Newsletter 033
Were you at the launch of Marion Made in 2018? It was a hot August evening but the heat didn’t melt the excitement and energy of the standing-room-only crowd in the south alley of the downtown square. They poured out onto the sidewalk to hear Tim George MC, Luke Anspach perform original music, and Kristin Salate of Trace Fashion speak and, of course, catch a glimpse of the 20 outfits strutt down the runway modeled by local kids, teens, and adults.
This significant event, an idea sparked by one of our former interns, Yeabi Tabb (currently a grad student at Parson’s New School New York) was in response to a Marion Cinema House (Marion Design Co’s summer movie house) showing of The True Cost, a riveting 2015 documentary highlighting the poor labor practices of the fashion industry. We were passionate about informing our community of the impact this practice has on a local level.
Leading up to the fashion show, we hosted a one-day workshop with teens, college students, and the Quilters Hall of Fame. Within a three-hour period, teams created outfits for the fashion show made from sustainably sourced garments from local resale stores. The designers tore the clothes apart and remade them into beautiful creations ranging from fashionable ensembles to outrageous costumes (think dragons!).
The show was recreated in 2020 in the space where the Five Points Axe Throwing is currently located. This space, previously only accessible through the Boston Hill Center was vacant with only framing and tattered drywall on the walls. Our design team transformed the space into a high-end fashion show venue with colored lights, motion graphics, and a raised runway. Jer Nelsen (former IWU photography professor) and his team and IWU facilities gave their time and expertise along with donated light equipment, stage risers, and chairs to make it possible to create the atmosphere we imagined! After a lot of cleaning and quick construction for makeshift dressing rooms and more, the venue was transformed. The show was followed by a celebratory AfterParty with a DJ and dancing while eating gorgeous slices of pies made by Paul Allison. Check out the video of the show on our website!
Through the support of the Marion Arts Commission and the Indiana Arts Commission, we’re bringing the original workshop, fashion show, and AfterParty back to downtown Marion! The outfits will be on display for the Marion Made Fashion Exhibit at the Kennedy Art Center from February through April of 2024.
Here’s the schedule of events. Details will be released on the Marion Arts Commission, Kennedy Art Center, and Marion Design Co. Instagram and Facebook pages as they’re available.
Fashion Maker Workshop: Saturday, January 20, 2024
(Deadline to RSVP for the Workshop by midnight: January 16, 2024)
Open studio: Jan 24 and 27 for Fashion Makers
Marion Made Fashion Show: Saturday, February 3, 2024. Seating is limited! Tickets will be released on January 3, 2024
Gallery Opening of the Marion Made Exhibit at the Kennedy Art Center: Saturday, February 10
The outfits will be on display through April 2024
We hope you’ll attend and get involved! Here’s how! Donate a year-end gift to the Marion Arts Commission to help offset costs for the workshop, fashion show, and afterparty!
The 3 TIER options are:
Tier 1 $50 VIP reserved seating for two people
Tier 2 $100 VIP covers expenses for one model. We have 25 models slated to walk the runway! You’ll receive VIP reserved seating for two people at this tier plus your name and logo will be posted at the door and on the stage at the event.
Tier 3 $300 Toward prizes, catering, music and DJ staff, lights, and stage design. You’ll receive VIP reserved seating for up to 4 people and your logo and name will be posted on all promotional material.
Click the button below and you’ll be directed to the Marion Arts Commission website. Click the Donate button which will take you to the Community Foundation MAC Donation page. Select the ONE-TIME donation option. Write Tier 1, 2, or 3 and any other helpful information in the Special Instructions box.
We’re grateful for longstanding partners who have entrusted their stories to us through multiple projects! Dr. Amanda Drury, Professor of Practical Theology at Indiana Wesleyan University is one such person.
We just recently created the brand identity for one of her most recent projects funded by the Lilly Foundation called Strengthening Ministry with Children Coordination Program. From building blocks as table decorations to signage, Dr. Drury and her team utilized the brand to strengthen the story and cast vision at a recent conference for 55 churches from all over the United States at The Alexander in Indianapolis.
From designing the Imaginarium brand to applying placemaking principles for a trauma-informed space at the Brain Kitchen and speaking with audiences about designs’ impact at conferences (click here to view the recording of a talk we gave at Princeton University, May 2022), she’s entrusted us with multiple projects.
Reservations for the gallery, conference room, and kitchen spaces are available for parties, meetings, and events at the Kennedy Art Center. Make your reservation for 2024 here!
Peter Troutner, Chief Creative Officer
Sometimes the fashion world and industry seem so far away - unattainable, unreachable, and unrealistic - but even here in our small midwestern city I’ve seen fashion take root, grow, and inspire people. Since the very beginning of the MarionMade fashion show, I’ve seen creativity blossom and flourish in the hands of citizens, students, and professionals alike.
It’s shown me that in the hands of ordinary people - we can reuse clothes and things around us to highlight the creativity of our people and how that can illuminate and share joy with a wider audience. In the second year of the fashion show I participated as a model and that is still one of my top Marion memories watching people show up get excited and work together to create beauty.
MarionMade has made it so that fashion is no longer something attainable or far away - from my first year designing an outfit to strutting the runway in year two I’m ready to get back in the action and see what others have to offer in a world of endless possibilities. I want to see how you reinterpret the things around you and gather diverse perspectives into a collaborative fashion experience anyone can try their hand at.
