{"id":32499,"date":"2011-04-07T08:40:26","date_gmt":"2011-04-07T12:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=32499"},"modified":"2011-08-18T15:39:01","modified_gmt":"2011-08-18T19:39:01","slug":"costume-design-as-moving-sculpture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2011\/04\/costume-design-as-moving-sculpture\/","title":{"rendered":"Costume Design as Moving Sculpture"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<p>Laura<\/a>
Laura Crow, professor of dramatic arts, at the costume shop at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. Photo by Peter Morenus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Laura Crow wears many hats as a professor of costume design in the Department of Dramatic Arts in the School of Fine Arts, combining interests as seemingly diverse as anthropology, history, sociology, and forensic science.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat interests me about costume design is that I consider it moving sculpture,\u201d says Crow, who received the 2010 UConn Alumni Association Faculty Excellence in Research Award in the Humanities\/Social Sciences. \u201cI like doing research into the society, the manners and the physicality of the characters represented in the plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

A product of the socially turbulent 1960s, Crow studied under some of the profession\u2019s noted stars. While earning a bachelor of fine arts degree at Boston University, she was guided by Horace Armistead, former resident designer for the Metropolitan Opera, and costume designer Maureen Heneghan Tripp. \u201cShe was brilliant,\u201d Crow says, \u201cand from her I learned how to research backwards and forwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crow pursued a master of fine arts at the University of Wisconsin so that she could study with John Ezell, one of contemporary theater\u2019s most influential scenic designers. \u201cHe taught me to dream and not be restricted by what is considered possible,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

When she was still in her 20s, one of her stops was the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. There, she took a course in art history that focused on forgery. Crow says, \u201cIf you study costumes in depth, you can generally date a painting to within six months of the date it was created. One of the quickest ways of discovering whether something is a forgery is to study how the clothing is painted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crow went on to work on plays in the West End, London\u2019s equivalent of Broadway, before returning to the United States to a theater company in Chicago, where she worked on the production of \u201cWARP,\u201d a show she describes as \u201ccomic book science fiction.\u201d Even though the play closed soon after it moved to Broadway, Crow won a Drama Desk Award for best costume design for her first-ever New York City production.<\/p>\n

The accolades didn\u2019t stop there, and over the years she has been recognized for her work both on and off Broadway and in many regional theaters. Among the honors she has earned are the Drama Desk, Obie, Villager, American Theater Wing, and Maharam Awards (New York); Dramalogue and Back Stage West Garland Award (Los Angeles); Bay Area Critics Award (San Francisco); and the Joseph Jefferson Award (Chicago).<\/p>\n

During her 13-year tenure as resident costume designer for the famed Circle Rep Theatre in New York City, she was instrumental in creating a new design aesthetic for the theater called Poetic realism. In describing it she says, \u201cPoetic realism takes a play that is realistic and pushes the aesthetic through lush detail and controlled color to create something that has a heightened reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marshall Mason, founder of Circle Rep, says that Crow has made important contributions both as an expert in the area of fabrics and as an historian. According to Mason, \u201cLaura Crow is truly a 21st-century artist, utilizing technology to advance knowledge and research, while maintaining her personal influence on students and artists with whom she comes in contact. In my mind, she virtually defines a \u2018Distinguished Professor.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Since joining UConn\u2019s fine arts department in 1994, Crow has introduced many design students to professional theater. In her nomination letter to the UConn Alumni Association Awards Committee, Karen S. Ryker, professor of dramatic arts, said about her colleague, \u201cShe engages on a personal level and readily shares her extensive knowledge and interest in many fields \u2026 she encourages [students] to think creatively and to generate new projects such as the most recent World Stage Design project in Korea, which won acclaim for UConn\u2019s design and puppetry programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recipient of a Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Fellowship, Crow studied the multicultural aspects of Filipino festival dress during a sabbatical in the Philippines in 2002. She has also brought her love of multiculturalism into the classroom through her recruitment of international designers into the Master of Fine Arts Program in costume design.<\/p>\n

As head of the International Costume Working Group within the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects, and Technicians, she has visited more than a dozen countries to work with theater artists. The group will next meet in the Czech Republic in June for the Prague Quadrennial, a gathering of leading designers from 60 countries around the world.<\/p>\n

This article was published in the Spring 2011 edition of UCONN Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

