Costume designer Holly Poe Durbin takes us back in time through an exploration of fashion history inspired by the closing exhibition Joseph Kleitsch: At Home and Abroad in Old Laguna.

Although his landscapes preserve California in its historic state, the people in Kleitsch’s paintings wear fashions that capture the rush toward Modern California.  Joseph Kleitsch’s career spanned roughly 1907 to 1931, recording the very years that modernism emerged and setting the stage for California to become a defining force in American fashion. This gallery talk will highlight fashions from the paintings and use real examples to explore these important years.  

Advance tickets recommended.

Laguna Art Museum: $20 per person

Non-members: $30 per person

Holly Poe Durbin received her MFA in Theater and Costume Design from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and her BA in Art History from Vanderbilt University.  She completed post-baccalaureate studies at the Royal Opera in London, and the Santa Fe Opera.  She has worked as a professional costume designer in the industry for 25 years, and has held teaching positions at UCLA, San Diego State University and Washington University in St Louis.  She joined the UC Irvine faculty in 2008 and is currently Head of Design for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Drama.   Her professional credentials and areas of expertise include costume design for theater, film, television, theme parks, opera; history of performance costume design; historical fashion, costume as material culture, costume studio techniques, and contemporary practices in design education.   Publications include the 2022 book The Costume Designers Toolkit, a monograph The Designs of Ann Roth for Broadway Press and numerous journal articles, book chapters and encyclopedia articles.

Creative research includes regular professional costume designs for regional theaters around the country, including the South Coast Repertory, the Old Globe Theatres, St Louis Repertory, Cincinnati Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Shakespeare Center LA, Playmakers Repertory in North Carolina.  Notable productions include Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 d starring Tom Hanks as Falstaff.   Former projects include Universal Studios Japan, a premiere play on the West End in London, and film work in Los Angeles.  She has won numerous costume design nominations and awards, including the prestigious Ovation Award, LA Weekly Award, Craig Noel Award in San Diego.