ARTIST, TAILOR, HISTORIAN

Olivia Ballard

Welcome

WELCOME

Thank you for visiting my digital portfolio. Here you will find details regarding my professional training, development and relevant projects. Please do not hesitate to get in touch. My CV is available for PDF download below

CV Download

Training & Development

Relevant Work Experience

Higher Education

September 2021-December 2022

University of Glasgow

Masters of Science

Graduate with Merit in Material Culture & Artefact Studies from the College of Arts.

February 2023-Present

Edinburgh Remakery

Sewing Tutor

The Edinburgh Remakery seeks to empower sustainable choices and action in people's everyday
material culture items. Sewing tutors lead workshops for corporate groups, adults, and school age children in which we teach mending, alteration and sewing machine maintenance.

July 2018-July 2021

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Tailor A

Tailors of the Costume Design Center research, produce and maintaining complete 18th century
wardrobes for the interpreters and historic tradespeople of Colonial Williamsburg.

2017-2018 Season

Walnut Street Theatre

Costume Apprentice

As a member of a full scale costume production team for the '17-'18 season I stitched under multiple designers for main stage and studio shows. I also had the opportunity to design two children's shows for the WST Kid Series.

August 2013- July 2017

Drexel University

Bachelor of Science

Graduate Cum Laude in Fashion Design-Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

April-September 2016

Robert & Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection

Curatorial Assistant
My foundational museum training at a historical garment, accessories and illustrations collection of over 16,000 pieces. My training included: cataloguing and documenting artefacts, monitoring climate controlled storage methods, maintaining proper storage practices, conducting study days, assisting researchers with garment handling, aiding the curator in research, exhibition design, production, procurement, installation and openings.

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Skills & Proficencies

Skills & Proficiencies

Relevant skills & proficiencies gained during both academic and professional development. Please get in touch for further details

Art & Design Skills

Illustration:

Still Life, Portrait Drawing, Landscape, Abstraction, Fashion Illustration.
Artistic Mediums:

Charcoal, Graphite, Acrylic, Oil Paint, Gouache, Watercolour, Mixed Media
Design Training:

Design for Visual Media, Design for Fabric Manipulation, Fashion History, Textile Design, Printmaking.
Sculpture Mediums:

MIG Welding, Woodworking, Plaster, Resin.

Sewing & Craftsmanship

Foundational:

Draping, Pattern-making, Sewing Construction, Tailoring, Fitting, Alteration, Couture Sewing. Quick Rigging, Theatre Wardrobe Conduct Training.

Machine Skills:
Industrial Machine Sewing operation and maintenance, Domestic Machine Sewing operation and maintenance

Historical Sewing:

Historical pattern making & garment production, historical fiber research, visible & invisible mending, 18th century english uniform construction, historical tailoring & alterations

Research & Museum WOrk

Curatorial:

Cataloguing and documenting artefacts, monitoring climate controlled storage methods, maintaining proper storage practices, conducting study days, assisting researchers with artefact handling, exhibition design, production, procurement, installation and openings.

Artefact Practices:

Handling best practices, Recording Methodologies, Documentation, Photography, Illustration.
Transcription Skills:

European Mediaeval-present day (Latin & English).
Research:

Postgraduate level academic research, Archaeological Reconstructions, Experimental Archaeology.

Portfolio

Get to Know Us

Click here to see all relevant work. There will be brief biographies detailing the nature of each project as well as collaboration and photography credits

Contact

CONTACT

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