Costume designer Ruth E. Carter wins Coolidge Award – The Daily Free Press

Ruth E. Carter, renowned costume designer and native of Springfield, Massachusetts, visited her home state on October 15 to accept the Coolidge Award from the Coolidge Corner Theatre.

The Coolidge Prize, established in 2004, is awarded film artist whose work is “consistently original and complex.” Previous recipients of the award include Julianne Moore in 2019, Michael Douglas in 2018 and Jane Fonda in 2016.

Carter won two Oscars for costume design for her work on Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The award for Black Panther made her the first black Oscar winner for costume design.

Carter also designed costumes for the films Do the Right Thing, Selma, Marshall and Coming 2 America. Her work exploring Afrofuturism in costume design has been exhibited in several museums, including the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan and the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington.

“Her work collectively tells the story of Africans and African Americans through the centuries, spanning a path that can be traced from the roots to the civil rights era,” said Coolidge Corner Theater General Manager Catherine Tallman.

When Carter became the first black woman to win two Oscars in any category, she knew she was a role model.

Today, Carter’s work reflects her upbringing in Springfield, a town in western Massachusetts.

She received her love for art from someone close to her: her older brother. She said she would hide his materials for herself and copy the drawings from his sketchbook.

“I just learned that,” she said. “Sometimes you learn by actually going through the same process.”

Carter said her mother, who worked as a psychologist, also helped ignite her passion, but in different ways.

“I feel like my mother was my first costume design coach,” Carter said. “My memories of my mom having a special kind of empathy for people, like knowing their stories… made me pause and really see people.”

College became a time of exploration for Carter. She initially studied acting at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. When she wasn’t offered a role in the production, a professor suggested she try out costumes and she never looked back.

“I was just eager to learn more about the business, and on every play that was currently in the theater, I was the costume designer, so I had time to practice the craft,” she said.

Now, Carter’s creative process always begins with research to ensure her designs are relevant and accurate. She then assembles a team of curators, producers and other staff to work together and bring those ideas to life.

“I wanted to know people’s difficulties. I wanted to know what choices they would make and how often they would change their clothes,” Carter said.

Carter’s research process applies not only to historical films, but also to films with intricate worlds such as “Black Panther,” which screened at Coolidge ahead of her Q&A session on Sunday.

“Every first impression you get about a character comes from the costume,” said Rosalind Levin, a Vassar College student who attended the event. “I think she worked hard on the design to create the feeling of a completely different country from our whole modern world.”

In addition to screening films, the Coolidge Corner Theater hosts a variety of educational programs and community partnerships. Recognizing the work of a local artist is an honor not only for the theater, but for film lovers throughout Boston.

Carter said giving back to those who admire her is her legacy, and she hopes the work she puts into her projects will help young people resonate with her work.

“I didn’t want to be the first black costume designer,” Carter said. “I just wanted to be a great costume designer.”