Laura Crow wears many hats as a
\nprofessor of costume design in the
\nDepartment of Dramatic Arts in the
\nSchool of Fine Arts, combining interests as
\nseemingly diverse as anthropology, history,
\nsociology and forensic science.
\n\u201cWhat interests me about costume
\ndesign is that I consider it moving
\nsculpture,\u201d says Crow, who received the
\n2010 UConn Alumni Association Faculty
\nExcellence in Research Award in the
\nHumanities\/Social Sciences. \u201cI like doing
\nresearch into the society, the manners and
\nthe physicality of the characters represented
\nin the plays.\u201d
\nA product of the socially turbulent
\n1960s, Crow studied under some of the
\nprofession\u2019s noted stars. While earning
\na bachelor of fine arts degree at Boston
\nUniversity, she was guided by Horace
\nArmistead, former resident designer for
\nthe Metropolitan Opera, and costume
\ndesigner Maureen Heneghan Tripp.
\n\u201cShe was brilliant,\u201d Crow says, \u201cand from
\nher I learned how to research backwards
\nand forwards.\u201d
\nCrow pursued an M.F.A. at the
\nUniversity of Wisconsin so that she could
\nstudy with John Ezell, one of contemporary
\ntheater\u2019s most influential scenic designers.
\n\u201cHe taught me to dream and not be
\nrestricted by what is considered possible,\u201d
\nshe says.
\nWhen she was still in her 20s, one of
\nher stops was the Courtauld Institute of
\nArt at the University of London. There, she
\ntook a course in art history that focused on
\nforgery. Crow says, \u201cIf you study costumes
\nin depth you can generally date a painting
\nto within six months of the date it
\nwas created. One of the quickest ways of
\ndiscovering whether something is a forgery
\nis to study how the clothing is painted.\u201d
\nCrow went on to work on plays in
\nthe West End, London\u2019s equivalent of
\nBroadway, before returning to the United
\nStates to a theater company in Chicago,
\nwhere she worked on the production of
\n\u201cWARP,\u201d a show she describes as \u201ccomic
\nbook science fiction.\u201d Even though the play
\nclosed soon after it moved to Broadway,
\nCrow won a Drama Desk Award for best
\ncostume design for her first-ever New York
\nCity production.
\nThe accolades didn\u2019t stop there, and
\nover the years she has been recognized for
\nher work both on and off Broadway and in
\nmany regional theaters. Among the honors
\nshe has earned are the Drama Desk, Obie,
\nVillager, American Theater Wing and
\nMaharam Awards (New York); Dramalogue
\nand Back Stage West Garland Award (Los
\nAngeles); Bay Area Critics Award (San
\nFrancisco) and the Joseph Jefferson Award
\n(Chicago).
\nDuring her 13-year tenure as resident
\ncostume designer for the famed Circle Rep
\nTheatre in New York City, she was instrumental
\nin creating a new design aesthetic
\nPETER MORENUS
\nSPRING 2011 19
\nfor the theater called Poetic realism. In
\ndescribing it she says, \u201cPoetic realism
\ntakes a play that is realistic and pushes the
\naesthetic through lush detail and controlled
\ncolor to create something that has a heightened
\nreality.\u201d
\nMarshall Mason, founder of Circle
\nRep, says that Crow has made important
\ncontributions both as an expert in the area
\nof fabrics and as an historian. According to
\nMason, \u201cLaura Crow is truly a 21st-century
\nartist, utilizing technology to advance
\nknowledge and research, while maintaining
\nher personal influence on students
\nand artists with whom she comes in
\ncontact. In my mind, she virtually defines a
\n\u2018Distinguished Professor.\u2019 \u201d
\nSince joining UConn\u2019s fine arts department
\nin 1994, Crow has introduced many
\ndesign students to professional theater.
\nIn her nomination letter to the UConn
\nAlumni Association Awards Committee,
\nKaren S. Ryker, professor of dramatic arts,
\nsaid about her colleague, \u201cShe engages on a
\npersonal level and readily shares her extensive
\nknowledge and interest in many fields
\n\u2026 she encourages them [sic] to think creatively
\nand to generate new projects such as
\nthe most recent World Stage Design project
\nin Korea, which won acclaim for UConn\u2019s
\ndesign and puppetry programs.\u201d
\nThe recipient of a Fulbright Senior
\nScholar Research Fellowship, Crow studied
\nthe multicultural aspects of Filipino festival
\ndress during a sabbatical in the Philippines
\nin 2002. She has also brought her love of
\nmulticulturalism into the classroom
\nthrough her recruitment of international designers
\ninto the Master of Fine Arts Program
\nin costume design.
\nAs head of the International Costume
\nWorking Group within the International
\nOrganization of Scenographers, Theatre
\nArchitects and Technicians (OISTAT), she
\nhas visited more than a dozen countries to
\nwork with theater artists. The group will
\nnext meet in the Czech Republic in June
\nfor the Prague Quadrennial, a gathering
\nof leading designers from 60 countries
\naround the world.Laura Crow wears many hats as a
\nprofessor of costume design in the
