Birmingham Post-Herald from Birmingham, Alabama • 34

Birmingham Post-Herald Best Bets B1 Magic City Calendar B2 Ann Landers B4 On Screen B4 I Friday May 231997 i 3 Clothing is the canvas of choice for Stephanie Kimural Alter Dssp BIin defeated Garry Kasparov says John a reporter asked the computer for a post-victory Jritpiytow Deep Blue" 1 Jhij reporter asked foongratu-' Jatiets on your historic victory i ovef Grand Master Kasparov WfiaCare your plans now?" Qvgoing to httpAvww tjsjjsywofkJcom1' said the OQJpputer i By Barbara DiObUda Scrlppi Howrd NcwiSanric There are two kinds of art the kind that gets framed and hung on a wall And the stuff everywhere else where find the work of Stephanie Kimura Ms Kimura 44 creates dresses jackets vests skirts and shirts that she I embellishes so intricately and uniquely that each piece rivals gallery originals anywhere She calls it "wearable who buy my clothes want something more than just clothes They want some art in it they want to make a said Ms Kimura who lives in Stuart Fla made in mam quantities cant say as much about your Ms Kimura began studying art and learning to sew at the same time age IS in her native Hawaii in Hawaii she said After moving to Florida 18 years ago she kept up with both crafts taking art classes and practicing her sewing skills But her designs are all her own pretty much die said 1 like the process of creating art and clothes Usually I dant have a definite idea of what going to end up with when I start a project I just let it Ms Kimura specializes in working with silk She begins with yards and yards of plain white silk which she dyes into a rainbow of rich jewel-tone hues then sews into floaty elegant ensembles The 1 fabric is often embellished further with sparkles beads decorative threads and 2 baubles i 1 who sew are often intimidated silk because hard to work with It dips in the wiaeMne and you have to roll the hems you just stitch them up like regular she said once you get the hang of it not difficult at In fact she says anyone can learn to decorate their own clothes She teaches classes in doing just that at a sewing machine stare "Sewing is making a major come- she said "It can be a way to save money on your clothing bill but I think it is because mare women are deciding Sanford MyenThe Stuart (Fla) Newt Above Stephanie Kimura etande in the mirror ehouring Jackets vests skirts and shirts that rival gallery origk-one of her wearable works of art She creates dresses nals Below Is another example of her work niques another of her specialties Ms Kimura has even trademarked her design and markets her own quilting patterns There are hug slinky evening gowns and flirty little cocktail dresses BUzer lapels are decorated with bugle beads Ms Kimura has perfected a way to sew them an by machine so wound tighter than if sewed by hand They come off in the wash She has made Christmas stockings from touchable taffeta and crafted her own buttons from Fimo clay when she find suitable buttons in fabric stores "I try to keep the shapes of clothes pretty simple so that the colors and decorations show she said "The embellishment is what people AA IV Please tun to WEARABLE page B4 School of Fine Arts pi2S5 student Smith Edward IV is better known to his Mends as Chip The 15-year-old accompanies the school choir and recently performed a sok) recital at the school He to practicing diligently for a Sunday performance at a Tuskegee church The program Includes works by MNMg van Beethoven Jottamea Brahms Ira and Georige Gershwin Claude Debussy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Aaron Copeland Chip has studied piano since age 7 On family: Chip lives with Ms parents Smith and Misty Williams and his 13-year-old I sister Cameron near Avondale Park On lap: This summer Chip plans to volunteer at Red Mountain Museum He has also been selected to attend Anytown Alabama a racism reduction workshop by the National Conference a national human relations organization On quisle: Chip dscovered the piano when his family Inherited a player piano from his grandmother He was drawn to the Instrument and sooriewas figuring out tunes by eafLessons soon followed Fotltetening however Chip prefers international music movie soundtracks and pop artists Natalis Merchant and FJotM Apple On Htovlslon: 1 watch a lot of TV -fisuafiy sitcoms (OTfonneii) if I can get home In time: On yle: The young artist saytttw Isn't punk or hippie or grunge but like many ASFA students defies classification In current teenage style groups by Rebecca Charry Fridays Cr 0 Sjmithsonian Pablo portrays a face from several ingles at once a hallmark of the cubist tradition that Picasso helped begin around the turn oftrie century Seek at the Amerlca'a Smithson-lariaxhH Thursday-Juty 9 at the MffiyyiMrrhWiWiWi CMC Camar For baa tickets cat five daya In advance at (800) telephone service dsysuntl charge per ticket) Samatay tickets with no tkrvice charge wdbedMrib-utad every morning at 9 at the1 CMc Center box office they want something special to wear They can make it themselves" mostly a matter of learning a few basic skills then letting your creative juices flow she maintains friend of mine once told me that I incite creativity in Ms Kimura said "I like that I want designs to be whimsical and Am we nped more of Her fans agree Word of mouth has brought her lots of clients who rely on Ms Kimura to dress them in artful finds for special occasions vidt their homes or let them rummage through the racks of designer originals she has set up in her living room Shoppers will find several vests ranging from delicate cottons decorated with daisies to denim numbers studded with buttons Many feature quilting tech Stephen GitesPost-Herild New newscasters litter TV landscape The cloning labs have been working overtime lately to fill the ever-growing demand far local television news anchors With more stations and more newscasts this past TV season it has been a race to put faces before the cameras Even Pam Huff who WVTM-13 going to have to kick around anymore got back in the game after three years an another team Remember back in the fall when local stations and national networks played musical chairs? That meant new identities and new newscasts Add to that mix new owners at WVTM and WBMG-42 The war for ratings heated up with the increased competition The unfortunate side effect of these clone wars is the further alienation of the viewing public Oh sure you and I may not watch TV news (cough) but loyal viewers have had their fair share of blow-dried pretty boys (and girls) And with all the billboards (that look more like Benetton ads than hard-hitting breaking news teams) newspaper and magazine ads (that look like the billboards) commercials and Web sites think know who these people are But I know most of them from a hole in the Trinitron The big marketing push is similarity look like the other guys in every way: costume set ads news segments If your newscast dares to be different your anchors might as well sing the news Look at WBMG It tried to stand out and it did as a complete failure Now going foCLthe same bland format though it has been a luilf-beartfcd effort It hagai used up newscasters like so many -tissues as WVTM has It hasnlcome up with a cqfohy Jingle be gotta be Foil likeWBRC-' has And it "imported pn-air talent like WBMA-3340 has The similarity among newscasts means no matter where you flift it all seems done before That leaves jthe anchors to sell the news like the morn- Ing personalities that used to clutter the local radio airwaves a few gears hack the latest hit clintfiing the charts: a shooting in West (You can call them clones you can call them hucksters But to meall i these anchors are just dead weight) Stations entirely to blame for the overemphasis on anchors We like newscasters for the most superficial -reasons: This guy sounds believable I used to like her hair but now it jooks terrible It takes considerable time to build a "iir viewer base with established anchors but only WBRC bas stuck to its guns i named Scott and Janet everyone on a first-name basis with their news-casters?) for 18 and 17 years refpec- lively i Please tars to TV page B4 Kid creations unveiled at museum Selected students from Powell Elementary School spent the past 32 weeks studying and creating African art at the Birmingham Museum of Art The children unveiled their Mentions Wednesday at the museum Museum education assistant Toby Richards hugs Richetta Milos 9 at the ceremony Classmates Tesria Rfley 9 center and Jerise Ughtfoot 9 also participated 'v I.