Palm Beach Illustrated: Penny Williams is always looking for creative ways to challenge her costume design students at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, perhaps because she sees a bit of herself in each and every one of them. Williams started teaching at Dreyfoos 28 years ago, after the West Palm Beach–based high school hired her to design show costumes on a freelance basis. Though she wasn’t sure about teaching teens at first, she soon fell in love with encouraging students who were just as enthusiastic about embracing fun and unconventional design as she was.
4 comments:
I love the fact that Williams works to create bonds with her students. I think that really is important and creates such a lovely working environment that truly fosters creativity. I also like the fact that she encourages her students to use unconventional materials for costume design. I especially like the idea of using wallpaper designs as fabrics for clothing. It’s a brilliant idea to use something that is already designed with a beautiful pattern. I was shocked to learn that these costumes were created by high school students. I find that very impressive, especially since I know that it can be difficult to work with materials like paper, when trying to make them look and drape like fabric. I also appreciate the trust and confidence Williams instills in her students by giving them projects like these that allow their work to be featured in a well-established interior designer’s shop window. It must be incredible as a designer to see your work be put to use in an unconventionally beautiful way by high school students. What a fun way that it is to showcase your new wallpaper collection.
I have personally experienced when an artistic teacher has an open mind. It can open up so many possibilities for a student to grow and learn not just with technical artistic talents but their creativity. A dedicated and innovative teacher like Williams is what I wish I had more of in High School. As a student when you are forced to think outside of the box, pushed to use materials you are not used to, or encouraged to try something new; essentially when you are out of yourcomfort zone, that is where you can begin to see growth. In highschool I often found that teachers would start out by teaching the “rules” of either art and design. I often wonder how our educational growth artistically can be stunted when we are taught what we shouldn't and should do before we get the chance to be challenged without the parameters of what we already know. I love that a teacher like this trusts her teenage highschool students enough to let them experiment and create.
Wow! Just Wow! These students are incredible! You could tell me that these were all designed by professional well established fashion designers and I would have believed you wholeheartedly. The work that these students did blows me away! Using paper as their fabric is brilliant and also incredibly challenging and their craftsmanship is exquisite! I love to hear that there are still a few teachers that are actively encouraging their students to push the bounds and be bold and innovative. That is what we need in this world! I also am so happy to see that this creativity and innovation is coming from Florida. As someone from Florida, it excites me so much to see that not all of the self expression and passion has been sucked out of our state. I hope that the Dreyfoos School of the Arts continues to thrive and flourish and I hope that its students continue to push the bounds and I hope that as their platform grows that they will use their voice and creativity to push back against the oppression facing Florida schools and make people start to listen to the students again!
Going to a public arts high school, I can relate to the importance of having a open artistic teacher. It changed the way I viewed learning and the passion I had to get better at a craft. Penny Williams argues that unconventionality, is key to art making. I agree, especially in the time we are in it is so crucial in getting deeper into art and its future. Art is all about expression, and human expression is something that AI and new technologies is trying to outstand. A teacher like Williams gets students at the root of their creative minds and shapes them into a thing of usable talent. With teachers like this art will not stop being a creative force.
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