Story provided by Stillwater Public Library
Stillwater Public Library (SPL) and Prairie Arts Center are partnering on free cosplay costume workshops for teens in grades six through 12. The workshops will take place on three Fridays in Oct. leading up to Halloween: Oct. 13, 20 and 27. The programs will all take place from 6-8 p.m. at Prairie Arts, which is located right next to the library. Space is limited and registration is requested.
The staff at Prairie Arts will provide sewing machines and fabrics that teens may use for their costumes. Teens are also encouraged to bring any material from home that they would like to use.
At the first workshop on Friday, Oct. 13, teens will attend an orientation and instruction session, and then begin designing and creating their costumes. Teens may work together or individually.
The following week, on Friday, Oct. 20, teens will continue working on their costumes, and then on Friday, Oct. 27, they will finish and display their costumes for parents and family members. SPL and Prairie Arts staff will judge the costumes and award gift card prizes in the following categories: best pop culture costume, best scary costume and most creative costume.
Marianne Weber, Prairie Arts art partner and experienced crafter, is ecstatic to help teens create their costumes.
“I have always been that person who watched movies and raved over the costumes,” Weber said. “Making costumes allows us to use our imaginations and make cool things that we don’t get to wear or see daily. It’s a fun way to use fabric and art to hone problem-solving and basic math skills.”
Jordan Stine, teen librarian at SPL, is grateful to have Weber and Prairie Arts as a resource for kids passionate about art and crafting.
“SPL and Prairie Arts work together frequently, but it’s awesome to do something special just for teens,” Stine explained. “We get to help them explore their passion for pop culture games and movies and express themselves artistically.”
Weber agrees and hopes teens will learn a lot about designing wearable items.
“We want the teens who attend to learn how to take their ideas and turn them into wearable pieces,” Weber said. “Additionally, they can explore using different materials and how to choose the appropriate attire for each costume. Turning the base pieces and embellishing them for a cool, final look will hopefully create some cool and unique costumes!”
Teens can register at tinyurl.com/CosplayAtSPL or visit the library’s website stillwaterok.gov/Library.
Prairie Arts is located at 1001 S. Duck St. More information about their numerous arts and crafts programs can be found at artscenter.okstate.edu.
The Stillwater Public Library is located at 1107 S. Duck St. Library hours are Monday- Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
