Fashion is a great way to express one’s individuality and creativity. A $1,500 grant will soon be helping more than 400 Ernest Righetti High School students do just that when they use the money to design and produce backpacks, purses, and bags to raise money for the school’s art department.
The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Orange County recently funded Righetti art teacher LeeAnne Del Rio’s “Sack Attack” proposal. Students will begin designing and decorating in January, and the finished products will be part of the department’s May fundraiser.
The money will be used to purchase fabric, needles, thread, and other supplies from local shops.
“I want the students to get into the mindset of usable art,” Del Rio said in a press release. She said students will also experience the benefits of community service because some of the proceeds will be donated to The Relay For Life.
“There is a joy of having people accept your individual piece of art. It’s a personal acknowledgment of personality and creativity,” Del Rio said.
Righetti senior Kasie Gurgiolo agreed with that statement, adding, “It will be pretty cool to see someone walking around with my design,” Gurgiolo said. “I really have not decided on a design yet, but I think it will involve popular culture.”
This article appears in Nov 22-29, 2012.
