Maria Lemmons '23: AP Art & A Major Design Challenge

Senior Maria Lemmons recently set up a stunning display of dresses made from unexpected materials at the Upper School. We asked her to share a bit about her project, as well as to share a few photos of her work. A special thanks to Natalie Seng for helping to model these dresses. 

I'm interested in going into industrial or product design eventually. My dream job would be to have my own fashion line, but I'd be happy doing any sort of design or entrepreneurship. So for AP Art Mr. Stromberg and I spent some time brainstorming and developed the idea of sewing dresses with non-fabric materials.

This really helped push my thinking process, especially by limiting myself to specific materials and asking: Okay, what can I make with this?

For my first dress, I didn't know what to do; I thought: this is going to be a little rough! But throughout the year I progressed and explored increasingly difficult materials, even to the point of working with flimsy material like tinfoil.

It was so cool to see the different outfits develop. It's inspired me to explore a wider range of materials this year, and to keep pushing myself to try new things and new processes. 

Scroll on, to see Maria's dresses!

Formal gown made of sewn trash bags

Gown made from white paper and teachers' late slips

Dress made from painter's tape

Tissue paper gown.

Top made from magazine pages, spray paint, ribbons, and paper

Gown made from post it notes and spray paint