{
  "id": 501504,
  "title": "How Betye Saar Came to Be",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/how-betye-saar-came-to-be",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-10T19:39:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hyperallergic",
    "slug": "hyperallergic",
    "url": "https://hyperallergic.com/how-betye-saar-came-to-be/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Betye Saar, a renowned assemblage artist, is celebrated through an exhibition honoring her earliest professional works. Titled \"Let's Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar,\" the show, held at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles, features over 200 archival objects showcasing the diverse range of Saar's creations during her early career.\n\nThe exhibition sheds light on the lesser-known aspect of Saar's canon - costume design. It includes a variety of archival items, such as costume and set designs for a 1970 production of Antigone at the Inner City Cultural Center, photography, drawing, jewelry, garments, greeting cards, album covers, and more. The range of items on display highlights Saar's broad interests and her ability to identify various potentials and fit them together seamlessly.\n\nOne of the first archival photographs in the exhibition showcases costume and set designs for the play Antigone. Saar not only designed the costumes but also created the backgrounds for the production. Her first venture into collage work was the wallpaper for the set, which she created long before she became known for her distinctive assemblage practice.\n\nSaar's exhibition is a tribute to her discovery and experimentation with mixing media, which would later lead to her international recognition. Her costume work often involved transforming second-hand clothes into abstract garments for the stage or crafting accessories from found materials. The sketches and fabric swatches are displayed in vitrines, placed alongside photos of the designs in their original settings.\n\nSome of Saar's creations were tailored for her three daughters, Lezley, Alison, and Tracye, as well as for the very first years of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. The exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the range of Saar's artistic talents during her formative years.",
  "summary": "“You just have to pay attention to how you put things together,” the artist told Hyperallergic shortly before her death. “They’ll tell you if they fit.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}