10-27-2015 12:47pm

Gallery: Art Springs to Life on the 212 Runway

With the recent repurposing of the old Methodist Church building, this year’s Art on the Runway Show was presented at the Milan Activity Center on Neckel Court in Milan. The annual show is an opportunity for artists associated with Two Twelve Arts to showcase their wearable creations.

The event began at 7 p.m. but the first hour was dedicated to socializing and looking at the offerings of several artists who had tables set up displaying their wares. Those in attendance also had the opportunity to enter a raffle for various art objects.

Food and drink was also available. Plenty of bite-sized pastries, truffles and cookies were there for the taking.

At 8, Michelle Montour began the runway show, describing the pieces and the creative process that went into their designs. About 20 ladies served as models walking onto a raised platform then stepping off to walk through the middle of the crowd.

The wearable art included jackets, shawls, shrugs, dresses, skirts, aprons, hats, bags, pendants, necklaces, earrings, pins and more. Many of the items were for sale.

Some interesting materials were used to make some of the items. For example there were was jewelry made from the emerald-ash-borer-carved wood of dead ash trees and a necklace made from poptabs. An attractive handbag was made of colored duck tape.

The ladies who decorated the trees in front of the art center, a process they called “yarn bombing,” used the same materials to create hats, sweaters and ponchos. Another artist made a dress using old men’s ties.

One item was a “Groovy Sixties Dress” made using a pattern from that era. It cost $0.75 at the time. Another item was a 1920s flapper dress made from up-cycled T-shirts.

The final item was novel, exciting and completely impractical. The “Glass Skirt” was made of individual panes of colored glass and weighed well over ten pounds.

The attendance seemed a bit lower than last year, probably because the new venue made the event a bit less visible and less convenient. The level of creativity displayed and the enthusiasm of those in attendance suggest that the event is not likely to go away soon.