SiW LogoThe Silicon Web Costumers’ Guild (SiW) has announced the second season of their webinar and workshop series, “Silicon Web Costumers’ Guild Presents” with speakers presenting on a variety of topics about costumes and costuming.

Four webinars are scheduled for the fall 2023 semester. See the chapter Calendar page for details. The webinars are at no cost thanks to sponsor­ships and donations, and the use of the Zoom platform, available to all ICG chapters and SIGs. ICG members will receive announcements by email on how to register. Webinars for the spring 2024 semester will be announced in November.

WorldBuilders of Science Fiction and Fantasy

(Sept 10 2023) Hugo Award nominated photographer Richard Man will talk about his latest project, “WorldBuilders of Science Fiction and Fantasy.”  Starting in 2015, Richard set out to photograph SF&F genre creators: writers, artists, occasionally editors, etc, Using a traditional large-format 4″x5″ film camera. this painstaking photography process captures the essence of the person in front of the camera; a picture that can tell a thousand-word story. Richard is a finalist for the Best Fan Artist Hugo Award at the 2023 Worldcon in Chengdu China in October 2023. He is believed to be the first photographer nominated in the Fan Artist category. Worldcon members are eligible to vote for Hugo Awards through September 30, 2023.

Beetle Wing Embellishment

(Oct 8 2023) Delicate and luminous beetle wings have been used for embellishing costumes and accessories for at least 150 years. J. Leia Lima Baum, a fashion consultant whose interests are equally divided in the past, present, and future of fashion, offers a pictorial overview of beetle wings throughout history in various cultures, followed by the Indian tradition of metal­work embroidery and its subsequent spread worldwide. She with also have a live demo of techniques. Her award-winning research and handwork involving beetle wing embroidery have been shared at academic symposia and confer­ences worldwide. Visit her website for more information.

Inside the ICG Pat and Peggy Kennedy Memorial Archives

(Nov 5, 2023) The International Costumers’ Guild’s Pat and Peggy Kennedy Memorial Archives is the world’s largest collection of photographs, video, and paper ephemera records of the costuming art in relation to Science Fiction conventions. In this webinar, the Archives team will talk about their work preserving the history of costuming, including some recent projects, their processes, the equipment and software they use, and how the digital and physical collection is stored. This is your chance for an inside look at the ICG Archives and what the team does.

Reenactress: A Female Civil War Reenactor’s Documentary

(Dec 10, 2023) Over 250 Civil War soldiers were actually women disguised as men. The number is so vague because the historical record is incomplete due to these heroines’ amazing ability to pull off their disguises. In her first feature-length document­ary, Reenactress, director and re-enactor J.R. Hardman explores the history of women warriors who fought bravely in the service of their countries on both the Confederate and Union sides. In this webinar, J.R. will discuss how she was inspired to make the documentary and talk about the process of bringing these historical figures to life through reenactment.