Art spotlight: Character & Costume

A Jack Edwards retrospective.

By MARY ABBE, Star Tribune

January 19, 2012 at 9:01PM
Art by Jack Edwards
Art by Jack Edwards (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Opens Friday 1/20

Legend has it that Twin Cities native Jack Edwards headed for the Big Apple with just $5 to his name, and on that unlikely foundation built a career that includes assisting Sir Cecil Beaton in creating costumes for Katharine Hepburn, playing Coco Chanel in a musical about the French couturier. Then he was off to New Mexico, where he ran the costume workshop for the Santa Fe Opera, and Los Angeles to assist Bob Mackie on "The Carol Burnett Show." And then back to the Twin Cities, where Edwards was the Guthrie Theater's costume designer for nearly 20 years. Plus he turned out Christmas decor for Dayton's and co-created the Holidazzle parade and designed costumes for pop pianist Lorie Line. And did we mention his contributions to Prince's "Ulysses" tour from the early 1990s? This guy's been around. The Goldstein's new show will reprise many of Edwards' greatest hits via costume sketches, photos, press clippings, playbills and 30 actual costumes from various productions spanning half a century. The charmer shown here is a costume drawing for the Guthrie Theater's 1987 production of "The Misanthrope." Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Fri. 1/20, free.

about the writer

about the writer

MARY ABBE, Star Tribune