Deborah H. Carter: Garden Art Party

June 8 – September 15, 2024

Deborah H. Carter is a multi-media artist who creates upcycled, one-of-a-kind apparel.  Her couture pieces are constructed from post-consumer waste such as food packaging, wine corks, cardboard, books, wire, thrifted wares, plastic, and other discarded items. She manipulates the color, shape and texture of her materials in a way that compels us to question our habits and attitudes about waste and consumption.

Garden Art Party presents a selection of Carter’s wearable fashions, sculpted to enliven the Cahoon Museum’s garden for a season-long outdoor social gathering. Although her work is inspired by recycled and upcycled materials, Carter’s aesthetic is guided by the human form. During the creative process she thinks holistically about how the garment will look on the person who wears it, how comfortable the materials will be, whether it makes sound or catches light, and even the type of event where it will be worn.

A sewing enthusiast since the age of eight, Deborah first learned her craft from her mother and grandmothers. She is a graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York City with a degree in fashion design and worked for years as a women’s sportwear designer in New York City. She currently works out of the Clock Tower Artists studios in Pittsfield, MA.

This program is supported the Targeted Capacity Building Grant from the Visual Arts Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation, and by a grant from the Sandwich Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.