Community Canvas is an initiative presented by The Culture Show where GBH features artwork from community members on our Digital Mural.
Today’s mural Jar of Beau by Beau McCall is a self-portrait made from a collage of buttons. It celebrates the universality of clothing buttons and references the historic role they have played as a decorative element in wearable and visual art within African diasporic culture.
McCall created an Afrofuturist image by donning himself with an elaborate button headdress and glasses. Meanwhile, the jar of buttons references how he began his creative practice with this humble item that is found in many households and serves as keepsakes, family heirlooms, and sources of inspiration.
McCall creates wearable and visual art by applying clothing buttons onto mostly up-cycled fabrics, materials, and objects. He’s been proclaimed by American Craft magazine as “The Button Man.”
See more of McCall’s work on beaumccall.com
