Wearable Art Extravaganza Tailwind is getting ready to blow audiences away.
The 19th annual fashion show extravaganza will feature 27 original pieces and a couple of live performances.
“Without giving too much away, get ready to see a lot of weather-inspired pieces,” said Meghan Chambers, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council staff and event producer for Wearable Art. “There’s a lot of technology going on and some surprising reveals. It’s going to be a really fun show. We have a really amazing range of ages this year.”
This will be the fifth Wearable Art for both Michelle Morris, artist and model, who is finishing up her weather-inspired piece “Flipping Out,” and artist K.D. Roope.
Roope’s piece is titled “The Witching Flower,” it will feature handmade crepe paper flowers, clocks and plastic chicken wire. It took about 300 hours to complete.
Morris explained why the hard work is worth it.
“I became addicted to the creative outlet and the challenge of working with unusual materials and have been participant every year since then,” Morris said. ”I love seeing the veteranx artists and models that I have gotten to know over the years. Sometimes they are the only ones who can relate to your struggles in putting concept to reality, and they have the wildest ideas. We are like a family in a way that only get together this time of year.”
Morris said she’s also always excited to see what newbies bring to the table.
Chambers said this year middle school, high school and college students created designs for the shows, which are Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.
“Some years we have a number of student acts and some years we don’t,” Chambers said. “This year we have at least four. They were wonderful to work with.”
There are a couple of new elements to the long-running event this year.
The Alaska Airlines drill team will perform as the event’s opening act. Chambers said exactly what the troupe’s performance will be is a surprise at this point, but generally they’re known for involved routines that incorporate luggage.
The new performance doesn’t mean Juneau Dance Theatre, which has opened past shows, will be jettisoned.
“We’re also bringing back Juneau Dance Theatre as the opening act of Act II,” Chambers said. “They’ve been the opening act in the past, and we loved them and didn’t want to leave them.”
Tickets are still available online for both Saturday and Sunday Wearable Art shows, and there’s a new type of ticket for this year that Chambers said is hoped to make the event accessible to more people.
There will be stand by tickets available for $30 on Saturday and $20 on Sunday, which will allow attendees to stand at tall cocktail tables and take in the show. The hope is for the tickets to be available the day of the event and increase the scope of the shows’ audiences.
“These are new tickets,” Chambers said. “It’s a way to make the show a little bit more affordable for someone, and hopefully allow a wider audience to see it since it’s only for two days.”
Know & Go
What: Wearable Art: Tailwind
When: 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17.
Where: Centennial Hall, 101 Egan Drive.
Admission: Saturday tickets range from $30-$1,000 and Sunday and from $20-$120. Stand by tickets are expected to be available for both days.
• Contact arts and culture reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenHohenstatt.
“Siren” by KD Roope, modeled by zRyia Waldern, at the Wearable Art Show at Centennial Hall on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. Siren won the Juror’s Best in Show. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
