Chesley Antoinette is the creator and designer of Cantoinette Studios that was created with a solution of redirecting materials from the waste stream and transforming the materials into wearable art. She received her B.F.A in sculpture from Stephen F. Austin University and an M.F.A in fiber arts from the University of North Texas.
While in graduated school Chesley Antoinette began the journey in using post-consumer recycled materials to design and create sustainable wearable art. Focusing on the head as the source of conscientious behavior, Cantoinette Studio specializes in single edition sculptural headwear that can be symbolized as an intermediary storage solution.
As Chesley Antoinette continues to evolve as an artist and designer, the collection of reclaimed materials from surrounding environments will take on a transformation that reveal the power of the imagination as an examination of her own artistic conduct in an industrialized society.
Artist Statement: Let them eat Cake!
Let them eat Cake! Is a collection of work that started with the creation of headwear inspired by cupcakes. The inclusion of the historical figure Marie Antoinette began with the desire to express editorial imagery that not only enhance the headwear, but also offer similar desires to work collaboratively to combine both art and fashion within a curatorial process.
Within art and fashion, as an artist I am interested in second hand materials, that when arranged can offer an array of inventive textures and newly created values that include social, monetarism, and aesthetic. Pushing beyond the fantasy fascination about the French lifestyle of Marie Antoinette, I look to explore the idea of perception that can lead to rethinking both historically and materialistically.
“The most exquisite pleasure is giving pleasure to others.” - Jean de Bruyère
