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Ruth E. Carter

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"Ruth Carter" redirects here. For the evangelist, see Ruth Carter Stapleton. For the arts patron, see Ruth Carter Stevenson.

Ruth E. Carter
Carter in March 2018
Born (1960-04-10) April 10, 1960 (age 64)
Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materHampton University (BA)[1]
OccupationCostume designer
Years active1982–present

Ruth E. Carter (born April 10, 1960) is an American costume designer for film and television.[2] She is best known for her collaborations with Spike Lee, John Singleton, and Ryan Coogler. During her film career, Carter has been nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, for her work on Lee's biographical film Malcolm X (1992), Steven Spielberg's historical drama film Amistad (1997), and winning twice for Coogler's Marvel superhero films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).[3] She was the first African-American to win and be nominated for Best Costume Design and the first Black woman to win multiple Academy Awards in any category.[4][5] Her other film credits include Do the Right Thing (1989), What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Love & Basketball (2000), Serenity (2005), The Butler (2013), Selma (2014), Marshall (2017), Dolemite Is My Name (2019), and Coming 2 America (2021).

Early life and education

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Carter was born on April 10, 1960, in Springfield, Massachusetts, in a single-parent household. Her mother is Mabel Carter,[6] and she was the youngest of eight children. At nine years old, she began attending the Boys & Girls Club. Using her mother's sewing machine, Carter learned from the organization how to read and design simplicity patterns.[7] She graduated in 1978 from Technical High School, Springfield, Ma. In 1982, Carter graduated from Hampton Institute, later renamed Hampton University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts.[1]

Career

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After graduating, Carter returned to her hometown, working as an intern for City Stage's costume department and then the Santa Fe Opera. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles to work at the city's Theater Center.[8] While working there, Carter met director Spike Lee, who hired her for his second film, School Daze (1988). She continued working on his subsequent films, including Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), and Malcolm X (1992).[9][10]

Aside from her work with Spike Lee, Carter also designed costumes for Steven Spielberg's Amistad (1997) and several of John Singleton's films, such as Rosewood (1997) and Baby Boy (2001).[2] She further designed costumes for the American television drama series Being Mary Jane on BET Networks, created by Mara Brock Akil and starring Gabrielle Union.[11]

Carter worked on the superhero film Black Panther (2018), directed by Ryan Coogler. Deriving from Afrofuturism, her costumes were inspired by many traditional African garments, including those of the Maasai and Ndebele people.[12] She traveled to southern Africa to draw aesthetic inspirations and received permission to incorporate traditional Lesotho designs into the film's costumes.[13] At the 91st Academy Awards, she won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, making her the first Black woman to win the Academy Award in the category.[14]

In 2021, Carter received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the film category.[15]

In 2023, Carter won her second Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).[5] During her acceptance speech, Carter dedicated her win to her mother, who had died during the prior week at the age of 101.[6] Also in 2023, the North Carolina Museum of Art hosted an exhibit displaying more than sixty of Carter's original garments.[16]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Director
1988 School Daze Spike Lee
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Keenen Ivory Wayans
1989 Do the Right Thing Spike Lee
1990 Mo' Better Blues
1991 House Party 2 Doug McHenry
George Jackson
Jungle Fever Spike Lee
The Five Heartbeats Robert Townsend
1992 Malcolm X Spike Lee
1993 The Meteor Man Robert Townsend
1993 What's Love Got to Do with It Brian Gibson
1994 Cobb Ron Shelton
Crooklyn Spike Lee
Surviving the Game Ernest R. Dickerson
1995 Money Train Joseph Ruben
Clockers Spike Lee
1996 The Great White Hype Reginald Hudlin
1997 B*A*P*S Robert Townsend
Rosewood John Singleton
Amistad Steven Spielberg
1999 Summer of Sam Spike Lee
2000 Price of Glory Carlos Ávila
Love & Basketball Gina Prince-Bythewood
Shaft John Singleton
Bamboozled Spike Lee
2001 Baby Boy John Singleton
Dr. Dolittle 2 Steve Carr
2002 I Spy Betty Thomas
2003 Daddy Day Care Steve Carr
2004 Against the Ropes Charles S. Dutton
2005 Serenity Joss Whedon
Four Brothers John Singleton
2009 Spread David Mackenzie
Black Dynamite Scott Sanders
2013 Teen Beach Movie Jeffrey Hornaday
Oldboy Spike Lee
The Butler Lee Daniels
2014 The Best of Me Michael Hoffman
Selma Ava DuVernay
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Spike Lee
2015 Chi-Raq
2016 Keeping Up with the Joneses Greg Mottola
2017 Kidnap Luis Prieto
Marshall Reginald Hudlin
2018 Black Panther Ryan Coogler
2019 Above Suspicion Phillip Noyce
Dolemite Is My Name Craig Brewer
2021 Coming 2 America
2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Ryan Coogler
2025 Blade Yann Demange

