Lunar Gala is a chance for Carnegie Mellon to strut its stuff. The university’s wide range of student talent in art and design was showcased at the annual event. This year’s Lunar Gala, entitled Vestige, featured student work in fashion and video design, modeling, and dance in a unique two hour display. But, let’s face it – we go to Carnegie Mellon and can’t help but look at even the most creative exhibitions without considering the data behind the event. So here it is: Lunar Gala 2015 by the numbers….
31 Designers: This year’s Lunar Gala featured work from 31 student designers at Carnegie Mellon. First-years and upperclassmen alike collaborated for over 6 months to create collections for the show. Sophomore designer Lauren Zemering said that “being a designer for the show was one of the best experiences” she has had at Carnegie Melllon. Zemering and partner Jillian Nelson’s collection Sinew has been in the works since the summer. The line featured unique details like handmade prints and elastic accents. Zemering confessed that preparing for the show was stressful, “but seeing everything come together” made it worthwhile.
21 Collections: Designers joined forces to create 21 unique collections for this year’s show. Inspirations ranged from high end cakes, to African tribal garb, to geological formations and more. The materials featured in the display were just as unique as the inspirations behind them. Designers utilized traditional fabrics, but branched out to include original headpieces, clear plastics, and entire outfits made of rubber bands in their collections.
54 Models: Over 50 models strutted down the runway at Lunar Gala. These talented models were selected from a pool of over 200 applicants and put in hours of training to make the show a success. The models practice four hours a week in the fall before the show. In the week before the event, however, rehearsals and fittings consume upwards of 30 hours. First-year model, Sabrina Chang, enjoyed the experience as a model for Lunar Gala. She loved the company of the talented individuals in the show and was “glad to be a part of this huge successful organization”.
3 Dances: Lunar Gala also featured three performances from dancers at Carnegie Mellon. The groups created numbers unique to Lunar Gala, drawing inspiration from Vestige’s theme of addiction. The dances embodied feelings such as longing and euphoria. Freshman dancer, Sarah Deluty said that “Lunar Gala is an amazing crowd and venue to perform for”. She added that “being part of such a great production was extremely exciting”.
1010 Tickets: Over a thousand tickets were sold to this year’s Lunar Gala. Wiegand gym was packed to the brim with guests eager to see the work of the gifted designers, models, and dancers. One of the show directors, Colleen Clifford, said that putting on an event of this magnitude was demanding, but “figuring out the small steps that help you … reach the end result” is what makes the production manageable. Coordination among Lunar Gala team members was key to “create a show that was truly alive”.
Photo Sources:https://www.facebook.com/lunargala/photos/pb.126419287532617.-2207520000.1423626343./335187109989166/?type=3&theaterhttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204369657174344&set=t.100000224260292&type=3&theaterhttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=622775207855230&set=a.622769347855816.1073741836.100003682692349&type=3&theaterhttps://lunargala.squarespace.com/blog/2015/1/26/modelhttps://www.facebook.com/SarahDeluty/photoshttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=557216131048686&set=a.557203291049970.1073741837.100002809114960&type=3&theater