Penelope Tang '04 attributes her love of the visual arts, design and "craft in general," as she puts it, to genetics. "I come from a family of architects and art dealers," said Tang in an interview. Needless to say, Tang's parents foster and encourage her passion for all things aesthetic. "Right now, my parents want me to go to grad school, but I'd rather wait until I know what I want to go to grad school for."
Tang hails from New York and is a student in the School of Architecture, which she describes as being particularly insular. "You never see anyone," Tang said, "And you end up pulling all-nighters frequently. On Thursday and Saturday nights, you find yourself hard at work in the architecture building, and you can hear shouts and partying from Prospect Avenue, and you have to say to yourself, 'No, we're having our own party here.'"
Notwithstanding the rigorous curriculum that all architecture students must face, the Architecture School has its own unique advantages which Tang is quick to acknowledge. "[As architecture students,] we've had our Princeton learning experience supplemented with additional manual and visual problem solving skills. You really can't get anything like it anywhere else."
What's more, she has spent the past few years augmenting her architecture studies with independent design projects for the Princeton theater community.
An accomplished costumer, her designs have been featured in a numerous dramatic productions, including "See How They Run," "Chamber Music," "Macbeth," "Stop Kiss," "The Real Inspector Hound" and "Two Gentlemen of Verona."
But of all her costuming experiences, her most enjoyable was "Medea," the senior thesis project of Evren Odcikin '02. "I just got to design whatever I wanted, and Cathy Cann [the Costume Shop Manager at 185 Nassau Street] would create whatever I had designed."
According to her close friend, Cara Marsh Sheffler '04, "One of the first things to notice about Penelope and her art is a remarkable grace — so remarkable, I think a lot of people find it intimidating, especially at Princeton."
What's more, it seems to be the common consensus of Tang's good friends that she is an extraordinarily hard worker: "Penelope doesn't worry about trivial things like deadlines," Sheffler said, " she never stops working and I don't think there is a line between work and pleasure for her."
Although I personally don't know Tanger particularly well, you don't have to know her personally to witness the kinds of magic she can perform. There can be no doubt that she gives herself completely to her craft.
After having worked with Tang on Theatre~Intime's "Six Degrees of Separation" last semester, it seems she is one of the most professional costume designers currently studying at Princeton. She seemed to be a terrific asset to the show's production team, and was professional, inventive and tremendously pleasant to work with.
So, what lies in store for Penelope Tang? When asked, Tang laughed with good-humor. "I don't know," she smiled, "Who knows what I'll be doing next June? Hopefully a job. I really don't know, though!"
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