TO ALL BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED, YOU WILL FIND MORE INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE.>>> SHE IS A LONGTIME CUSTOM CREATOR, AND HER SUCCESS CAME WITH MANY YEARS OF WORK, DEEP RESEARCH AND A HUNGER FOR A NEW SKILL.

HER WORK HAS BEEN FEATURED IN A TRAVELING EXHIBITION AND NOW IN A NEW BOOK, THE ART OF RUTH CARTER.

SHE WILL BE IN TOWN FOR THE HUMANITIES FESTIVAL.

WE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH HER.

>> RUTH CARTER ALWAYS KNEW SHE COULD BE A FIRST.

>> I THOUGHT, THERE HASN'T BEEN ANOTHER BLACK COSTUME DESIGNER, I WAS AWARE OF IT FOR MANY YEARS AND I KIND OF WONDERED IF IT MIGHT BE ME.

>> IT WAS.

IN 2019, SHE MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST BLACK CUSTOM CREATOR TO WIN AN ACADEMY AWARD, IT WAS A MOVIE CARTER INVESTED SO MUCH OF HERSELF AND, AND THAT RAISED THE EMOTIONAL STATE.

>> AFTER BLACK PANTHER ONE, I WAS THE FRONT RUNNER, AND I IMMEDIATELY WANTED IT.

>> THIS YEAR, SHE WAS AWARDED FOR THE SEQUEL, BLACK PANTHER, ANACONDA FOREVER.

>> THANK YOU TO THE ACADEMY FOR RECOGNIZING THIS SUPERHERO THAT IS A BLACK WOMAN.

>> CARTER'S WORK IS KNOWN TO THE HEAVY INFLUENCE OF THIS CONCEPT SHE EMBRACES BUT PEOPLE HARDLY KNEW.

>> IN THE 60s, YOU KNOW, IT WAS BLACK POWER.

WE STARTED TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES A LOT MORE.

A >> WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING COMES THE MELDING OF AFRICAN HERITAGE, TECHNOLOGICAL WONDERS AND IMAGINED FUTURES.

THE BLACK PANTHER FILMS ARE INFUSED WITH THOSE IDEAS BUT CARTER SAYS IT DATES BACK TO THE START OF HER CAREER.

>> WE HAD VISIONS FOR REVELATION ON CAMERA, MORE POSITIVE IMAGES OF OURSELVES.

>> SOME OF THOSE IMAGES HAVE BEEN FICTIONAL, AND SOME OF THOSE IMAGES HAVE BEEN HISTORICAL.

AND ANOTHER SPIKE LEE FILM, MALCOLM X.

>> IT WAS A REALLY SPECIAL TRIP AND SPECIAL TIME.

>> CARTER'S FILMS ARE FULL OF COLOR, ELEGANT FABRIC AND TEXTURES THAT POP OFF THE SCREEN BUT THE MATERIAL THAT TRANSLATES TO HOLLYWOOD MAGIC CAN SOMETIMES BE PRETTY MUNDANE.

>> YOU MIGHT HAVE A JUNK DRAWER, YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE ONE OFFS, YOU KNOW, WHY AM I SAVING ALL THIS?

THAT KIND OF THING IS VERY USEFUL FOR ME BECAUSE I REALIZED THAT YOU CAN CREATE ART WITH ALMOST ANYTHING.

>> CARTER SAID ONE OF THE COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HER JOB IS THAT EVEN ON A HUGE MARVEL MOVIE, SHE SAID A SEWING MACHINE HELPED CONSTRUCT EVERY COSTUME.

>> IT WAS LIKE THE WIZARD OF OZ, JUST SEWING AWAY.

>> THESE ARE BIG HOLLYWOOD MOVIES, PEOPLE.

SHE NEEDS A CREW AND SHE WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE DIRECTOR AND ACTORS, BUT SHE SAYS IT IS IMPORTANT TO PICK UP ALL THE SKILLS YOU CAN, HOWEVER YOU CAN.

HER ADVICE?

>> FIND SOMEWHERE TO LEARN, WHETHER THEY VOLUNTEER AT A THEATER COSTUME SHOP, WHETHER THEY GET A JOB IN PA OR THE COSTUME DEPARTMENT, THEY HAVE TO BE A SPONGE.

>> WITH THE EXHIBITION OF HER WORK AND A BOOK THAT TAKES READERS ON A TOUR OF HER CAREER, CARTER HAS COME A LONG WAY FROM SOMEBODY WHO TOILED AS AN INTERN FOR YEARS AFTER COLLEGE.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LOOK BACK ON WHERE SHE HAS BEEN SO FAR?

>> IT FEELS SO GROWN-UP.

WHEN I SEE SOMEONE WHO WERE REALLY WANTED TO BE HERE, WHO REALLY WANTED TO DO THIS TYPE OF WORK, AND REALLY FELT IN HER HEART THAT SHE COULD ACHIEVE THESE ROLES, AND DID.

>> AGAIN, THE BOOK IS CALLED THE ART OF RUTH CARTER, COSTUMING BLACK HISTORY AND THE AFRO FEATURE, FROM DO THE RIGHT