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Herron students put their creativity on the runway for Wearable Art Show

By Grace Navarrete Gonzales

March 12, 2025

Wearable Art Show 2025

Open gallery

Kelsey Conner, a junior, built a wire frame that she is lining with synthetic hair to create a piece that fully covers the upper half of ...
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The IU Herron School of Art and Design’s Sculpture Club will welcome students and alumni to present their best pieces modeled by Indiana University Indianapolis students at its annual Wearable Art Show on March 27 at the campus’s Eskenazi Fine Arts Center.

The free event is open to the community and is entirely run by students who have not only created the array of art mediums that will be showcased as wearable garments, but delved into stage production, set designing and DJing to bring the show to life.

Herron students have poured their hearts and individuality into their wearable art, putting days and even months into their work.

Kelsey Conner, a junior, will be participating in the event for the second year. She said it’s a fun experience but a big undertaking.

“You’re having to think about making something large enough for someone to wear and the concept overall,” Conner said. “But I’m really excited about this piece.”

She built a wire frame that she is lining with synthetic hair to create a piece that fully covers the upper half of the model’s body, revealing only the legs. Conner has gained a reputation among close friends for her work with hair, so much so that friends often bring her locks of their own and ultimately become a part of her art.

Sophomore Dariel Edwards plans to showcase four pieces on the runway, with two of them dedicated to her appreciation of Black women Sophomore Dariel Edwards. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana UniversityHair can signify a person’s identity. Some may use hair to hide. Sophomore Dariel Edwards describes it as a type of armor for some women.

“I’ve always dealt with hair issues and tied my identity to my hair, so I wanted to uplift Black women and for them to see beauty in their hair,” Edwards said. “I want them to feel beautiful in their own skin.”

She said she has felt the pressures of preparing for the event but ultimately found the joy in it, calling it “a labor of love.”

Edwards plans to showcase four pieces on the runway, with two of them dedicated to her appreciation of Black women’s hair. Whether it’s hair intertwined in a crocheted top, or a dress made entirely of braided hair, the symbolism does not stop there. She attaches beads to the ends of the strands because it reminds her of running around on the playground as the sound of beads clink together.

Art can be revealing and tell a story close to the heart. Junior Clara Schuman displayed a piece of steel molded to form an outline of lungs. Burned silk is sewn throughout the piece; a lock and key will hang around the model’s neck.

Junior Clara Schuman displayed a piece of steel molded to form an outline of lungs. The heaviness of the art will weigh on the model to r... Junior Clara Schuman. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana UniversitySchuman said the heaviness of the art will weigh on the model to replicate the burden of living with chronic diseases.

“I wanted to create a piece inspired by my friend who has chronic lung issues,” Schuman said. “Chronic disease makes you a prisoner in your body.”

Ideas for artwork often come from a small spark of inspiration, much like junior Remo Brown’s wearable art did.

“It started with the helmet,” Brown said.

He began sketching his idea after he found a motorcycle wheel cover that he thought resembled a helmet. Recycling motorcycle parts and metal is his forte. He reclaims materials to put together, soaking some in vinegar to remove the rust. Materials such as metal black tubes and rectangular cutouts of metal were added to a black hoodie that became the base of his project throughout the semester.

His piece will feature an almost complete ensemble equipped with an armor-like textured top built around a hoodie, a helmet made from a motorcycle wheel cover, elevated wooden shoes with ropes as straps, and a walking stick made from steel pipes.

Brown intends to create movement and sound through elements hanging from the walking stick the model will use and the hair-like black metals pipes with a resemblance to the creature from the movie “Predator.”

Junior Remo Brown began sketching his idea after he found a motorcycle wheel cover that he thought resembled a helmet. Recycling motorcyc... Junior Remo Brown. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

While Herron students are looking forward to participating in this year’s Wearable Art Show, they cannot help but be eager to be spectators when the day arrives.

“As artists, most of the time we are in our studios doing our own thing,” Brown said. “Everybody gets so absorbed into what they are doing, so it’s nice to pick your head up and look around.”

Since the Department of Music and Arts Technology joined Herron School of Art and Design, MAT students have added production elements like music, audio, and light to the show.

“It’s been nice getting to know the MAT people,” senior Nazarinne Ahmed said.

Ahmed and fellow senior Tev Clinton have been operating as co-presidents of the Herron Sculpture Club and supporting the students in this year’s show. Ahmed said the students are excited.

“I know Dariel has been working on her stuff since last semester and has been asking about the Wearable Art Show details throughout the whole year,” she said.

Ahmed said the show is one of her favorite events for Herron students.

“The first one I went to I was like whoa, I can’t believe something this cool is happening at the school I go to,” she said.

Since that first show, she knew she wanted to be more involved, which led her to role as Sculpture Club president today.

The Sculpture Club anticipates a lot of interest in the show this year with the inclusion of more performance aspects in addition to the traditional wearable art. Doors will open at 6 p.m. March 27, and the runway show begins at 7 p.m.

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