Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/396235
Profile Perspectives P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N H A U T E C O U T U R E is associated more with Paris and New York than Fresno. But every spring, talented students from Paul Germain's 3-D dimensional design/art classes create out-of-this-world, high-fashion clothing. Students strut their stuff in McLane High School's Art Chic Fashion Show, receiving wild applause on the catwalk. In February 2014, Germain's students drew rave reviews and a packed house with their Most Influential People Mystery Rooms Exhibit. They created a collection of miniature 3-D displays that showed off the accomplishments and personalities of famous people in history. The rooms didn't name the celebrities who "inhabited" them, but riddles offered clues, with the famous person's photo glued behind the door. For example, Katy Perry's neon pink room had a poem that read, "I sang 'Last Friday Night' and my music video is bright." Walking into this Fresno Teacher Association member's class- room is like entering a museum. There's an eclectic array of props, statues and sculptures in every nook and cranny. Germain has both feet firmly planted in the clouds; his room has 1,200 pairs of designer high heels and men's dress shoes hanging from the ceiling. "It sends a clear and powerful message that art students will be challenged to work their creative muscles at a much higher standard than they thought they could achieve," says Germain, who is also a renowned ice sculptor who carved 1,500 pounds of ice to create three show pieces for the Mystery Rooms open house. "Artsy Smartsy?" Paul Germain's classes feature mysteries, duct tape, professional hairstylists and high standards By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin 25 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 3