CREATIVE costumiers are making a fine exhibition of themselves by showcasing their skills to the public.
Students from Cleveland College of Art & Design Entertainment Design and Costume Design and Interpretation programmes are staging a four-month ‘Create’ exhibition of their work in The Gallery at Preston Park Museum.
Costumes, sets, props and millinery, all designed, developed and created by the students, have been individually handpicked for the two room display from the college’s end of year degree show.
Exhibitor and third year entertainment design student Sally Donegan, 21, of Stockton, also volunteers at the museum’s Victorian sweet shop and drapery.
“It’s great to have one of my own costumes on display here,” she said. “I’ve been telling all the other volunteers at the museum what I do at college but it’s so much better to be able to actually show them - and I think that they have been rather impressed.
“My 1895 working man’s suit was originally part of a Victorian street costume live brief for the museum earlier in the year so its great to be able to have it back here to be put on show for the public.”
The Create exhibition cements an existing three year partnership between Cleveland College of Art & Design, and Preston Park Museum, which is committed to showcasing Teesside’s creativity.
Roxanne Major, 20, of Hartlepool, is also exhibiting a costume from the Victorian era and is another volunteer at the museum.
“We had to make our costumes really accurate for the era using historical techniques to make them as realistic as possible,” she said.
“It’s really important to interpret period dress accurately, especially when it is in an exhibition as people can pick up on it, but luckily everyone who has seen the costume display so far has been really impressed.
“It’s nice to be able to have our work seen by people other than tutors and students; it brings you out of the college bubble and shows everyone just what we can do.”
Both Sally and Roanne will be travelling to London, next June for work experience at the Royal Opera House where they will get to help in the women’s and menswear departments for live performances.
“Both of us would love to work in the theatre creating costumes,” added Roxanne. “So this is a dream opportunity.
“Being at CCAD we have been able to work on some great projects and the industry knowledge that the tutors have passed on to us has been invaluable.
“CCAD may be a small university but that means that we get great one to one tuition which has really focused us both on our career goals for the future.”
The Create exhibition will run until February 23, 2104.
For more information on opportunities at CCAD contact (01642) 288888 or log on to www.ccad.ac.uk.
