CHAPTER 4
My business degree, NOT
How I flunked out of economics 101 and ended up in the
theatre…
My father and 2 brothers are business men- I am NOT! While at the art school at the University
of Michigan, my father encouraged me to take a few basic business classes.
After a month of economics 101, my professor encouraged me to drop the course
before I failed. So now I had some
extra time, so my mom, the artist, encouraged me to volunteer in the theatre. I remember that day clearly, wandering
into the costume shop for the first time.
The head of the Theatre Dept. greeted me with delight; I could draw, I
could sew and I could use power tools- it was a perfect match! It didn’t take me long to be the STAR
student. Not only was I encouraged
to go to Grad. School in Theatre but the head of the Theatre Dept. made sure
all the doors opened for me. I got
a few scholarships, but my heart was set on NYC- so I went to NYU.
My work is a product of all those years in the theatre. My shrines are reflections of the model
sets I would spend hours building, focusing on the smallest detail. My dress series are direct responses
from those years of studying the history of costume and then using that
knowledge to tell stories. My
Italian series reflect my knowledge of historical places in different periods
of time.
TIP: don’t always follow in your father’s footsteps,
sometimes your mom’s prints will fit better
Anectdote: even
though your father appears smarter- your MOM might be right!
