Fort Wayne is honoring fashion designer and icon Bill Blass, who was born in Fort Wayne 100 years ago (June 22, 1922), with 100 days of events at Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne History Center, the Veteran’s National Memorial Shrine & Museum, and the downtown Allen County Public Library.
Mayor Tom Henry kicked off the celebration June 22 at Fort Wayne Museum of Art, where the exhibit Bill Blass: Fort Wayne’s Fashion Designer will run through Sept. 18.
Guests are encouraged to wear red in honor of Blass’ quote, “When in doubt, wear red.”
In addition to pioneering the way Americans dressed, Blass was a member of the “Ghost Army” during World War II, a classified, covert battalion that deployed inflatable vehicles, temporary campsites, and phony radio transmissions to lure German forces away from American troops’ actual locations.
According to Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s website, “The son of a dressmaker, Blass grew up sketching in his modest home on Calhoun Street and taking classes at the Fort Wayne Art School.
Although his journey from small-town army trooper to leading designer was not quick nor easy, his impressive 50-year career in the fashion industry exemplifies in many ways the American Dream.”
Civic Theatre Opening Night Receptions
Annual donations of $100 or more to the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre will now include invitations to opening night receptions for all five productions during the 2022-23 season.
Invitations will be for the donor and their ticketed guests. The opening receptions will begin at 6:30 p.m., one hour before curtain.
Art Mural Installation at The Sidecar
Art This Way, a program of Downtown Fort Wayne, has revealed plans for a mural installation that will go up at The Sidecar, which will be designed by artist Julie Wall, a Fort Wayne native who has completed 11 murals locally.
The Sidecar, an outdoor patio cocktail bar retrofitted in a 40-foot-long shipping container, sits next to the Harrison building at 301 W. Jefferson Blvd. in downtown Fort Wayne, near the center field gate of Parkview Field.
The mural will be a colorful collage of tropical florals and palms and is expected to be completed by the end of June.
