Posters displayed at the Costume Design & Technology Commission session always draw a crowd of interested people. In 2004, posters shown in Long Beach caused serious conversation.

by Deb Krajec
Costume Design & Technology Commission

At the Toronto 2005 Conference & Stage Expo, as many as 20 presenters will stand beside their posters each illustrating an innovative or imaginative design or construction technique, a solution to a problem, a classroom or management technique, the results of research, or other ideas, discoveries, or developments in the field of costuming. These people will be the participants selected for the 2005 Costume Poster Session.

If you have an idea, even if you are not sure it's "good enough" or "significant enough," send it in and let the jury members decide. Each submission will be juried by the Session Chair and past Costume Commissioner Debra Krajec, past Poster Session Chair Gwen Nagle, Betty Blyholder (first Chair and originator of the Poster Session), Donna Meester, and Joel Ebarb.

Ideas must be submitted in the form of an abstract (a brief, concise summary of the information to be presented in the poster), typewritten, and no more than 200 words. Mail, e-mail, or fax your abstract by February 15, 2005 to Ms. Krajec. For more information or to receive an official rules document, e-mail debra.krajec@marquette.edu and a complete set of Poster Guidelines will be provided

Posters should be no smaller than 2 by 3 feet and no larger than 4 by 6 feet. They should be designed to be mounted on the wall or to stand on a table. In the past, there has been some table space in front of each poster for displaying realized projects plus handouts. Posters may be constructed in several sections for easy transport. Since people will be walking by, each poster should be easily readable from at least six feet away.

Each presenter should prepare a summary handout to distribute. An average of 200 to 250 people usually attend this session.

Poster presentations are widely accepted as meeting the requirements for scholarly publication. That means those employed by an educational institution may be able to get their schools to fund some or all expenses to the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Toronto. Poster presenters may also have the opportunity to publish their ideas in TD&T.

The Poster Selection Committee thanks those who presented at the 2004 Conference & Stage Expo in Long Beach, California. It was a very successful session due to the presenters. Some of the posters included were:

• Gail Artsinger, SUNY Brockport: Greek Headdresses from Wire, Brass, and Copper
• Bill Brewer, University of South Florida: 'Bat Boy' Design & Construction
• Kathleen Donnelly, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh: Constructing the puppet Hinky Binky for 'Fuddy Meers'
• Tan Huaixiang, University of Central Florida: Masks & Headdresses for 'Once On This Island'
• Gail Kralj, Allegheny College: Zippier Zips
• Jeff Lieder: Elizabethan and Romantic Petticoats for the Long Haul
• Kate MacKenzie, Western Michigan University: Stagecraft Beginning Sewing Projects
• Janice Stauffer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Tied to basics - Neckwear as a Learning Tool
• Amanda Sutt, Appalachian State University: A Hat for All Seasons: New Millinery Products and Designing a Character from Scratch: Puppets for a Pirandello Production
• Kristina Tollefson, University of Central Florida: Independent Study Pattern Drafting and Draping Course

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