Pubantz Artist in Residence Program gives senior Ethan Divon the support to explore a niche in the ancient world 

Ethan Divon had never considered making shoes before he entered the Pubantz Artist in Residence (AIR) Program in UNC Greensboro’s Lloyd International Honors College (LIHC). Once he devised his AIR project – creating a Renaissance faire costume from scratch – he wanted to craft every part, head to toe, by hand.  

Flair for the Faire 

“I really struggled with the shoemaking,” he says. “Then I found someone who could help me, and I learned how to make shoes. They’re not super advanced, but they’re awesome.”  

His preparations also involved fashioning a felt hat with ostrich-feather plumes, knitting socks, and crocheting stuffed animals as accessories for the mushroom-themed costume.  

“It feels good to make something,” he says. “It feels good to just put something into the world.” 

Divon, an aspiring college professor, has no interest in costume design — or art, for that matter — as a career. As a classical studies major with a concentration in literature and language, he wanted to learn about the materials and techniques used in the Greco-Roman Period. The AIR program — designed to bring projects to life in visual, written, and performing arts — seemed like the perfect chance to explore that. 

“I have a lot of interest in ancient weaving techniques because weaving is such an integral part of the ancient world,” he says. “My understanding of fiber arts is super helpful in reading these texts about weaving. That’s been a cool connection.” 

Dive into Classics 

A native New Yorker who moved to Cary, NC, in seventh grade, Divon applied to colleges all over the state and narrowed his choices to UNCG or NC State University.  

“It was during COVID, so I couldn’t tour campuses,” he says. “All I had was the information sent to me. I talked to some of my teachers and mentors, and they said, ‘UNCG has a better energy for the type of student you are,’ so I ran with that.”  

He has particularly enjoyed being part of the Honors College “You get to do extra projects. You can make a normal course an honors course by pursuing smaller topics that interest you,” he says. “It’s customized education that gives you some freedom.” 

Divon knew creating a costume with an array of art forms was ambitious, and that he would sometimes fail . “That’s part of the art project process,” he says, “You can still make cool things while failing. You must tell yourself that if you’re interested in doing something, you can do it.”  

After graduation this spring, Divon plans to go to graduate school and continue developing his language skills. 

“A big part of classics is language learning,” he says. “I’ve had three years of ancient Greek, two years of Latin, and a year of German, but I want to give myself two extra years to get my Latin and Greek up to where I want them to be.” 

For now, he’s focused on the April 10 deadline for the AIR project.  

“I’ve done a number of things I never would have thought of doing before,” he says. “My presentation for the AIR program will include where I struggled and where I succeeded.  

“And I’ll be wearing the costume,” he adds. 

Story by Mary Daily 

Photography courtesy of Ethan Dillon