Wari: Announcing Project Tunic

On Friday, January 4, 2013, in conjunction with Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes [1], the Cleveland Museum of Art is excited to present Project Tunic, a runway show inspired by the exhibition. Local designers will present fabulous creations based on the artworks on display in the exhibition in a runway show during the January MIX at CMA [2]. Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes, the first exhibition of its kind in North America, features a variety of impressive works from this important ancient Peruvian culture, including metalwork in silver and gold, sculpture, ceramics, and—you guessed it!—spectacular tapestry-woven tunics featuring colorful geometric designs.

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Our panel of judges, Valerie Mayen of Yellowcake [4]; Donald C. Shingler, founder of Fashion Week Cleveland [5]; and Jessica Noelle of fashion blog Midwest Muse [6] will award prizes to first, second and third place winners. In addition, Susan Bergh, curator of Pre-Columbian and Native North American Art, will award a Curator’s Choice prize. The winning designs will be displayed in the CMA’s atrium following the event. Designs will be judged on several criteria, including their ability to incorporate Wari motifs into their garment, their look’s relevance to current fashion trends, and their creativity, originality and quality of execution.

Interested in participating? Professional, student, and amateur designers should submit an entry form and a sketch of their proposed design to the CMA before November 9^th. Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the exhibition before designing their garment. Not a designer? You can still participate – audience vote will determine the People’s Choice award after the runway show!

Pick your favorite on January 4, or get a sneak peek on the CMA blog each week between November 16 and January 3. We’ll post profiles of each Project Tunic designer, including interviews, photos and video of their progress, and information about their other design work.

For entry forms, guidelines, and more information about Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes, please contact Bethany Corriveau by email at bcorriveau@cleveland.art.org [7].

-- Courtney Ruffalo Miller, Education and Interpretation Intern