Button Necklaces with artist Beau McCall

In conjunction with Aminah Robinson: Journeys Home, A Visual Memoir, we invite you to join artist Beau McCall for an afternoon workshop creating unique necklaces using buttons. Participants will learn to transform these everyday objects into eye-catching wearable artwork in this intimate masterclass.

Plus, enjoy a brief in-gallery chat with McCall and Amy Simon Hopwood, Associate Curator of Decorative Arts. They will discuss McCall's specially commissioned button durag for the Museum's permanent collection, on view in Contemporary Craft, exploring parallels between McCall’s practice and Robinson’s “button-beaded” artworks.

All skill levels welcome! This workshop is recommended for adults. All supplies will be provided. Registration closes on January 16, 2026.

About Beau McCall

Beau McCall—proclaimed by American Craft magazine as “The Button Man”—creates wearable and visual art by hand-sewing clothing buttons onto mostly upcycled fabrics, materials, and objects. His artworks, offering commentary on topics such as pop culture and social justice are held in the permanent collection of numerous public 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 the words of McCall, 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.” For more information and to join his email list visit BeauMcCall.com

Generous support provided by Art Bridges.

Host or Publisher Newark Museum of Art