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A new holiday installation is lighting up McCrory Gardens’ annual Garden Glow thanks to the collaborative work of students in �ձ�av��Ƶ’s School of Performing Arts. As part of a 400-level scenic painting course, students recreated the “12 Days of Christmas” illustrations designed by associate professor of theatre Billy Wilburn.

�ձ�av��Ƶ Theatre and Dance has had a partnership with McCrory Gardens for years, beginning when students painted a “Candyland” display for Garden Glow six years ago. This continued collaboration gives students an opportunity to showcase their skills while working to accomplish a client’s vision.

The idea for this year’s installation is one Wilburn had envisioned for a long time. “I've always wanted to paint them the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ as an installation,” he said. In his scenic painting course, students take on responsibilities that reflect professional practice: “Ultimately, when you're a professional scenic artist, your job is to reproduce works from the designer.”

Wilburn designed the set in a watercolor, Victorian-inspired style and assigned each student a numbered “day” to replicate. The class learned advanced blending and color-matching techniques before beginning the main project, then worked together during class and a few extra sessions to complete and seal the 4-by-4-foot pieces for outdoor display.

With only around 15 hours of in-class work time, this project challenged students to hone necessary skills for their future career fields, especially time and project management.

“Scene painting is a great career choice for theatre,” Wilburn explained. “There’s great job options, and we have found that the more our students have advanced, varied skill sets, the more jobs are open and available to them when they graduate.”

Working together on the project helped students complete it in time and set the stage for a unique learning opportunity.

Samantha Clark, a sophomore theatre major and Brookings native, said the collaborative element elevated her learning. “Because of the collaboration, we were able to gain knowledge not only from the professor, but from others in the class,” she said.

Alex Raether, a senior theatre major from Sioux Falls, said the experience helped him expand his painting skill set. “Painting at such a detailed level is fairly new to me,” he said. “It was very relaxing after figuring out the best ways to bring out the colors and elements of the piece I wanted to, and I was taught even more ways to bring out my painting at the end, using painting markers. Overall, I gained a ton of confidence as a painter through this experience.”

From time management to color theory, students were equipped with hands-on experience working for a real client — opening doors to future opportunity both within and beyond the theatrical field.

“What we teach in theatre is ultimately creative problem solving. … There is value in that,” Wilburn said. “There are so many ways that you can use your degree that maybe isn’t a traditional theatrical show, but is it a theatrical event? And Garden Glow is a theatrical event; it tells a story and it is a themed environment.”
 
“You can go out and find work no matter where you are with your theatrical degree,” he concluded.