Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens extended its Flowers Meet Fashion: Inspired by Billy Porter show due to high visitor rates. That means there is still time to see how local college and high school students became an active part of creating the exhibit’s dramatic, vibrant outfits.
Professional fashion designers worked with students from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts magnet high school (CAPA) and Carnegie Mellon University — Porter’s alma mater — to create costumes inspired by the stylish outfits worn by the Pittsburgh-born and raised performer known for his Broadway, television, and film contributions.
Originally debuted on May 6, Flowers Meet Fashion was organized by Phipps’ associate director of exhibits Jordyn Melino, and is described in a press release as featuring “brilliant horticultural displays and breathtaking fashion designs” inspired by Porter's Pittsburgh roots and accomplishments. Among the featured designs is a display inspired by Porter’s role in the Broadway show Kinky Boots, a gold costume hovering over a water lily pond, and an aquaponics dress filled with live fish, as well as three dresses made with dried plant material.
Susan Tsu, an award-winning costume designer and Bessie F. Anathan University Professor of Design at CMU’s School of Drama, explains how students prepared for the show.
“I think the very first stage that is an important one to consider is the background and research that goes into it,” says Tsu.
CMU students read Porter’s autobiography, Unprotected: A Memoir, to gain inspiration. They then split into three groups to decide on the meaning behind the works on display until Sun., Aug. 13 at Phipps.
CAPA students collaborated with the school’s visual arts chair, Shannon Pultz, and teacher, Tesna Varner, to create and design the installations with Phipps team members. Melissa Pearlman, who serves as the principal at CAPA, says many of their “visual artists” took a field trip to Phipps and were able to “experience the exhibit as patrons, which was fantastic.”
“At CAPA, one of our core objectives is to empower our students, enabling them to see the impact of their work, their creations, their voice, and their music within the larger community,” she adds.
When asked about the emotional significance of this project, Tsu says, “It holds a lot of heart. You know, first of all, at heart, strength and determination are both qualities that Billy has. I think that to conceive and draw an extraordinary costume, it’s one thing. To make it and to commit to it is quite another. Yes, and so it took determination but also took love.”
Flowers Meet Fashion: Inspired by Billy Porter. Continues through Sun., Aug. 13. One Schenley Park, Oakland. Included with regular admission. phipps.conservatory.org
