Fire and Ice: Student Night

            

Nothing says “college” like free food and dancing; however, despite an abundance of ice pops and beats by Athens favorite DJ Mahogany, the heart of last Thursday’s Student Night at the museum lay in exposing students to the museum’s current exhibitions and opportunities. The theme was “Fire and Ice”: a concept inspired by Ann Bonfoey Taylor’s fiery passion for fashion in the snowy world of professional skiing. Her fusion of the two interests was displayed in “Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor,” the exhibition open to students throughout the event.

            The event itself was organized and executed by the Georgia Museum of Art Student Association, a collection of individuals committed to increasing the presence of art on campus and the presence of a student voice within the museum. The Association, led by museum intern Eva Berlin, holds at least one Student Night event a semester (the next will occur November 7). The collective presence of the student group is influential in drawing students to the museum and exciting interest in art and museum functions. 

            Along with the DJ and buffet table, the event offered interactive activities like crafts and photo booths that continued the theme. Visitors tested their creativity while decorating candle-holders as either fire or ice themed—the best example of each was given a prize. Meanwhile, others participated in a scavenger hunt to explore the galleries and win prizes. As for the photo booth, the Kodak moments made with props and costumes were prize enough. (Click here to see the pictures taken!)

            If you were unfortunate enough to miss out on Thursday’s good time, don’t stress: the Student Association is currently planning November’s Student Night, which will highlight the upcoming exhibition “Exuberance of Meaning: The Art Patronage of Catherine the Great (1762-1796.”   

          

Fashion Independent Events

The Georgia Museum of Art is showing a fashion film series that goes arm in arm with the exhibition “Fashion Independent: The Original Style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor.” up until September 15. Taylor wore many hats—sportswoman, socialite, pilot, designer—but it is her renowned fashion style that is on display. The exhibition consists of Taylor’s personal, custom-made wardrobe, which is highlighted by the three documentary fashion films that are being featured in the museum’s M. Smith Griffith Auditorium. The first film, “Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution,” was presented on August 29, but there are still two amazing fashion documentaries to be seen! The movies are free and open to the public, and will be screened at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12.

Both films offer a glimpse into the world of fashion—an industry filled with creativity, beauty, competition and intrigue—but focus on different parts of the multifaceted realm of style and beauty. One film peers into the modeling industry, and the other portrays the life and mind of a prominent fashion icon.

On Sept. 5, the museum will show “Girl Model,” a documentary that follows two people involved in the fashion industry: Ashley, a deeply ambivalent model scout who scours the Siberian countryside looking for fresh faces to send to the Japanese market, and one of her discoveries, Nadya, a 13-year-old plucked from her Siberian home and dropped into the center of Tokyo with promises of a profitable career. The two rarely meet again, but their stories are inextricable. As Nadya’s optimism about rescuing her family from their financial difficulties grows, her dreams contrast with Ashley’s jaded view of the industry’s corrosive influence.

The final movie being featured in the fashion film series is “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel,” which will be presented Sept. 12. This documentary is an intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of one of the most influential women of the 20th century, an enduring icon who has had a strong influence on the course of fashion, beauty, publishing and culture.