As many of us who follow the creative worlds of fashion and the performing arts know, the Boston Arts Academy Foundation (BAAF) is one of our most valuable local resources for nurturing and supporting talent in those arenas. And on Oct. 17, the non-profit rolls out its annual BAAF Honors event with a night of performances, celebs, awards, dinner, and dancing — all at MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park. The event isn’t only a blast, it’s also the largest single source of unrestricted funding for Boston Arts Academy.
The Academy is Boston’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts, and its graduates have achieved fantastic success, including actress Diane Guerrero from the TV series “Orange is the New Black” and Disney’s “Encanto” to photographer and digital creator Yuder Luis Mezerene Aldi.
What to expect? An appearance by musical legend James Taylor, for starters, and the evening’s honorees: actress, dancer, singer, director, and producer Debbie Allen (known for “Fame,” she’s currently on “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Catherine Fox). There will be conceptual artist Dr. Amy Boger and her husband and photographer Dr. Joshua Boger; Live Nation Chairman Don Law; arts supporter Katherine Chapman Stemberg; and actor, producer, philanthropist, and author Christy Cashman.
Those honorees share a commitment to institutions like Boston Arts Academy. “A performing arts school gives students an opportunity to express themselves and learn about themselves in a very in-depth and layered way that can’t be achieved in any other way,” Cashman said.
But one honoree in particular has a personal connection to performing arts high schools, because she attended one herself: June Ambrose. She’s the award-winning creative director, costume designer, and entrepreneur known best for creating culture-shifting moments through fashion, and styling famed clients like Missy Elliott and Jay Z. Her designs/styles for the current Elliott tour have been raved about in WWD and Vanity Fair.
I asked Ambrose, who was born in Antigua in 1971 and grew up in The Bronx, a few questions about her illustrious rise as a stylist, author, and designer.
Q: What did you learn most by attending a performing arts high school?
A: One of the biggest was how to develop a character. It taught me the importance of emotional development and once you understand the emotional motives, this guides the physical design. Understanding the emotional drivers of a character was key to my professional career. It’s how I created believable, long-lasting imagery, iconography, and experiences.
Q: How has your aesthetic has changed over the years?
A: I have always had a maximalist imagination, but over the years I’ve found strength in restraint and joy in timelessness. I am constantly looking for ways to reinvent myself.
Q: What is your philosophy of creative work and/or the business that you would share with young, aspiring stylists and designers?
A: That we are rarely inventing something — we are more than likely reimagining something. So my advice would be to bring your full self to what you are reimagining. Be honest with yourself about what your unique perspective is, what your point of view is, understand who your audience is, and communicate to them why they need you.