In 2014, Liana Courts received an opportunity she couldn’t pass up — the Chrysler Museum of Art invited her students at the Governor's School for Arts to put on a fashion show.
The only problem was that hardly any of them could sew. If she relied on the handful of kids who could, the show would be over in minutes.
But she came up with a solution.
Her resolve is why she is an honoree at the 2nd Annual Z Creativity Honors Gala on Saturday. The ceremony returns to Zeiders American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach to celebrate the creative problem-solvers across industries in Hampton Roads.
Throughout business, healthcare, education and the military, “there are so many ways to be an artist,” said Jessica DiPetti, Zeiders' marketing director.
There is no shortage of awards for traditional artists, she said, but the Z wants to recognize locals who are “working the 9 to 5 and have a family, who don't get the chance to perform but are still using their creativity.
“Everybody that we are honoring at this event is using that creative spark to fuel something for the betterment of the community and the people that they choose to serve.”
For Courts, her creative answer for the fashion show hit her when she was in the shower: jean jackets.
“I went to the thrift store and looked like the crazy jean jacket lady,” she said. She called on friends, parents and the public for denim donations.
More than 40 students painted, adorned, cut up and duct-taped the jackets. One student attached buttons with pictures of her friends and family to the garment to share the story of her life.
The fashion show has become a yearly tradition and one of Chrysler's biggest nights of the year, garnering more than 700 attendees each year.
Some child attendees were inspired and now attend GSA.
Courts called the experience one of her great “aha” moments as a teacher. The students got to do the show, and she realized something about teaching.
“You have to meet students where they’re at.”
Not everyone has the same background, home situation or access to resources, she said.
“You can't have expectations about where anybody should be.”
Today, as chair of the visual arts department, she looks at what’s available to her and what’s missing for her students, and she folds both into the curriculum.
When she found a book she knew her students would benefit from reading, she created a class where they dove into each chapter, sketching scenes from the novel.
When she noticed the students’ sketchbooks were largely empty, she created a Journaling for Artists class to force students to use the privacy of their notebooks to liberate themselves; she noticed that high-achieving teens are often paralyzed by perfectionism.
Courts teaches arts, but DiPetti said Hampton Roads has many examples of people who use creativity in their work.
A drama teacher recruited a football player to the high school play and the team followed suit. A doctor created a model of care for individuals with HIV/AIDS to access healthcare without prejudice. A marketing manager uses storytelling to make complex financial topics easily digestible for the population he serves.
Courts knows that many of her students won't go on to be professional artists.
“We are still just trying to foster that love of the arts with every student, no matter what their path is after the Governor's school,” she said.
She was humbled to receive the news that she was nominated by the community for her work. But she said the award is not about her at all.
“Being a leader isn't telling other people what to do, really. It's not bossing people around. It's being in service to the most,” she said.
Zeiders American Dream Theater, 4509 Commerce St., Virginia Beach. Proceeds go into the Z Creativity Fund that helps the theater produce shows and community programs. Visit thez.org for tickets and more information.
