Katie Raynard, a College of Arts & Letters Apparel and Textile Design (ATD) BFA student, is recipient of the Michigan State University Excellence in Diversity Award for “Students Making a Difference through Artistic Expressions.” Raynard is being honored for demonstrating and utilizing her creative talents to artistically express civil and human rights at Michigan State University.
Also receiving awards within the College are students Stephen Foster (Studio Arts) and Rebekah Blesing (Studio Arts, MFA), and the Department of Theatre.
In collaboration with Lansing’s Firecracker Foundation, Raynard is the featured fashion designer for “Fashion for the Fire,” an avant-garde fashion show scheduled for Saturday, April 11, at The Runway in downtown Lansing. The show’s goals are to raise awareness about sexual assault and support childhood survivors in the Lansing community. It will feature designs by Raynard and Anami Chan, seniors in the Apparel and Textile Design program.
In 2014, Raynard was awarded a competitive entrepreneurship grant to work on “Fashion for the Fire” from Pathways, a Creativity Exploratory (CE) group that funds the incubation of creative entrepreneurship. The Creativity Exploratory, a center within the College of Arts & Letters, serves as an idea incubator, a creativity laboratory, an innovative space, and an entrepreneurial catalyst.
Says Raynard, “The CE came on board with this project very early on and, throughout, they have continued to connect us with resources to further help us attain our mission. This support has allowed us to expand our vision for the show.”
Raynard says she continues working with the CE via mentoring, support, collaboration, entrepreneurial consultation, and networking with local resources such as The Runway and the HATCH at MSU.
This support has allowed us to expand our vision for the show.
The Excellence in Diversity Awards will be presented at the MSU Office for Inclusion awards ceremony, 4:00 p.m., Monday, February 16, 2015, in Big Ten Room A at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the MSU campus.
A past dress design of Raynard’s that was featured in the 2014 Apparel & Textile Design Fashion Show
