CR DeSantis Portfolio

Caitlin Ryan

Desantis

Costume Designer Graphic designer

Artist

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Skills ! Adobe Creative Suite ! Microsoft Office ! iMovie / Final Cut Pro ! HTML / JavaScript ! Database management (eTapestry, EmbARK and

Clientbook) ! French (proficient) ! Italian (basic) ! Sewing

Experience

Under Armour—Baltimore, MD (May 2015- August 2015) Corporate Archives & History Intern

! Tagged and inventoried Under Armour’s archived shoes, apparel, and accessories totaling around 5,000 items

! Downloaded and filed over 150,000 photos of corporate events from photographers’ websites

! Reorganized the Archives’ five rooms to maximize storage space of its growing collection

! Coordinated an archival process for the Footwear, Facilities, and Archives team to follow for collecting shoes

National Museum of Women in the Arts—Washington, DC (June 2014-December 2014) Director’s Office Intern

! Assisted Curator of Special Projects research female chefs and sent invitation packets to those selected to contribute to an art-inspired cookbook

! Coordinated large-scale mailing to board members and major donors for December 2014 exhibition, Picturing Mary

! Designed cards and packaging for fundraising efforts ! Completed research for Director, Staff, and Board Members

Georgetown University Department of Performing Arts—Washington, DC (September 2014-Present) Costume Shop Assistant

! Assisted artist in residence, Deb Sivigny, construct and organize costumes for Department productions

Tory Burch—Washington, DC (November 2013-January 2014; November 2014-December 2014) Seasonal Sales Support

! Performed various front of house duties such as greeting customers, aiding sales associates, and maintaining floor integrity

! Aided back of house with inventory requests and organization

Washington Concert Opera—Washington, DC (February 2014-June 2014) Event & Development Intern

! Assisted Director plan the Spring Gala by researching venues, managing the invitation list, handling promotional materials and the programs, and insuring the event info was updated on the website and social media platforms

! Day of event duties included managing event staff and volunteers, organizing place cards and seating, running guest check-in, and acting as a liaison between the artists and the Director

Georgetown University Special Collections—Washington, DC (January 2014-May 2014) Student Library Assistant

! Organized the University’s Print Collection by inputting data into both an Excel spread sheet and into EmbARK, a collection management system

! Scanned artworks to add to the University’s digital archive

!Education Georgetown Un ivers ity—Georgetown Col lege 2016 GPA – 3.7 Art History Major Theater and Performance Studies (Costume Design) Minor Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School (Washington, DC) GPA – 4.23

12916 Falmouth Drive Silver Spring, MD 20904

[email protected] 240.601.5106

University Activities Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Art’s (2015-16) Head Costume Designer for Twelfth Night New Student Orientation (2015-2016; 2014-15) Orientation Advisor

Georgetown University Women in Leadership (2014-15; 2013-2014) Co-Director of Digital Media- responsible for creating and publishing content to the club’s new YouTube page

Georgetown University’s Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society (2014) Co-Costume Designer for Inherit the Wind

Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts (2014) Costume Assistant for Insurrection

Georgetown University’s Art History Department (2013) Research Assistant for Prof. Al Acres Change Magazine (Georgetown University’s Managing Editor)—Online college magazine that focuses of grass roots activism from the college perspective (2013-14) Co-producer for an animated video for the website’s donation page

The Guide—The Hoya’s Arts and Entertainment Section (2012-13; 2013-2014) Staff writer

Artist Statement

I am a “sartorialist” and I subscribe to the religion of Vogue. I know this makes me

sound utterly superficial, but as an artist who uses fashion as her medium it comes with the territory. Do I hate that my art form is founded on materialism, beauty and image standards, and vanity? Yes, but there is nothing in this world that captivates me more than a Dior couture gown or a Dolce and Gabbana corset.

I like using clothing because it is something people around the world encounter everyday. Even if they don’t know designers or care about trends, they have a sense of what clothing is and what it stands for. In every society there is a protocol for dress, and as a fashion-driven artist, I hope to constantly question what is considered appropriate, what is cool, and what is “pretty.”

I am fluent in fashion, like I am fluent in English or proficient in French. I speak and think through visuals. As a fourth grader I remember bringing Vogue and Harpers Bazaar to read during our free-reading period, instead of a chapter book like my peers. I rarely read the articles; I just looked at the glossy pictures of women wearing the most extravagant and unbelievable ensembles. The irony of this of course, is that I wasn’t reading in the way my teachers expected me to. I wasn’t adding new words to my list of vocabulary or encountering complex sentence structures, but I was learning an entirely new language. I was learning how to visually express beauty, strength, and playfulness. I was learning how to analyze pictures and deduce meaning. But most importantly I was learning a quiet form of expression. The women who grace the pages of Vogue are silently powerful. The only means they have for self-expression are their bodies and the clothes they wear. These women showed me that through clothing, the wearer could transform her physical appearance to match her interior self-image or the image fashion editors wanted her to portray. This was a revelation to me—especially since I have always been described as quiet, reserved and serious. These images taught me how to say what I wanted to say without even opening my mouth. When my shyness and insecurities don’t get in my way, I am fierce, witty, and unafraid to push boundaries. Yet, this side of me only comes out when I am with close friends. However, when I pair together a forest green Alexander Wang suede pencil skirt with a leather jacket and my “witch heels” from Marc Jacobs’s 2013 Spring/Summer collection, I feel like I am making a statement that I am a modern-day punk, with a refined aesthetic and a propensity for eccentric details. Fashion has taught me to view society as theater. For me, getting dressed is a way to express myself. It allows me to decide who I want to be on any given day. It’s not just about function—it’s about style and image. When I get dressed to go to the gym, I think, “Are you a dancer or a warrior, a tough street boxer or a mindful yogi?” My fitness attire supports my desire to define myself physically and visually. For me, an amateur, it is a way to get my head in the game. If I look the part, I will be the part. What I wear to the gym is all about personal branding. I think that this is why I was drawn to study costume design. As a costume designer, I have learned that costumes hold the power not just to set the character within the play, but also to communicate to the audience a deeper understanding of who that character is. The costume should act as a narrative or portrait of the character—adding a visual dynamic to his or her pathos. In the same way, a person’s everyday style should reflect who she is or even, who she aspires to be.

Relevant Courses 2012-2013

• History of Prints • Drawing 1: Visual Journal

2013-2014

• British Art • Performing Arts & Museum

Management • Principles of Theatrical Design • 19th Century Art • Opera History • Production Techniques • Production Practicum • Gender & the Body: Victorian Art

and Visual Culture

2014-2015 • Renaissance to Modern Art • Washington Art Collections • Rock History • Costume Design • Art & Patronage: 16th to 17th century

Italy • Italian Cinema • The City of Florence

2015-2016

• Buddhist Art • Body & Gender in 19th Century Art • Intro to Information Technology • The Music Documentary • Play Analysis • Museums & New Media • (How) Do the Arts Matter? • Adapting Japanese Literature • Design Apprenticeship—Head

Costume Designer for Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Costume Design

Selected watercolors and photos

Cat on a hot tin roof—Designs (2014)

Phantom tollbooth— Designs

(2014)

Salome (opera)— Designs (2014)

Norma (opera)— Designs

(2014)

Inherit the wind— photos (2014)

Graphic Designs

Visual research for twelfth Night (2016)

Comic book Adaptation of Jack Kirby’s style

(2013)

Selected Artwork

Collage (2014)

Charcoal

(2014)

Watercolor (2015-16)