Saturday, February 7 10:00AM
Philadelphia Art Museum | 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19130
10:00AM-10:30AM Pre-Panel Reception | Learning and Engagement Center
10:30AM-11:30AM Panel | Learning and Engagement Center
12:00PM Performance | Great Stair Hall
The Philadelphia Ballet, Moore College of Art & Design, and the Philadelphia Art Museum come together for a unique interdisciplinary collaboration celebrating the artistry of dance costume design.
This special event explores the theme of dancewear inspired by Romeo and Juliet, highlighting how classical ballet storytelling is translated into fabric, form, and movement. Guests will gain insight into the creative process behind ballet costumes, with a particular focus on the construction and design of dancewear and headpieces, from concept sketches to finished wearable art.
Through this collaboration, students, designers, and ballet professionals showcase the intersection of dance, fashion, and fine art, offering an intimate look at how costume elements enhance character, emotion, and narrative on stage.
Panelists and Moderator
Morgan Porter
Panelist
Morgan Porter holds a BFA in theatre design and technology from the University of South Dakota and currently resides in Philadelphia as a freelance costume designer, technician and educator. Examples of Porter’s work can be found on stage during the 2023 season at Opera Philadelphia’s O23 festival and at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theater.
Cindy Lozito
Panelist
Cindy Lozito is a muralist, illustrator, and teaching artist based in Philadelphia, originally from Queens, New York. Her work is rooted in drawing and painting, which she explores through scales as small as comics to as massive as building-wide murals. Her first illustrated book, What Kind of Queen? A Royal Biography of Drag Queen and Activist José Sarria comes out with Abrams Books in April 2026. Her artwork has appeared in the World Trade Center, New York Times, NYC Health + Hospitals, and LA Times. Lozito co-teaches the Philadelphia Art Museum’s Teen Sketch program alongside Andrew Chirstman.
Jennifer Tierney
Panelist
Originally from California, Jennifer Tierney began her career in the arts as a company dancer with such companies as Ballet West, Milwaukee Ballet, Sacramento Ballet and Oakland Ballet. From dancing full-time, she transitioned into costume design with both professional and regional companies while also owning and operating American Dance Center and serving as Costume Director and Resident Costume Designer for the American Youth Ballet. Additionally, Ms Tierney earned her Design/Patternmaking/CAD credentials from Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC. Ms. Tierney has designed several full length ballets including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and Firebird, as well as countless mixed repertory works. Also, while owning the dancewear brand JEANNE NUAGE, Ms. Tierney has released 9 seasons of dance & couture collections and has been featured in 15 different fashion shows. She has designed costumes for professional dance companies such as Philadelphia Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet II, collegiate dance programs including SMU, internationally recognized choreographers and Regional Dance America. Currently, Ms. Tierney lives and works in Philadelphia as the Wardrobe Manager of the Philadelphia Ballet.
Camille Avent
Moderator
Avent is an industry expert with a decade of experience in design, product development and merchandising, specializing in Web 3.0 and extended reality strategies. Leveraging nine years of leadership in higher education, she bridges cultural, brand and technological gaps, catering to contemporary consumer needs.
Notable achievements include presenting on digital commerce trends for Design Philadelphia, advising winning fashion scholarship funds such as “The Camellia Collective” for the Fashion Scholarship Fund and raising funds for charities through student-led pop-up shops. Additionally, she has directed immersive study abroad programs through partnerships with the Paris American Academy and CIEE. She has also developed innovative courses, mentored students to industry success through programs like Windows Wear Mentorship and published in the Business Education Innovation Journal.
Avent has over 10 years of experience in the fashion industry with her own contemporary womenswear line featured in national boutiques. Her experience also includes design, merchandising and retailing with Calvin Klein, Lacoste and Godiva.
Let us know you’re attending!