Individual Artist Project

I have two shows scheduled for next spring, at the Johnson Heritage Post and at the Phipps gallery, which will provide both static and interactive opportunities for community involvement. In addition, I plan to present at least two full programs, at the Hovland Arts Festival and at the Grand Portage National Monument in summer 2024. The ability to provide non-human models when presenting the art and history of human clothing will be invaluable to me in conveying the richness and diversity of the past to both local community members and visitors. The elements I will be able to create with this project are intended to remain at Grand Portage as display and education items and so they will retain their usefulness long after I am able to personally demonstrate and tell their stories.; I will accomplish comparative miniature versions of historical costume art, suitable for interactive presentation, teaching, and exhibit. During this project, I will create 3 posable, 1/4 size cloth figurines, fully clothed in appropriate, historically accurate, culturally and socially appropriate, and removable clothing and accessories. After I create these figures, including under-, inner-, and outer-clothing, shoes, hats, and accessories, I will transport and demonstrate them at at least two venues and one public art gallery. In this process, I will improve my costume creation techniques, gain experience with new mediums and processes, and expand the reach of my art. I have a track record of successful project completion. I have been previously funded by ARAC to start this project, and successfully completed more than planned, on budget and within schedule. I possess all of the necessary skills to create fully realized and appropriately historical North American clothing, including such esoteric techniques as tape weaving and whip gathering. I am motivated to share my knowledge and examples of historical dress, and generally spend at least 3 days a week for 6 months of the year volunteering at historical facilities to share this knowledge.; Successful completion of this project will involves the concrete goals of completion and demonstration of the proposed work. In addition, I will consider the work successful if the audiences to the presentation (especially the children) are interested in the work and come away with increased knowledge and excitement about the art of dress and the historical evolution of class and social markers in everyday clothing in North America. To measure the first goal (project completion) is simple: did I make and demonstrate 3 figurines' To measure the second goal, that of engaging my audience, I will devise a small questionnaire to determine whether participants to demonstrations benefitted, and will report those results in my final project report.