Paul Rodgers
Cheryl Wilkinson’s art students at Mount Baker Secondary will commence work on the annual Trash Fashion show — an “outside the box” art project that requires the students to create wearable artistic structures that will then be put on the runway at the Tamarack Mall on April 19 at 7:30 p.m.
It’s been an annual event since Wilkinson has been at the school for the past eight years, and it is something that she had been wanting to do in Cranbrook since before she came to Mount Baker.
“They are asked not to create trash. And construct an outfit that is artistically interesting to look at, but works as a wearable outfit as well,” Wilkinson explained.
She describes it as a challenging project and it is weighted a little heavier than some of the other projects she assigns her students, because they work on it for a longer period of time and due to the fact that there is a presentation element.
She explained that some students are less enthusiastic about it than others — while some get going on it right at the beginning of the year, or work on it throughout their March break, others are less into the idea.
“It’s a tonne of problem solving; how are we going to get this to work, how do we make it visually pleasing — all these things — and so it’s too valuable an experience to let them out of either.”
Wilkinson has four classes, each with about 25 students, and she also incorporates other community members. Some students may not want to model their garb themselves, so they enlist a drama student or a family member. Music teacher Evan Bueckert DJs the event, providing a soundtrack to the runway, or he gets one of this own students to do so. She also includes her adapted learning students, who she says love being involved and getting on the stage.
The project takes place during Earth Week and is a “celebration of how we can use and reuse.” Many students purchase and repurpose items from the thrift store, utilize old neckties or CDs, and one student, the year pennies were discontinued in Canada, hot glue gunned dozens of pennies to their garment.
Wilkinson said one of the most memorable conclusions to the show was when they had a male student come out at the end with massive makeshift wings constructed out of old newspapers; an homage to the Victoria’s Secret fashion shows where a female model walks out with wings.
The event is well attended, usually seeing about 500 people come out, and Wilkinson added that there is only seats available for 100, so it pays to come early.
“You just show up, enjoy, celebrate art,” she said.
