Kent State Fashion School Director Campbell and Professor Quevedo Honored by Rep. Kathleen Clyde

State Rep. Kathleen Clyde recently visited the Fashion School at Kent State University to honor J.R. Campbell, the school’s director, and Vincent Quevedo, associate professor of fashion design, for receiving the “International Artist of the Year” Award at the 2010 Fashion Biennale in Seoul, Korea. The unique piece co-designed by Campbell and Quevedo titled “DMZ” garnered them the highly coveted award.

Clyde received a tour of the Fashion School at Kent State and then presented Campbell and Quevedo with copies of the resolution which recognizes the two as “creative and talented artist(s) demonstrating exemplary initiative, enthusiasm and perseverance in developing and sharing … skills … ” The resolution goes on to commend them for their unwavering commitment to excellence.

“DMZ” is made up of two knit dresses on dress forms connected by a large section of fabric printed with optical illusion imagery. The middle section has vents and tubes sewn into it, incorporating photos taken from a military submarine’s control panel. “The piece is meant to invoke a somewhat voyeuristic response to investigating the tubes, which mimics the Western hemisphere’s cultural response to the DMZ or Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea,” Campbell said.

Campbell and Quevedo collaboratively conceived of, designed and created the piece, down to the fabric. Campbell graphically designed the cotton jersey knit fabric and digitally printed it in the fashion school’s TechStyleLAB.

Campbell attended the Biennale as one of only four American speakers at the weeklong event. The event drew 104 artists from 17 nations and included a symposium of various speakers, performances and the main exhibition on the theme of Fashion Art – War/Peace, which was in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.

In November 2010, Clyde was elected by the voters of the 68th Ohio House District as their representative to the Ohio General Assembly. This was her first run for elective office. She currently serves as a member of the Finance & Appropriations Committee and its Subcommittee on Higher Education, the State Government & Elections Committee and its Subcommittee on Redistricting, and the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee.

For more information on the Fashion School at Kent State, visit www.fashionschool.kent.edu or call 330-672-3010.

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Media Note:
Additional photos of “DMZ” as well as head shots of Campbell and Quevedo are available. 

Media Contacts:
Effie Tsengas, etsengas@kent.edu, 330-672-8398
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595