included me.
Marjorie McCown, the opera and film costume designer turned mystery writer, named a
character for me in her latest mystery book about the film industry. The first printing sold
out and it was released this year in paperback and audio. That is not to say my character
contributed to the solid sale of Marjorie’s book but it is a very nice coincidence.