ABSTRACT
In costume shops around the United States, drapers and first hands lean into their tables, reaching to measure, cut, and pattern. Empowering young makers with combination of skills, training them in the arts of planning and assemblage, are at the heart of Judy Adamson’s lifelong career in draping and costume making. Working with a knowledgeable, powerful mentor like Barbara Matera makes a huge difference in a young technician’s life, as it did for Adamson. Adamson is also deeply invested in how her students view their own contribution to the profession, both as artisans and as technologists with a passion for the details. Adamson, trained almost solely on the deadlines and expectations of a major Broadway costume shop, translated her own skills into one of the strongest curricula in the country. Adamson’s attention to tools and work practices demonstrates her awareness of the ways in which our work patterns not only impact our bodies but also the quality of the finished product.
