Wearable Art Show
Dear Editor: What can I say after the 6th Annual Wearable Art Show and Runway Extravaganza? Wow, entertaining, fun, funny, different and an extraordinary show.
Most of those who attended will agree it was two outstanding shows on Saturday, March 1, at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Once again, a huge thank you to the Sitkans who attended the shows and were so enthusiastic and supportive of the varied artists and models. The age range was 3-year-old Onnah Matthews and 4-year-old Fiona Digeatano to – you will have to ask Sabra Jenkins and Bill Foster how old they are for that answer.
My favorite parts of the show are the smiles on the faces in the audience and on the runway and the wide age range, truly an all-Sitka show, plus Ketchikan and Hydaburg wearable art pieces. There are many to thank, our sponsors: Guardian Flight, Wells Fargo, Old Harbor Books, F/V Cherokee, Ben Franklin, First Bank, Sea Mart, Backdoor Café, Harry Race and Harry’s Custom Services, UAS-Sitka Campus, Sitka Convention and Visitors Bureau, Arrowhead Transfer and Mt. Edgecumbe High School, you cannot have a runway show without a runway, Neurobehavioral Consultants, ALPS Federal Credit Union, Waddel and Reed, and SEARHC Diabetes Education Program. Their generosity and support allowed us to put on a pretty darn good show.
There are other partners that make this possible: the backstage crew that included Peter Apathy and Jean Stolberg for the most awesome sound, Charlie Morgan – light board, Eugene Solovyov, Pat Hughes and Meredith Davis, who did the blinding spotlights (we are trying to figure out how to cure that problem).
Thank you to our most urbane yet down home Master of Ceremonies Darryl Rehkopf. Two people who kept the show running, because they were running, are the stage manager crew of Kristy Crews and Kammie Daniels. At the front of the house we had John Stein, Greater Sitka Arts Council board president, Jackie Fernandez, Frank Wegman, Larisa Manewal, Ted Howard, Bryan Richardson, Heather Hanson, Ashia Lane, Madison Kosma, Jessi Clark and Alli Gabbert. Helping in the dressing rooms were Alicia Eels and Robin Emmens.
Reber Stein provided the two brief commercials for the art aerobic class on Wednesday, 7 p.m., at the Yaw Art building (another commercial). Sarah Lawrie, Heather Bauscher and Suzan Brawlyn presented an elegant reception room.
This production has over 100 models, artists, backstage people, and without the excellent support and cooperation of the Harrigan Centennial Staff this show would not happen, thank you to Don, Cricket, the Daves and Kent!
Thank you to Erika Apathy for helping keep track of those to thank. A special thank you to Megan Pasternak and Bill Foster for coming in early and staying late to put up the chairs, the runway and the runway lights, and then to take them down, thank you.
Finally thank you to all the artists for their excellent job of creating the memorable wearable art pieces, well done! Thank you to the models that got up on the runway and presented the pieces with flair, aplomb and great big smiles. My apologies for anyone I may have missed. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Jeff Budd, Sitka
