Scene Shift: U.S. Set Designers In Conversation To Be Released August 11th
The commonality among the designers was the insistence that the job is about asking questions.
By: Grace Cutler Jul. 03, 2022
Even as women's voices and freedoms are being restricted across the United States, almost 3 years have been spent bringing together nearly 30 female set designers for rare conversations about scenography, art and practice. This authentic dialogue has been curated into a book, Scene Shift: U.S. Set Designers in Conversation, edited by Maureen Weiss and Sibyl Wickersheimer and published in August of 2022. The book focuses on a shift taking place in the design world; a shift that is a constant fight for inclusivity. The commonality among the designers was the insistence that the job is about asking questions.
Scene Shift: U.S. Set Designers in Conversation "showcases contemporary US set design by engaging designers with one another, pairing dialogue and imagery from varied experiences and practices. Within these pages, we witness an expansion of traditional theatrical set design, evolving fluidly to include such work as performance art, installation, community events, and exhibitions, to name a few."
Throughout 2021, during the height of the pandemic, the authors hosted a series of meetings with thirty professional scenic designers working at the forefront of the industry to discuss what it takes to be a female practitioner of this dynamic and evolving art form. These discussions, along with 120 full-color photographs of the designers' work, form the basis of Scene Shift which offers a beautiful and unique insight for anyone curious about scenography and the visual arts in general.
More information on the book and the project can be found at https://www.scene-shift.com
Weiss received her MFA in Scenic Design from California State University at Long Beach, after earning her BFA in Acting at USC. Her areas of interest include post-modern theatre practices, performance art, and scenic design/public art/installation art. Since 1997 she has been the artistic director of Trade City Productions, a multi-disciplinary organization that creates performance happenings throughout Los Angeles in their mobile truck, The PopWagon.
Visit mweissdesign.com and trade-city.org for more information.
Wickersheimer is a set designer and installation artist. She teaches set design as an associate professor in the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Since 2020 she is a grantee of the USC Arts in Action program collaborating with Open Paths Counseling Center, Iovine & Young Academy, and Ottonomy.io. The collaboration titled Peace Pods inspires students across disciplines and schools to create spaces for reflection and self-care building connection, health and happiness for communities.
Visit sawgirl.com and https://artsinaction.usc.edu/project/peacepod/ for more information.
The 30 Designers included in the book:
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