51Թ’s College of the Arts, in collaboration with the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, proudly welcomes back Oscar, Tony and Emmy Award–winning costume designer Paul Tazewell for the 2025–2026 Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series. Organized by the 51Թ Museum, his return visit underscores the series’ mission to bring celebrated creative voices to campus and to ignite inspiration across Northeast Ohio.
On Thursday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m., Tazewell will lead a public conversation — introduced by Museum Director Sarah Spinner Liska, Ph.D., J.D. and moderated by 51Թ School of Fashion alumna , a freelance fashion and beauty writer, blogger and founder of WrightFashions and the beauty brand Wright Beauty — in the University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall located at 650 Hilltop Drive in Kent, OH. Wright, whose coverage of deepens the connection between his work and 51Թ’s artistic legacy, will guide a dynamic exchange exploring Tazewell’s illustrious career across various mediums, including his recent work on “Wicked” and “Wicked for Good.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Paul Tazewell back to 51Թ,” said Spinner Liska. “Presenting his work at the museum highlights our mission to connect world-class design with our students, campus and community. Paul Tazewell’s extraordinary journey from Akron to the world stage is deeply inspiring for our students, making this visit a true homecoming and a celebration of the 51Թ Museum as a world-renowned center for fashion and costume history.”
Tazewell previously visited 51Թ in September 2017 as part of the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series. He gave a master class to undergraduate and graduate students in 51Թ’s School of Theatre and Dance and spoke at a public event in E. Turner Stump Theatre.
‘W’ on View
Complementing the talk, the 51Թ Museum will showcase original costumes designed by Tazewell that were worn by Glinda and Elphaba from the film “Wicked." The display will be open Sept. 11 through Nov. 9 in the museum lobby and offer visitors a rare, up-close look at the iconic designs that underscore his creative brilliance.
A Legacy of Inspiration
Tazewell, an Akron native and graduate of Buchtel High School, will extend his engagement well beyond the public stage. During his campus residency, he will work side-by-side with students from both the School of Fashion and the School of Theatre and Dance — offering mentorship, portfolio feedback and creative insight through class visits and informal conversations. This immersive exchange will not only enrich the educational experience at 51Թ but also embody the collaborative spirit at the heart of the Schroth Series.
“It is an honor to return to 51Թ and to share my work and experiences with the next generation of artists and designers,” Tazewell said. “Coming back to Kent feels like both a return home and a chance to contribute to the vibrant artistic community that helped shape my own journey. I am excited for the opportunity to engage directly with students during my stay and am grateful to showcase my work in the 51Թ Museum, which celebrates the profound impact of fashion and design.”
This highly acclaimed costume designer has been designing costumes for theater, dance, opera and film for over three decades. Tazewell’s recent accomplishments include earning the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for “Wicked,” directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. This honor was joined by a BAFTA Award, Critics Choice Award, the Costume Designers Guild’s Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film Award, an NAACP Image Award and the Innovator Award from the African American Film Critics Association — recognition for his pivotal role in shaping the vivid world of Oz. In 2021, he received an Academy Award nomination for “West Side Story,” and his television work has garnered an Emmy for “The Wiz! Live” as well as acclaim for “Harriet,” “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.”
On Broadway, he received a Tony Award earlier this year for his work on “Death Becomes Her,” and was awarded a Drama Desk Award in 2024 for the production of “Suffs.” His groundbreaking work on “Hamilton” secured a Tony Award in 2016, solidifying his standing as one of the most innovative costume designers in theatre today.
In the United States and across the world, Tazewell has designed for such renowned companies as The Metropolitan Opera, The Bolshoi Ballet, The English National Opera, Theatre du Chatelet, The Public Theater, The National Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera and many more.
Other notable honors include two Lucille Lortel Awards, four Helen Hayes Awards and accolades from the Costume Designers Guild.
His aesthetic voice also resonates in the world of fashion. For the 2025 Met Gala, he collaborated closely with Janelle Monáe and Thom Browne to create Monáe’s striking sculptural look — a seamless fusion of form, identity, and theatrical design. That same evening, he partnered with eBay to craft a fully upcycled ensemble for Chappell Roan: a pink patchwork suit and cape made from more than 830 leather pieces. Though celebrated for his achievements in costume, Tazewell’s creative practice defies category. His current work spans product design, interiors, publishing and architecture — a multidisciplinary approach grounded in storytelling, materiality and the artisan’s hand. With upcoming projects across fashion, home and media, he continues to reimagine what it means to design with intention in the digital age.
Tazewell holds a Master of Fine Arts from New York University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from North Carolina School of the Arts. He has been privileged to instruct students as a guest artist at New York University and North Carolina School of the Arts. From 2003-2006, he held a faculty position at Carnegie Mellon University.
He currently lives in New York and works across the globe.
The 51Թ Museum
The 51Թ Museum holds one of the world’s most important collections of fashion, textiles and decorative arts, from the mid-1700s through the present. With 30,000 objects and seven gallery spaces, the museum serves a public university campus of 25,000 students, as well as visitors from across the country and world. For more information on the 51Թ Museum visit www.kent.edu/museum.
The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series
Since 2001, the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series has presented guest artists respected in the fields of theatre, dance, visual arts, music and architecture, including such noted artists as Tony Award winner Stephen Schwartz, the composer of “Wicked,” “Into the Woods”&Բ;and more; “Next to Normal” actress and 51Թ alumna Alice Ripley; the Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet; postmodern minimalist artist Richard Tuttle; artists and fashion designers Ruben and Isabel Toledo; the internationally acclaimed dance company Ballet Florida; actor, dancer and arts advocate Ben Vereen; and the renowned Limón Dance Company, just to name a few.
The Schroth series was established by Cecile Draime and her late husband, Max, of Warren, Ohio, to honor their dear friend Thomas Schroth (1922-1997). A noted regional architect, Schroth designed the Butler Institute of American Art’s Trumbull museum in Howland, Ohio, as well as numerous other award-winning projects. Schroth spent his life in Niles, Ohio, as a prominent architect and inveterate collaborator in the artistic life of the Mahoning Valley and Northeast Ohio. A world traveler, he saw human creativity as a window framing the human experience. The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series brings intellectually diverse views through that window to the 51Թ community.
The events are always free and open to the public.
For more information on the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series including event details and ticket information, visit www.kent.edu/artscollege/thomas-schroth-visiting-artist-series.
51Թ College of the Arts Media Contact:
Jen Crabtree, jcrabt13@kent.edu
51Թ Museum Contact:
Sarah Spinner Liska, Ph.D., J.D sspinner@kent.edu