Costumes in Caves

This last semester I had the wonderful opportunity to take a studio elective in the fiber department at my school (Kansas City Art Institute) taught by a costume designer. The class was based in the ideas of creating costumes entirely from scratch, with little pattern help, and using our skills, resources, and other major interests to create two outfits. Some students were fiber majors, others, like myself, came from other areas of teaching throughout the school. Painting, respectively, sculpture and interdisciplinary.

As part of our research and inspiration gathering, we took a field trip to visit the Kansas City Repertory Theatre costume departments storage caves in the Downtown Underground. This is a carved out limestone quarry with hundreds of storage areas all with metal garage doors, full lighting, bathrooms, offices, heating, a/c, the works! To drive down into the Earth was cool in itself, but then to enter the KC Rep. particular cave, was absolutely breathtaking. Rack after rack of hand made one of a kind costumes, bins of shoes, a room full of hats, shelves filled with furniture and props; all from hundreds of shows that the theatre has put on. Truly a theatre nuts dream (that would be me!) In true form, I took lots of photos, since I know unless I work for this company, I nor anyone who ever views these photos, will ever be able to visit this hidden gem of color, texture and inspiration. Enjoy.