STANDARDS
Core Art Standards: VA1, VA4, VA10
CCSS: R2, R6, SL3
Q&A With Beau McCall
Beau McCall talks with Scholastic Art about craftwork and how he uses buttons to tell stories and explore big ideas
Scholastic Art: Were you a creative kid?
Beau McCall: In elementary school, I was fascinated with the idea that I could make something out of nothing. At the time, every year my brother and I got a new pair of Keds. One year, I used wires I found around my house to turn my Keds into a pair of sandals. That was my earliest memory of creating something.
SA: Were there any teachers or other mentors who encouraged you to pursue art?
BM: My teacher, Miss Jones. I told her that I was interested in crafts. She and I gathered materials, then she set up a little area for me to do my craft work. She was the first person outside of my family to support what I was doing.
McCall’s Buttons On! recently wrapped up a show at the Museum of Craft and Design. Next his work will be on display at the Mattatuck Museum in Connecticut, then the African American Museum in Philadelphia.
SA: Is there any specific event that led to the artwork you’re known for?
BM: I moved to New York City to find my creative tribe. In Harlem at that time, they had an outdoor festival called Harlem Week. I went to a fashion show with all Black models and all Black designers and knew I wanted to participate in it the following year. I went out and sourced denim to make a collection of roughly a dozen pieces of button wear. The next summer, I showed them during Harlem Week, which turned into almost 10 years of participating.
SA: When and why did you first start working with buttons?
BM: My mother kept a jar of buttons when I was growing up. She filled it with all different materials, like wood or plastic buttons, or glass and shells. She also loved thrifting, and one day she came back with a black sweater that I wanted to get my hands on. It took me about six months to embellish the sweater. That’s when I became addicted to buttons.
Beau McCall, Button Sweater_ Black, circa 1982. Photo by Will Howcroft
How does Beau’s early work, like this sweater, relate to the work he displayed for Buttons On?
SA: What’s your typical working process?
BM: There’s a base button, or the under layer of the piece. All the buttons in that layer are the same. Then I select decorative buttons to tell my story. For example, my piece World Spinnin’ on 45, is about how music has the power to bring people together. So I found musical instruments, musical notes, dancing shoes, birthday cakes, candles, party dresses—anything related to what music can do for us mentally and physically.
Beau McCall, World Spinnin’ on a 45 (B-Side), 2023. Photo by Will Howcroft
How does McCall use decorative buttons to tell a story in World Spinnin’ on a 45?]
SA: Do you have advice for aspiring artists?
BM: Before experimenting with many things, master one thing and stay focused. Hard work doesn’t happen in two days. You have to invest time in what you want to do and master your craft. Also, tap into your creativity. There’s something magical about creating—that if you can think of it, you can make it appear in front of you.
