2020 Recipient
Jeanna DiPaolo (Harrison, NY) is an upcoming senior at SUNY Purchase college, studying for a BFA in Costume Design. She grew up in Upstate New York, Averill Park. As a child she remembers sitting wide-eyed next to her Grandma and Dad watching old Hollywood films. The dazzling costumes of Orry- Kelly, Edith Head, and Travis Banton mesmerized her. She began sewing outfits for her dolls and gradually began designing and making costumes for all her school plays. The combination and interaction of art, history, fashion, and human behavior influences every character she designs.
2019 Recipients
Victoria Nicolette Gist (Houston, TX) is pursuing her Masters of Fine Arts with a focus in Costume Design at the University of Houston. ”I am a storyteller; one who creates a tangible, visual bridge for the audience into the world that the director has envisioned. Collaboration is key, and creativity is everything,” said Gist. With that in mind, she will bolster her training in figure drawing and painting in acrylics, watercolors and oil, becoming more skilled in working in different media and more adept at conveying her artistic vision on paper. As a recipient of the Scholarship, Gist will study at the Art League Houston (ALH), which offers specified coursework for artists at various stages in their training.
Stella Katz (Brooklyn, NY) is pursuing her Bachelors in Theatre Arts Design & Technology with a Concentration in Costume Design at the State University of New Paltz (SUNY). “I love imperfection and humanness in costume. Costume is not supposed to be perfect but should be curated in a way where everything has purpose. I want to fine tune my skills so I can better communicate the way I understand characters and people,” said Katz. To that end, she will participate in a variety of courses at The Art Students League in New York, NY, including fashion illustration, life drawing, gesture drawing, and anatomy and drawing.
Regan A. McKay (Wittenberg, WI) will begin her first year at San Diego State University (SDSU) this fall where she will pursue a Masters of Fine Arts in Costume Design. “Costume design is the only area of entertainment design that involves such intimate and collaborative work with performers, and the designer’s role in fostering this relationship is essential,” said McKay on her approach to costume design. McKay will supplement her curriculum at SDSU by taking additional noncredit courses in life drawing and painting over the course of her first two semesters.