Well, suddenly another month has passed. We are all under the stress of dealing with the virus and social distancing. I've been very busy wrapping up the term (last week SMTD shared my celebratory mixed tape) and quickly pivoting to how the fall will unfold. Frankly the news about how all this impacting the theatre, live performance, and higher ed is alarming. In logistical terms, we costume folks are trying to figure out how you even have a fitting, or a quick change, or work with items that cannot be easily laundered. There's a lot of activity by professional organizations to help articulate some guidelines. I'm feeling grateful that I work at research university with the resources to be problem solvers, but I do worry. I'm worried for the hundreds of friends and colleagues out of work and businesses shuttered. But I love the resilience and creativity too.
One bright spot has been planning and running an virtual workshop on Costume History Pedagogy with Chloe Chapin, a Phd candidate at Harvard (featured in the Dressed podcast). A lot of her research centers on menswear and the intersection of fashion across multiple disciplines.
It has been glorious to think and work about something proactive not related to COVID19. Last weekend we zoomed in with more than sixty costume educators to begin the conversation and we'll continue working together next weekend. In the time between many are working in subgroups to discuss all kinds of topics from juggling family responsibilities, inclusive teaching strategies, using zoom, and condensed history courses to name just a few. I've learned a lot about planning a workshop as well as optimizing virtual spaces. The most wonderful takeaway has been a true sense of community and fostering connections. Though we only planned sessions for two hours per day, folks popped in a half hour early and some stayed for another hour and half building new relationships and sharing resources. It is heartening to see so much support, generosity, and gratitude in the whole group. I'm excited to see what everyone brings back to the table in a week.
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