AFTER DARK AT THE ART INSTITUTE - ED RUSCHA

I designed costumes for another After Dark at the Art Institute with Collaboraction and The Art Institute of Chicago.

Ed Ruscha is most well known for his pop iconic photographs.

The exhibit at the Art Institute: 'Ed Ruscha and Photography' focused on his earlier photographs and the photo books he created. Much of his earlier work is comprised of photos of cityscapes, gas stations, parking lots, and city streets.

For the event we created a large scale choreographed dance on the grand staircase to Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet". A dancer dressed as a museum janitor mopped the stairway landing while listening to head phones. 20 gas station attendants appeared and began polishing the railings and scrubbing the staircase. As the refrain picked up, they leaped into dance in a very theatrical Buzbee Berkley style.














I dressed the gas station attendants in neutral and iconic navy blue pants, blue collared shirt, white socks, and black shoes. Each had an orange rag, which was used to polish the stair case, and an orange name badge - all saying "Ed". Many of the women wore orange hair bandannas.

To create focus and to contrast the blues of the gas station attendants surrounding him, I dressed the janitor in tan coveralls and completed the costume with the orange accessories and "Ed" name badge.

Here's the link to Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet" music video.

'DRIVING MISS DAISY' - Jeff Nominated Costume Design!

Driving Miss Daisy is a memory play. Set designer Angie Miller used old picture frames to adorn the neutral flats that made up the stage. The car was suggested with two simple benches, and other key furniture pieces were brought in for the living room and office scenes.

I wanted the costumes to aid in the journey between an adversarial relationship to life-long friendship between Daisy and Hoke. I began the design process by creating a color plot that tracked Daisy, Hoke, and Boolie through their developments in the play. Daisy and Hoke begin the play at either end of the color spectrum. Hoke is in a dark suit, and Daisy is in a yellow floral day dress. As the catalyst of their friendship, Boolie lives in the middle of the spectrum wearing browns and tans.

As the play and their relationship progresses they move toward each other on the color spectrum, Daisy's colors mellow as she ages, and Hokes soften also. The script spans nearly 25 years, so many costume changes (as well as makeup and hair changes) had to be made to invoke the change in time and age.

In the final scene the characters and their costume's colors have grown very close to one another.

Here are some reviews:

'Driving Miss Daisy' Gets a Tune Up at First Folio - Daily Herald
First Folio Switches Gears to Present Pulitzer Prize-Winning 'Driving Miss Daisy' - The Doings Hinsdale
'Driving Miss Daisy' Fulfills Satire, Sentiment - The Doings Hinsdale
'Driving Miss Daisy' - ChicagoCritic.com

I have been nominated for a Jeff Award for my Driving Miss Daisy costume design!

Photos thanks to David Rice.