DEBORAH H. CARTER UPCYCLED WEARABLE ART

by Susan MacFaddin

“I use post-consumer waste to create works of art. What started as a way to acquire inexpensive and abundant art materials grew into a frustration with the amount of waste sent to landfills, much of which will take centuries to degrade. I feel challenged to create pieces that are beautiful, striking, and sometimes surprising. My primary aim is not to instruct viewers or scold them about consumerism and waste, but if my pieces are aesthetically engaging as well as thought-provoking, then I’m doubly pleased. And shouldn’t art do both?”

Susan MacFaddin: Deborah, what kind of reactions do you get when people see your work for the first time?

Deborah H. Carter: People love trying to figure out the origins of my materials, how I’ve put them together, and how much time went into each piece. But by far, the most common reaction is, “It’s really wearable?!”. Wearability is essential in my work, and I rarely create a piece that cannot be worn. The human form influences so much of my aesthetic. How will it work as a garment? Will it incorporate sound? How will the light strike the body? Will it be comfortable enough to wear for an evening or an event? And as my friends will warn you, “Be careful if Debbie invites you to her studio because she’ll make you try on a new piece to see how it works on your body!”

The variety of your unconventional materials is remarkable. It’s impossible to list them all, but I’ve seen mussel shells, potato chip bags, Kodachrome slides, old sheet music, plastic cups, foam noodles, and antique books. You often choose things that some people would consider mundane or ugly. Please tell us how you select materials and what part they play in your process.

DHC: It always starts with the materials. They inspire and speak to me about their aesthetic qualities and inform how I will construct the garment, the potential for movement, and even sound. I’m so drawn to appealing shapes, colors, and patterns that could work wonderfully as a garment. And to the occasional frustration of my family and friends, I cannot pass up a pile of what someone has thrown away without considering its potential to be transformed into something extraordinary. For example, the materials used to create “Offence” came from a tangled heap of snow and safety fencing I found abandoned on the side of a hiking trail near my home. People now regularly offer me collections of items like the bag of scratch-off lottery tickets fellow artist, Tommy, handed me last month. That project is now percolating in my head.

Where else do you source your materials? It sounds like many are found objects and you mentioned that people donate them to you. Do you purchase some as well?

DHC: Yes, all of the above. The post-consumer waste I use may have been found by the side of the road, in a dumpster, in the trash as food packaging, or on freecycle.org. I’ve been doing this long enough that I often receive carloads of donated items, such as discarded retail display pieces, leftover materials from other artists’ projects, or boxes full of CDs and electronic cables.

I’m always on the lookout for organizations overwhelmed with items destined for the dump who are happy to donate them in an eco-friendly way. I’m a regular customer at local secondhand stores and Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores, where they divert reusable household items and building materials from area landfills. I discovered one of my favorites through Yina Moore, Founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Adams Theater, who introduced me to Leni Fried and Mike Augspurger of The Old Stone Mill Zero Waste Makers Space in Adams. It’s housed in a 28,000square-foot former woolens mill that rescues all sorts of waste from industry. It is my favorite “candy store.” That’s where I recently discovered the materials for “Lotta Hoopla”, pictured on the cover.

If it starts with the materials, where do you go from there? The way you transform them into a finished pieces brings to mind the saying: greater than the sum of its parts. What is “Lotta Hoopla’’ (See the cover photo) made of and what was your process once you chose the materials?

DHC: I constructed the piece from 1/2-inch foam tubes and plastic rhinestones over a hoop skirt cage. As far as process goes, I believe that art doesn’t happen without experimentation. You don’t know at the start what any piece will look like when it’s finished, and I think it’s a waste of time trying to figure that out in advance. The process is the art. For “Lotta Hoopla” I flexed and twisted the tubes in endless formations, then attached, removed, and reattached them dozens of times until I got the right look. And then I thought, “Why not put it right over the model’s head and make a skirt into a dress?”. Sometimes you have to go with a feeling and try whatever comes into

head. Trust yourself.

Your work looks very labor-intensive. How long does each one take to create?

DHC: The time involved for each varies greatly but can take a few days to several months. I recently kept track of the time I spent on “Unbridled,” which took over 150 hours to complete. I create many works from small repeating pieces that can number 100 to 700 elements. I often finish constructing a piece only to realize I have to take the whole thing apart to reconcile construction issues, movement, or wearability. I made “MeShell” from dozens of mussel shells. Initially, I affixed them in a horizontal pattern, then realized that a diagonal hanging allowed them to nest together, create an aesthetically pleasing design, and conform to a human body much more gracefully. Continued on next page...

THE ARTFUL MIND AUGUST 2023 • 21

Have you always been an artist? Where did your artistic journey begin, and how has it brought you to what you create today?