Television

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Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
1992 Academy Awards Best Costume Design Malcolm X Nominated [18]
1997 Amistad Nominated
2018 Black Panther Won
2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Won
2015 Costume Designers Guild Awards Excellence in Period Film Selma Nominated
2018 Excellence in Fantasy Film Black Panther Won
2019 Excellence in Period Film Dolemite Is My Name Nominated
2021 Excellence in Contemporary Film Coming 2 America Won
2016 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Period Costumes for a Limited Series Roots Nominated
2018 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Costume Design Black Panther Won
2019 Dolemite Is My Name Won
2021 Coming 2 America Nominated
2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Won
2018 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Costume Design Black Panther Won
2019 Dolemite is My Name Won
2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Won

Bibliography

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  • The Art of Ruth E. Carter. Chronicle Books. 2023. ISBN 978-1797203065. [22][23]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hampton University Alumna, Ruth E. Carter, to Receive Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Feb. 25". Hampton University. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  2. ^ a b James, Kendra (November 23, 2016). "Radical Fashion: An interview with the costume designer Ruth Carter". Lenny Letter. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016.
  3. ^ Bradley, Laura (February 16, 2018). "The Secrets Behind Black Panther's Spellbinding Fashion". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  4. ^ Coggan, Devan (February 24, 2019). "Ruth E. Carter makes Oscar history as first black woman to win Best Costume Design". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Tangcay, Jazz (March 12, 2023). "Ruth E. Carter Becomes First Black Woman to Win Two Oscars". Variety. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Landrum Jr., Jonathan (March 13, 2023). "Ruth E. Carter becomes 1st Black woman to win 2 Oscars". KKTV. Associated Press. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Herman, Vallie (June 2015). "Spotlight On: Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter". Costume Designers Guild. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Platanitis, Sarah (February 22, 2015). "Hollywood costume designer Ruth Carter talks about her roots in Springfield and Oscar nods". The Republican. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019.
  9. ^ Landis, Deborah Nadoolman (2003). "Ruth Carter". Costume Design. Focal Press. pp. 37–45. ISBN 978-0-240-80590-0.
  10. ^ Kirkham, Pat (2002). "'Three Strikes Against Me': African American Costume Designers". Women Designers in the USA, 1900–2000: Diversity and Difference. Yale University Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN 978-0-300-09331-5.
  11. ^ "BET Networks Announces New Programming at Annual Upfront Presentation". The Futon Critic. April 2, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  12. ^ Long, Kelle. "Black Panther Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter Explains the Symbolism of Her Work". Motion Picture Association of America. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  13. ^ "Clarks brought out Black Panther's costume designer to celebrate their new sneaker collab". The Fader. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Wilson, Julee (February 24, 2019). "Ruth E. Carter Becomes The First Black Woman To Win Oscar For Best Costume Design". Essence. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019.
  15. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (February 24, 2021). "Ruth E. Carter Makes History With a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame". Variety. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design". North Carolina Museum of Art. February 6, 2023. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (August 28, 2020). "Ruth E. Carter Preserves Black History Through Fashion". IndieWire. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  18. ^ "Ruth E. Carter". IMDb. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Actor Mekhi Pfifer and Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter Honored at American Black Film Festival", Jet, July 22, 2002.
  20. ^ "ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood". Essence. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  21. ^ Mack, Grace. "FashFilmFete festival to celebrate iconic costume designers, fashion in film". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  22. ^ "Why Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter feels great about the state of Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. May 24, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  23. ^ "Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter Gives Glimpses at Her Legendary Career in Debut Book (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved June 21, 2023.

Further reading

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  • Kirkham, Pat; Stallworth, Shauna (2000). "Chapter 4: "Three Strikes Against Me": African American Women Designers". Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference. New York: Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts. pp. 141–143, 258. ISBN 978-0-300-09331-5. OCLC 48628173.
  • Landis, Deborah Nadoolman (2003). Screencraft. Costume Design. Burlington, MA: Focal Press. ISBN 978-0-240-80590-0. OCLC 718593913.
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