Beau McCall
Beau McCall creates wearable and visual art by applying clothing buttons onto mostly upcycled fabrics, materials, and objects. McCall is also the creator of the wearable art line called, Triple T-shirts (TTT).
In this special limited edition collaboration, McCall has created TTT by merging images from his button embellished wearable art with upcycled T-shirt merchandise from The Store at MAD. A select number of TTT also feature upcycled New York-themed T-shirts, celebrating the city that McCall and MAD call home. By combining three individual shirts into one seamless flowing garment, each TTT can be worn in six unique styles.
McCall’s collection also includes button necklaces. The necklaces, composed of a mix of donated and found buttons sourced from around New York City, honors the long tradition of collecting and preserving buttons as keepsakes tied to personal memories and experiences.
Additionally, McCall has activated the windows at The Store at MAD with his installation titled Jar of Buttons, curated by Souleo. The installation is a tribute to the buttons across households that serve as keepsakes and sources of inspiration. For McCall, it is also an homage to the jar of buttons in his mother’s collection that piqued his interest in working with this material. The installation features mini-oral history recordings with select donors who have gifted buttons to McCall throughout the years. Click here to listen.
A large-scale version of this installation will be on view in 2024 in McCall’s first-ever retrospective titled, Beau McCall: Buttons On! at Fuller Craft Museum.
McCall’s button wearable art is also on view currently at MAD in Craft Front & Center: Exploring the Permanent Collection.
Click here to Listen to mini-oral history recordings with Beau McCall and select donors who have gifted buttons to him throughout the years.. Each individual discusses the significance of buttons in their personal life. Jar of Buttons is currently on view as a window installation at The Store at MAD (Museum of Arts and Design).