DHC: I grew up in Western Massachusetts where there were many creative people in our family, including painters, sewers, woodworkers, gardeners, and cooks. I can’t remember when I wasn’t imagining, making, or sewing. Sewing became a particular passion for me, and I made garments from patterns and began to develop my own designs. Wearing those creations to my high school and surprising my classmates with my fashions was so much fun! And I remember sitting in church with my family, and instead of paying attention to the service, I was studying the garments worn around me, trying to figure out how they were patterned and constructed. After college and a job working in the fashion industry in New York City, I attended Parsons School of Design and graduated with a fashion degree. Many years later, my husband and I moved to the Berkshires, and I chose to stay at home with my two small children. Anxious for a creative outlet, I signed up for a drawing course with Rosalind Gordon at IS 183 (now Berkshire Art Center). Her approach and teaching methods were inspiring, and I began to create in whatever moments and ways I could find. I painted, sculpted, sewed, and devised art projects for my kids. When they started school, I took a position as a traveling preschool art teacher. Materials were expensive, and budgets were tiny, so I began collecting whatever I could to turn into art: eggshells, egg cartons, scrap paper, discarded CDs, and plastic. My upcycling days had begun. My enthusiasm for these offbeat materials and passion for sewing converged when I launched my line of upcycled women’s clothing called Smooth Stone Clothing. I designed garments using scrap fabrics and thrifted textiles, selling them at craft fairs, online, and to private clients. During that time, the intense colors and patterns of food packaging caught my eye and specifically those of my son’s collection of hundreds of potato chip bags in bright yellow and red. To my surprise, he gifted me his collection, and “Dipsy Chips,” my first garment in this body of work, was born.

“Bibliotheque” and “Well Read” recently appeared at the Authors Guild Foundation Gala at

The Plaza Hotel in New York City. How exciting! Tell me about their creation and about your connection to that event.

DHC: Eric Wilska, owner of Shaker Mill Books in West Stockbridge, MA, commissioned the piece “Bibliotheque.” He handed me a pile of old book spines and told me to make anything I wanted. Well, almost anything – he requested a steampunk theme, and we both love the results.

“Well Read” was constructed of an old dictionary I found in a dumpster that I knew could become a stunning piece of art. Besides sewing, I often experiment with various folding techniques to create paper forms that make up a garment. For “Well Read” I created over 100 floral shapes in different sizes to trail down the body as if along a trellis. Among artists, support and collaboration is invaluable, and “Well Read” came to the notice of the Gala organizer through sculptor Joe Wheaton, who recommended me. The Authors Guild advocates for the rights of writers by supporting free speech, fair contracts, and copyright. Model, Gabrielle Grosvenor, wore it beautifully, and I was honored to be part of the event celebrating and supporting American authors.You’ve mention col- laboration. I’m guessing that your relationship with your photographer is all about that. What is the nature of that relationship and how important is it?

DHC: I’m fortunate to have worked with several talented photographers, and it’s undoubtedly a collaborative relationship. My work depends on the skill and vision of the photographer to capture my three-dimensional pieces in a two-dimensional or video format. Some pieces are constructed of materials that may change over time, and it’s crucial to record the work as it appears upon completion. It’s similar to how any sculptor would work with a photographer, but in my case, we have to consider not only lighting, set-up, and mood but props, styling, hair, and makeup. It’s a lot about trust and sharing ideas, and I rely on this second set of eyes to achieve the best possible result.

Is there someone working today who you’d call a creative influence? Someone who inspires you and helps fuel your creative impulses?

DHC: Definitely the Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. She is the epitome of fashion art and is constantly reinventing, experimenting, and challenging the definition of fashion. Van Herpen is unconventional in her aesthetic choices and creation of materials. My brain is always buzzing after viewing her work.

Your work, “Unbridled,” is currently on display at SculptureNow at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home and gardens in Lenox. How was it constructed, and did it pose new challenges as an outdoor piece?

DHC: It’s my first time creating an outdoor garment, and it’s an exciting experience being part of this celebrated exhibition. Bridal gowns of the Gilded Age were incredibly layered, ornately decorated, and famously rigid and constricting. I wanted to take the exuberance of the designs of Edith Wharton’s era and reinterpret them in something light and more carefree, therefore the title, “Unbridled.” I constructed the dress of biodegradable flowers made from the root of the tapioca plant, a drought-resistant, lightweight, renewable wood. SculptureNow runs through October 21, 2023.

You are represented by The WIT Gallery in Lenox, MA. Where else can we see your work, and do you hold open studios?

DHC: I was just notified that my piece, “I Fold” has been selected for WOW 2023 (World of WearableArt), an annual design competition that culminates in a spectacular performance-style exhibition in Wellington, New Zealand. “I Fold” will appear in the Avant Garde category and was created from pages of an antique German history book. I painted one side of each page black and then folded over 700 of them into origami tulip shapes that form the full-length gown and split train. The event will open on September 20, 2023 and run through October 8, 2023. I’m thrilled to be a WOW exhibitor and will be attending the opening as well as taking time to explore New Zealand.

I’m part of the Clock Tower Artists, a collective of 13 artists who maintain studios at 75 South Church Street in Pittsfield. Every month from May through December, we host open studio events: First Friday Artswalk from 5-8 pm and Open Studios on the first Saturday of each month Continued on next page...