Recent alumna applies prestigious costume design scholarship during COVID-19 pandemic
Stella Katz ’20 (Theatre Arts) was awarded the inaugural Willa Kim Costume Design Scholarship in 2019, administered by Theatre Communications Group and supported through the Willa Kim estate.
The scholarship provides up to $7,500 that can be used toward tuition and registration fees, travel, supplies or non-credit courses.
“Through TCG, I have been able to focus on my drawing skills—sketching and learning how to communicate my designs,” said Katz in a statement. “I have been doing so much more drawing than I’ve ever done before.”
Just before the COVID-19 shutdown, Katz had the opportunity to stage her senior capstone project, Qui Nguyen’s “She Kills Monsters“ at SUNY New Paltz. The costume design for the production was sustainably sourced and used up-cycled materials, tenets of Katz’s work as a textile designer.
“I love to help tell stories in a detailed and nuanced way,” said Katz. “Discovering characters and understanding how they present themselves and their personality is an important part of my artistic process.”
Now that theatre is on pause due to the pandemic, Katz has been living with her family in Gardiner, New York, and has focused more time on her sustainable fashion brand, Giddy.ny, which uses fabrics and materials from recycling centers and nonprofits for textile waste.
She’s also been busy making and donating masks—500 and counting—to farm workers, retirement homes, special-needs organizations and independent living programs.