In Conversation with Beau McCall

In Conversation with Beau McCall aka “The Button Man”

Beau McCall proclaimed by American Craft magazine as “The Button Man”—creates visual and wearable artworks by hand-sewing predominantly secondhand and donated buttons onto mostly upcycled fabrics and materials. Through his award-winning practice, McCall extends the button’s role as both material and storytelling device to explore themes of identity, memory, pop culture, and social justice. His artworks are held in the permanent collection of numerous institutions, including the Getty Research Institute (Los Angeles, CA); Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY); The Museum at FIT (New York, NY); Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, PA); Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK); and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York, NY). In 2024, McCall debuted his first-ever retrospective and exhibition catalog titled, Beau McCall: Buttons On! at Fuller Craft Museum (Brockton, MA). The exhibition is currently on a nationwide tour. In McCall’s words, his artistic practice is rooted in the belief that “with a teeny tiny button you can create, you can have a voice, and you can inspire.”