Slay the Runway- Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Youth Expression
WHY WE CREATED THE PROGRAM…
LGBTQ youth are 5x more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers, and those from rejecting environments are 8x more likely. They also experience higher rates of severe depression, illegal drug use, and homelessness than their straight peers. Slay the Runway aims to increase support and community connection for a population of youth suffering from marginalization and discrimination by creating an affirming and accessible space where creativity, expression, and positive self-image are celebrated.
During the design sessions, instructors start with simple projects that improve student sewing and design skills. As confidence builds, students are challenged to develop their own self identity as they create an outfit for the showcase. At the fashion show, members from the Drag community will teach the kids how to present themselves with flair. The students end with unveiling something they’ve created in their style and voice while surrounded by a community sharing their life experience.
The artwork and process of “Slaying the Runway” is so relevant to our goal of creating safe spaces for gender identity, gender expression and gender celebration for LGBTQIA+ youth. The creation of the “look” is the identity, the walk down the runway is the expression, and the attendance of friends and family is the celebration. While there are fashion camps and sewing classes in the area, no other local offerings address the issue of safe spaces for gender-expansive youth with this depth of creativity, and commitment to providing support and education to families.
Slay the Runway’s goal is to create an affirming and accessible space where creativity, expression, and positive self-image are celebrated. Involving parents, youths, artists, the LGBTQIA+ community and educators, we strive to provide access to peer connection, parent education, and safe spaces.
Slay the Runway- Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Youth Expression
DONATE TO MAKE SLAY THE RUNWAY AN ANNUAL PROGRAM!!!
Slay the Runway offers fashion design, performance and sewing classes for LGBTQIA+ teens at Longmont’s Firehouse Art Center and Boulder Public Library’s Building 61 Maker Space. At the conclusion of a 2 week Summer Session, students participate in a professionally produced runway show. In addition to garment construction and design, participants will work with make-up artists and choreographers to refine their debuts. This program is made possible by SCFD, the City of Longmont, OASOS, CU Boulder, your donations, and the never ending enthusiasm and passion of the educators, volunteers and Slay team. Thank you for your support!
Slay the Runway- Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Youth Expression
DEADLINE JUNE 1, 2023
BOULDER LOCATION IS CLOSED AND ON WAITLIST (FILL OUT APPLICATION TO BE PUT ON THE WAITLIST 4.6.2023)
KICK OFF PARTY- JUNE 3, 2PM
AT THE KOKO BAYER LONGMONT MURAL UNVEILING!
JUNE 13- JUNE 23 TUESDAY – FRIDAY
SLAY THE RUNWAY- FASHION DESIGN CAMP TO SUPPORT LGBTQIA+ YOUTH AND ALLIES
DESIGNING SAFE SPACES FOR SELF EXPRESSION
10AM-3PM (LUNCH BREAK 12P-1P)
Ages 13-18
APPLY HERE- https://forms.gle/AdYRKXSa8e4t4ybKA– Acceptance is by application only
FEE: $0 due to grant and donor support
Slay the Runway offers fashion design, performance and sewing classes for LGBTQIA+ teens at Longmont’s Firehouse Art Center and Boulder Public Library’s Building 61 Maker Space.
After the end of the 2 week camp, students participate in a professionally produced runway show. In addition to garment construction and design, participants will work with make-up artists and choreographers to refine their debuts.
Slay the Runway selection is based on application. For questions or more info, please contact Elaine at elaine@firehouseart.org.
KICK OFF PARTY- June 3- 2pm- at the Firehouse. We will be handing out ARC vouchers and Staci Bernstein and the Vulture Collective will be presenting upcycling tips
Camp runs:June 13-June 23 Tuesday through Friday each week
Runway Show- June 23- 6pm-7pm at CU Atlas Institute
Due to generous grants, we are able to offer construction, design, and style instruction at no cost to accepted students. Spots are limited (12 at each location).
Photos: from Slay the Runway 2021- by Matt Maenpaa
Slay the Runway- Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Youth Expression
In Slay The Runway, students attend 8 days of design classes culminating in a Runway Performance.
