4 minute read
Stitching SCIENCE
In a recent art exhibit, Mount Mary Fashion students explored inspiration from an unlikely source
What is the connection between math, science, art and fashion? At first glance it may seem as though these disciplines don’t have much in common. But this winter, a group of Mount Mary Fashion students challenged that perception with a pop-up gallery show at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA).
This gallery show, Fashion Focus | Imaginary i, was part of the larger Imaginary i show at the museum, which featured pieces inspired by scientific concepts such as radial geometry, astronomy, sound waves and the Fibonacci sequence. The collaboration between Mount Mary and MMoCA was born from a conversation in 2022 between then museum director Christina Brungardt and Fashion department faculty. Brungardt was inspired by students’ designs that evoked concepts of home and belonging, inviting them to participate in a show at the museum with the same theme. After a successful initial experience, MMoCA staff once again contacted the university about taking part in a similar event. Fashion department chair Ashley Brooks shared her elation over the continued collaboration between the two institutions.
“When the museum approached us, we were very excited,” Brooks shared, admitting that the theme seemed both inspiring and daunting. “The more we started thinking about it, the more we all began to realize that everything ties back to math,” she added. “Especially in fashion design, which involves fractions, grids, drafting and construction – math is such a big part of what we do.”
Mount Mary Fashion faculty met with the Mathematics department, exploring ways to make these concepts approachable and applicable to the participating classes. “Math is everywhere, and art is people’s way of creatively interpreting the world,” said assistant professor of Math Dr. Caitlyn Booms. “Numbers are everywhere in nature – I think they’re actually a more common source of inspiration than people realize,” she added, noting that patterns and symmetry underlie many design concepts.
Students from the Fashion Design I, Draping Fundamentals and Senior Capstone classes were all involved in the project, as well as several recent alumni. Although the students were initially hesitant about the theme, this uncertainty transformed into excitement as the classes explored different historical and contemporary creators embracing similar concepts in their own work. The possibilities quickly began to unfold.
Sophomore Aniana Robertson saw the prompt as a chance to connect back to nature, referencing the organic patterns found in plants.
She incorporated pleating and draping into her garment design, a dark green gown evoking vines and leaves flowing across the dress silhouette.
Senior Mileisis Romero, whose mockups were displayed digitally in the gallery, also chose nature as her muse. Romero’s designs referenced both starfish and icosahedrons (20-sided geometric forms), which inspired her colorful, spikey creations that will appear on the runway during the department’s CREO fashion show this May.
Sophomores Brianna Coronado and Monserrat Delgado approached the challenge from different perspectives. Coranado was intrigued by optical illusions, while Delgado connected a myriad of mathematical concepts together. Both students expressed that they learned a lot in the process, describing the sense of pride in seeing their designs on display in the show.
While the design project proved challenging, it also prompted the design classes to break out of their comfort zones, encouraging exploration of different materials and processes. Students expressed delight at seeing their work come to life, and gratitude for the confidence and professional experience gained along the way.
“We hope this experience will help students continue to grow,” said Brooks. “This was a great way to get students thinking about a different way to get inspired by something they may have never considered before.”
For more information about the Fashion program please visit mtmary.edu/fashion.
