An image of the Berlovitz Costume Designs & Paintings exhibit inside the Lukacs Gallery. Photo by Gabriella Tutino/The Mirror.
Walk down the hallway of the Loyola basement. Turn right and enter the Lukacs gallery. The low-lit rectangular space draws attention to two extravagant dresses in opposite corners. One is a rich, sophisticated red; the other a gauzy and springy white. Both dresses are framed by the wall, lined in paintings of costumes.
Yesterday, March 23, marked the opening of the Sonya Berlovitz Costume Designs & Paintings: 1993-2010 exhibit. In conjunction with the Fairfield University Arts & Minds Program and The R & J Project (Romeo and Juliet), the exhibit is meant to display the artwork of the first artist in residence here at Fairfield, Sonya Berlovitz. Berlovitz is also Theatre Fairfield’s costume designer for the upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet.
A costume designer for 30 years, Berlovitz’s credentials can attest to her talent: She graduated with her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, attended La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris, has worked as the textile designer for international Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, and has partnered with Theatre de la Jeune Lune for more than 50 productions.
Berlovitz has a flair for the colorful and extravagant in her costumes, as is evidenced in her painting. Using mixed media — such as acrylic paint, ink and fabric — her costume designs border on the whimsical and sophisticated.
“I like the way [the designs] play with the ideas of beauty,” commented senior Ally Fiorenza. “They’re weird and different. For my class I’m working on something similar — the initial reaction to an artwork and deciding its value. It is up to the viewer to decide whether it is beautiful or not.”
One of the pieces displayed in Berlovitz’s exhibit is the costume for Mercutio from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. He is dressed in various shades of green, and his dress is rather contemporary. When asked about her approach to the costume designs, Berlovitz responded “[I’m] really working off a more contemporary silhouette. I wanted to make it something more relevant to today … I’ve never done a strictly period piece; I’ve often combined historical pieces with contemporary elements.”
Berlovitz is also really happy to be working with Theatre Fairfield, alongside her sister, director Barbra Berlovitz. “Its exciting and its incredible that they decided to let me have a show here.”
Sonya Berlovitz’s exhibit will be on display in the Lukacs Gallery in the basement of Loyola until March 30th.
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