What: LGBTQIA+ Focused Fashion Design and sewing classes offered in Longmont and Boulder. The class will run for 8 days during a Summer workshop and conclude with a professionally produced runway show at the B2 Center for Media, Arts, and Performance in CU Boulder’s Atlas Institute. In addition to garment construction and design, participants will work with make-up artists and choreographers to refine their final performance.
Where: Two in-person cohorts, one in Boulder and one in Longmont
Longmont: The Firehouse Art Center, 667 4th Avenue, Longmont, 80501
Boulder: Bldg 61, Boulder Public Library
Who: The workshop is open to Colorado residents ages 13-18. Everyone is welcome, but all participants must respect that this is a safe space for LGBTQIA+ expression and celebration.
“Slay the Runway–Designing Safer Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Youth Expression” connects LGBTQIA+ middle school high school students, and allies, to their greater community through creative self-expression. This program combines the fun of Fashion Design Camp and includes a culminating performance.
How to Apply: Complete this digital form and submit it by June 8, 2023. Please review the application and send questions to info@firehouseart.org.
WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
- Learning Basic Sewing and Fashion Design Skills: Middle/high school students will create runway-ready looks in an LGBTQIA+ affirming environment over a series of weekly evening classes. Participants will design outfits, purchase fabrics, sew, and accessorize their final look. All materials and equipment will be provided.
- Connecting with the LGBTQIA+ Community: LGBTQIA+ youth gain an opportunity to connect to peers, older teens, and LGBTQIA+ designers, performers, and educators during both the weekly classes and for the culminating Fashion Show.
- Slay the Runway Extravaganza: After short tutorials on runway walks, makeup, and hair, the kids take the stage and show off their accomplishments to their families and friends, allowing all participants to celebrate together either virtually or in-person (county guidelines permitting). The performance will be produced in CU Boulder’s state-of-art Black Box Theater and managed by industry professionals.
As participants in Slay The Runway, students are given the freedom to push their design and construction skills to new levels. Student workshops provide a supportive emotional experience for LGBTQIA+ youth, allies, and their families.
Slay the Runway is generously supported by SCFD, The Longmont Community Foundation and the Boulder Community Foundation. Due to generous grants, we are able to offer construction, design, and style instruction at a reduced fee to accepted students. Spots are limited and applications will open in Spring 2023. Classes will begin in June 2023.
Slay the Runway- Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Youth Expression
DONATE TO MAKE SLAY THE RUNWAY AN ANNUAL PROGRAM!!!
Slay the Runway offers fashion design, performance and sewing classes for LGBTQIA+ teens at Longmont’s Firehouse Art Center and Boulder Public Library’s Building 61 Maker Space. At the conclusion of a 2 week Summer Session, students participate in a professionally produced runway show. In addition to garment construction and design, participants will work with make-up artists and choreographers to refine their debuts. This program is made possible by SCFD.
Construction and Design Classes
During design sessions, instructors start with simple projects
that improve student sewing and design skills. As confidence builds,
students are challenged to develop their own self identity as they
create an outfit for the showcase.
Developing a Look, Hair, and Make-up
At the fashion show, members from the Drag community will teach the kids how to present themselves with flair. The students end with unveiling something they’ve created in their style and voice while surrounded by a community sharing their life experience. The Show will end the Caregiver’s Conferences and students will plan, organize, and lead the performance with assistance from Program mentors.
Watch the 2021 Caregiver’s Conference
The Caregiver’s Conference is a very important part of Slay the Runway. It was created to help bring the style affirming and celebratory space of Slay the Runway into the home. The Firehouse Art Center hosted the conference as a virtual event on May 7th from 4pm- 8pm. The night will consist of panels, presentations and workshops, as well as interviews with our young fashion designers.
Our presenting organizations:
Out Boulder Speaking Out Program
OASOS YAC Panel- OASOS stands for Open and Affirming Sexual Orientation and gender identity Support, YAC stands for Youth Advocating for Change
Slay the Runway Students and Parents
Longmont Public Media
For more info on Slay the Runway, please visit https://firehouseart.
