Recycled fashion show rocks the runway in Whitefish
The 2018 Trash-2-Flash Recycled Fashion Show models: Front, Rhinna Amwesiga, Kathleen Patrick, Saam (the dog), Lenora Poe, Betty Wheat; back, Sarah Quilling, Savahna Meester, Jeff Witbrod, Eve Clowers, Carlos Florey, Chris Wakem, Alice B. Elrod, Megan Smith, Veda Barret, Madeline Keller-King. (Photo by Thomas Bartley)
“Coffee Cabana” was created by model and designer Eve Clowers, who has been a designer since the fashion show’s inception. - Photo credit: Jon Crandell
“Siren of the Sea” model, Megan Smith; Designer, Caroline Cornell. (Photo by Thomas Bartley)
“King of the Road” model, Jeff Witbrod “Jazzy Film Dress” model and designer (of both), Alice B. Elrod - Photo credit: Abe Samuel Quilling
The Creative Arts Council, the nonprofit that owns and operates the Creative Arts Center in Eureka, brings its wild and wacky Trash-2-Flash Recycled Fashion Show to the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center in Whitefish Friday, Nov. 9.
Trash-2-Flash, which coincides with Ladies Night Out in downtown Whitefish, is a fun-filled evening of performance art and music. Local artists create haute couture from stuff that was destined for the landfill, recycling centers, or that has just been taking up space around the house and yard. Tarps, film, wrappers, material scraps, plastics ... you name it — if it’s trash these designers find a way to make it flash!
Models dance these unique and innovative outfits down the runway and the audience will have the opportunity to purchase the outfits during a live auction following the performance.
This unique and fun fashion show is a fundraiser to support the Creative Art Center, a place where community members can tap into and develop their creativity and fitness in classes and workshops from art to Zumba.
The center relies on support from the community through membership dues, class fees and fundraising events, such as Trash-2-Flash. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to the Stevie Sorensen Memorial Dance Fund, a scholarship set up exclusively to pay the fees of the Creative Arts Dance Studio for students who are hard-pressed to afford them.
The first Recycled Fashion show was in 2010, the brainchild of then Facility Director Star Kolb. Since then, the fashion show has been held annually in Eureka. Each show has completely different outfits, original and designed by local artists and creative people. The outfits are made from materials that would have gone into the landfill or recycling center. Piles of stuff have been collected that someday may show up on the runway.
The outfits have themes that are fitted with a song and danced down the runway by a model chosen by the designer (or maybe the designer herself). Some of the designers have been with the show since the beginning; some have participated several times and others just contribute once. The entire community is encouraged to get involved.
All of the materials, efforts and outfits are donated. Models and staff who run the show are all volunteers. A silent auction of the outfits and of art items made from recyclable materials is also held in Eureka.
All proceeds from the show go to support the Creative Arts Center, with a portion going to the Stevie Sorensen Memorial Dance Scholarship. This year the center is hoping to install a new heating system to replace the inefficient wall heaters on which it now relies.
The Creative Arts Council serves all ages in the community. A press release stated that Lincoln County has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Montana, a high suicide rate, as well as problems with alcohol and drug abuse. The council offers child and youth programming, is accessible to those with special needs and provides supervised learning in a safe, friendly environment. Its mission is to promote self-worth by directing youthful energy toward positive cultural endeavors. It also offers and continues to develop programs that serve adults, seniors and visitors, as well as free classes to the public.