After Oscar-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell approached the podium on Cartwright Hall’s lecture hall stage, people began rising to welcome the designer back to Kent with a standing ovation.

The applause caught the Akron native off guard. A bashful smile appeared on his face as he began to address the audience.

“This moment is both a return and a chance to contribute to the vibrant, artistic community that helped shape [me],” Tazewell said.

A part of the Kent State University Museum’s 40th anniversary celebration and Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series, “An Evening with Paul Tazewell” provided the Kent community the chance to hear fashion and career insights from the designer Sept. 18.

The evening’s presentation began with Kent State University Museum Director Sarah Spinner Liska welcoming Tazewell back to Kent and recounting how alumna and freelance fashion writer Aleah Wright reached out to her about a possible visit from him.

“It is our duty at the Kent State University Museum to expand the stories fashion can tell, to open up worlds to our visitors and to welcome all people and all perspectives,” Spinner Liska said.

After Spinner Liska’s introduction, a video showcasing Tazewell’s portfolio of work, ranging from “Hamilton,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Wicked” played. 

He then briefly explained his family’s history, what drew him into theater and the importance of how he uses his platform, following his Oscar and Tony wins this year, to uplift younger creatives.

“It was an unprecedented year of affirmation. One that said, ‘Yes, see me,’” he said. “Standing now in the afterglow of an extraordinary year, looking ahead to the premiere of ‘Wicked: For Good,’ I’m left questioning, ‘What is my creative intention?’”

While Tazewell visited the Fashion Design Studio, Joy McCune, a senior fashion design major, said she felt inspired after Tazewell provided a behind-the-scenes look at costume design from concept to creation.

“I was inspired by him saying, ‘It’s your idea, and be confident in that,’” she said. “That was important to hear as a young designer.”

After Tazewell’s reflection on his career, Wright moderated a discussion with him, asking him about how he first found his footing in the costume design industry in 1996.

Early on in his career, he was put into a “niche,” only designing costumes for musicals and plays about “people of color on the street” and the occasional August Wilson play.

He credited “Hamilton” for helping him break out of this niche because following the musical, he designed costumes for “Harriet” and 2021’s “West Side Story.”

“I think that the visibility has provided more inspiration for more people, and that definitely defines why I’m here,” Tazewell said. “I just hope to continue to inspire other people, especially young people.”

Wright initially started the discussion, asking him what inspired him to go into the arts, which prompted him to laugh as he began recalling his years in theater at Buchtel High School in Akron.

“I fell in love with performance. I studied dance and voice and art … It was a very rich existence … and a full experience,” Tazewell said. “We would take trips to Stratford, Ontario, to see Shakespeare, and we would hop on a bus and take trips to New York.”

During the discussion, Tazewell and Wright also discussed Elphaba and Glinda’s costumes in “Wicked” and their costumes’ nature roots.

From his classroom visits, students like Nayshia Carter, a junior fashion design major, received feedback from Tazewell about their projects.

Carter’s garment focused on the uncertainty of the afterlife, and he encouraged her to “maximize” her theme.

“That was really helpful advice because I think the thing that I have trouble with, sometimes, is articulating my ideas,” she said.

With his focus on fostering student creativity, Tazewell hopes to be a mentor to students, as he credited his mentors for guiding and growing his career.

“I hope that the next Paul Tazewell that comes out will be absolutely beautiful,” he said. “They will design some other epic ‘Wizard of Oz’ film, and make up [their] own world.”

Adriana Gasiewski is the general assignment editor. Contact her at [email protected].