Sign up for OASOS’s newsletter- bit.ly/oasosgsanetwork
GSA Advisor Support Sessions- https://tinyurl.com/advisorsupportsessions
Queer and Trans Youth Group (QT’s) (OutBoulder/OASOS): https://www.outboulder.org/youth-groups
Safe Schools Coalitions-
https://www.facebook.com/BoulderSafeSchools
Out Boulder Speaking Out:https://www.outboulder.org/speaking-out
Out Boulder Volunteering- https://www.outboulder.org/volunteering
Prideful Wellness: https://pridefulwellness.com
Other Resources and Education opportunities
https://www.glsen.org/equality-act-toolkit
Instructors (Boulder and Longmont Cohorts)
Elaine Waterman- Longmont Cohort
Elaine Waterman (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Firehouse Art Center, as well as an arts educator and artivist. Elaine is also the Coordinator for BMoCA’s Studio Project Internship which is being offered in conjunction with the Firehouse Art Center. Her biggest passion is helping young artists develop their artistic voice. Elaine’s love of fashion started in her youth and led her to a career as a fashion designer in NYC. She now channels her creative energies into costumes and cosplay.
Slay the Runway came about through Elaine’s fashion design camps at the Longmont Museum, her collaborations in the Colorado Cosplay Community and her passion for supporting and celebrating every child’s creative voice. A parent of a non-binary teen, Elaine understands the importance of having a space to create freely, and she hopes that Slay the Runway can be that place!
Steven Frost- Boulder Cohort
Born in USA, 1981
2000-2004 BFA, New York State College of Ceramics & Design at Alfred University
2009-2011 MFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Steven Frost (they/them) is an instructor in the Department of Media Studies and interdisciplinary artist. Their research focuses on textiles, memes, queer history, pop culture, and community development in DIY spaces and libraries. In their creative work they often use textiles — their association with the body and garments evoke tactile memories. Using weaving, they combine traditional materials like yarn and cotton with non-traditional materials from a range of sources, exploring the ways history and time are embedded in materials. Their artworks evoke specific narratives and stories, referencing aspects of their personal and family history, and the history of the LGBTQIA+ people, among other topics. In workshops and interactive performance events, they work to amplify marginalized voices and foster communities to produce their own forms of representation.
Frost has been featured in solo and two-person exhibitions at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (Boulder, CO), Basement Projects (Santa Ana, CA), CU Boulder Art Museum (Boulder, CO), 350 E 3rd/ ArtX (Long Beach, CA), Robert Bills Contemporary (Chicago, IL), Coop Gallery (Nashville, TN), and Pleasant Plains Workshop (Washington, DC) and in group exhibitions at Union Hall Gallery (Denver, CO), the Center for Visual Arts (Denver, CO), Alto Gallery (Denver, CO), Arlington Arts Center (Arlington, VA), Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), Imersten (Vienna, Austria), ACRE Gallery (Chicago, IL), Chicago Cultural Center (Chicago, IL), and the AU Museum at the Katzen (Washington, DC) among other venues. They have recently taught workshops at the Art Student’s League (Denver, CO), Redline Contemporary Art Center (Denver, CO), School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL), and the Haystack School of Crafts (Deer Isle, ME). Frost is the founder of the Colorado Sewing Rebellion, an offshoot of the original Sewing Rebellion founded by Frau Fiber (Carole Francis Lung). They are a co-founder of the Experimental Weaving Residency (with Dr. Laura Devendorf). They are also the Faculty Director of the B2 Center for Media, Arts, & Performance at the Atlas Institute (Boulder, CO) and a Library Commissioner for the City of Boulder, CO. Frost is also a recipient of several other honors including the Lenore G. Tawney Fellowship and the Luminarts Cultural Foundation Fellowship.
Our Partners
Thank you to Out Boulder County, PFLAG and Trans Youth Education & Support for participating in our Caregiver’s Conference. Thank you to Arts in Society for funding this important project!
Workshops to be Offered at the Caregivers Conference:
