The Interview: Michael Curry

Michael Curry (PNCA class of ’81) is best known for his work designing the masks and puppets for The Lion King, in collaboration with Julie Taymor. But he’s also designed costumes and puppets for everything from Las Vegas shows to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. At Michael Curry Design, his 55,000 square foot workshop in Scappoose, Oregon, he and 63 employees work repair well-worn costumes and tinker on designing new ones. Over half of his team studied as fine artists, as he himself did. “I really like the well-rounded thinking of a fine artist,” he says. “For me, puppetry is just sculptural work.” His love for sculpture started at PNCA, which was then called the Museum Art School.

Curry, who shared an Emmy with Peter Minshall for designs created for the opening ceremonies of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games in 2002, is currently producer and designer on the The Awakening at Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas. He’s also playing a major role in a team that’s working to get the Keller Theater renovated. “I believe that Portland's creative community can be one of the engines to help put back on the map,” he says. For years, Curry split his time between Manhattan and Portland but now he lives in Portland with his wife, Julia. (Their daughter, Eva, splits her time between Manhattan and Scapoose; their son, Will, is a musician who lives in Manhattan.) He spoke to us about what it was like to work with Julie Taymor, why a classical fine arts education is so important, and why some artists think he’s “sold out.”

See here for the full interview.