Pioneers of wearable art Jean Cacicedo and Janet Lipkin bring textiles and memories to Carmel.

Wearable art is still considered a sideshow in the world of visual arts. It lacks the status of sculptures or framed canvases, despite being more practical and user-oriented.

Two pioneers of the “Art to Wear” movement in 1970s New York – Jean Cacicedo and Janet Lipkin – are coming to Carmel with their work and a documentary about their journey.

“There’s a kind of a Renaissance of looking at what people did in the ’70s,” says Cacicedo, whose pieces were collected by such names in fashion as Elton John. “I think a lot of the textile interest now comes from those origins.”

Living Art: Jean Cacicedo, Janet Lipkin and the Evolution of Art to Wear is a 28-minute film that tells the story of a group of young women at the Pratt Institute in New York who, starting in 1969, challenged the world that looked down on textiles. They ignored trends in art and continued to make beautiful garments – coats, tops, bags, even masks – that were able to transform people who wore them, using the body “as a sculptural armature, which comes alive when the body moves through space,” Cacicedo says.

Now based in Berkeley, Cacicedo credits seven years on the sparse grasslands of Wyoming as the most formative time for her art. Living in isolation, she had not only time for her slow work – her signature coats take months to design and complete – but also picked up inspiration from local Native tribes. Eventually, she landed in California, where there had been a lot going on in textiles since the ’70s, thanks to the hippie movement and its cultural revolution.

The current generation of young artists largely ignore the format. Those who show their wearable art are Cacicedo’s peers, who’ve been creating for decades. One reason is that modern culture prioritizes digital work over handwork.

“We don’t want to spend time on things,” Cacicedo says. “We want it now. But I’m sure there will be a shift, in culture and in fashion. I hope I’m alive to see it.” 


During a gathering at the Cherry Center, Cacicedo and Lipkin will show some of their famous pieces. After the documentary and a discussion, a fashion show will follow.

Living Art: Jean Cacicedo, Janet Lipkin and the Evolution of Art to Wear 5pm Saturday, July 12. Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, 4th and Guadalupe, Carmel. $20 (includes wine and appetizers). 624-7491, carlcherrycenter.org.