\nDepartment of Dramatic Arts in the
\nSchool of Fine Arts, combining interests as
\nseemingly diverse as anthropology, history,
\nsociology and forensic science.
\n\u201cWhat interests me about costume
\ndesign is that I consider it moving
\nsculpture,\u201d says Crow, who received the
\n2010 UConn Alumni Association Faculty
\nExcellence in Research Award in the
\nHumanities\/Social Sciences. \u201cI like doing
\nresearch into the society, the manners and
\nthe physicality of the characters represented
\nin the plays.\u201d
\nA product of the socially turbulent
\n1960s, Crow studied under some of the
\nprofession\u2019s noted stars. While earning
\na bachelor of fine arts degree at Boston
\nUniversity, she was guided by Horace
\nArmistead, former resident designer for
\nthe Metropolitan Opera, and costume
\ndesigner Maureen Heneghan Tripp.
\n\u201cShe was brilliant,\u201d Crow says, \u201cand from
\nher I learned how to research backwards
\nand forwards.\u201d
\nCrow pursued an M.F.A. at the
\nUniversity of Wisconsin so that she could
\nstudy with John Ezell, one of contemporary
\ntheater\u2019s most influential scenic designers.
\n\u201cHe taught me to dream and not be
\nrestricted by what is considered possible,\u201d
\nshe says.
\nWhen she was still in her 20s, one of
\nher stops was the Courtauld Institute of
\nArt at the University of London. There, she
\ntook a course in art history that focused on
\nforgery. Crow says, \u201cIf you study costumes
\nin depth you can generally date a painting
\nto within six months of the date it
\nwas created. One of the quickest ways of
\ndiscovering whether something is a forgery
\nis to study how the clothing is painted.\u201d
\nCrow went on to work on plays in
\nthe West End, London\u2019s equivalent of
\nBroadway, before returning to the United
\nStates to a theater company in Chicago,
\nwhere she worked on the production of
\n\u201cWARP,\u201d a show she describes as \u201ccomic
\nbook science fiction.\u201d Even though the play
\nclosed soon after it moved to Broadway,
\nCrow won a Drama Desk Award for best
\ncostume design for her first-ever New York
\nCity production.
\nThe accolades didn\u2019t stop there, and
\nover the years she has been recognized for
\nher work both on and off Broadway and in
\nmany regional theaters. Among the honors
\nshe has earned are the Drama Desk, Obie,
\nVillager, American Theater Wing and
\nMaharam Awards (New York); Dramalogue
\nand Back Stage West Garland Award (Los
\nAngeles); Bay Area Critics Award (San
\nFrancisco) and the Joseph Jefferson Award
\n(Chicago).
\nDuring her 13-year tenure as resident
\ncostume designer for the famed Circle Rep
\nTheatre in New York City, she was instrumental
\nin creating a new design aesthetic
\nPETER MORENUS
\nSPRING 2011 19
\nfor the theater called Poetic realism. In
\ndescribing it she says, \u201cPoetic realism
\ntakes a play that is realistic and pushes the
\naesthetic through lush detail and controlled
\ncolor to create something that has a heightened
\nreality.\u201d
\nMarshall Mason, founder of Circle
\nRep, says that Crow has made important
\ncontributions both as an expert in the area
\nof fabrics and as an historian. According to
\nMason, \u201cLaura Crow is truly a 21st-century
\nartist, utilizing technology to advance
\nknowledge and research, while maintaining
\nher personal influence on students
\nand artists with whom she comes in
\ncontact. In my mind, she virtually defines a
\n\u2018Distinguished Professor.\u2019 \u201d
\nSince joining UConn\u2019s fine arts department
\nin 1994, Crow has introduced many
\ndesign students to professional theater.
\nIn her nomination letter to the UConn
\nAlumni Association Awards Committee,
\nKaren S. Ryker, professor of dramatic arts,
\nsaid about her colleague, \u201cShe engages on a
\npersonal level and readily shares her extensive
\nknowledge and interest in many fields
\n\u2026 she encourages them [sic] to think creatively
\nand to generate new projects such as
\nthe most recent World Stage Design project
\nin Korea, which won acclaim for UConn\u2019s
\ndesign and puppetry programs.\u201d
\nThe recipient of a Fulbright Senior
\nScholar Research Fellowship, Crow studied
\nthe multicultural aspects of Filipino festival
\ndress during a sabbatical in the Philippines
\nin 2002. She has also brought her love of
\nmulticulturalism into the classroom
\nthrough her recruitment of international designers
\ninto the Master of Fine Arts Program
\nin costume design.
\nAs head of the International Costume
\nWorking Group within the International
\nOrganization of Scenographers, Theatre
\nArchitects and Technicians (OISTAT), she
\nhas visited more than a dozen countries to
\nwork with theater artists. The group will
\nnext meet in the Czech Republic in June
\nfor the Prague Quadrennial, a gathering
\nof leading designers from 60 countries
\naround the world.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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