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About the Artist: Leigh Magar
Born and raised in the textile mill town of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Leigh Magar began sculpting in high school. She went on to study millinery at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, meanwhile working as an assistant to Harlem hatmaker Rod Keenan. In 1996, Magar returned to her home state, establishing Magar Hatworks in Charleston. Her exquisitely hand-crafted hats were featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Martha Stewart, and Garden & Gun; sold at Barneys New York and in Isetan, Japan; and collected by celebrity clients including Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe.
In 2015, Magar moved to a farm on rural Johns Island and established Madame Magar, a creative studio and small-batch label. She launched the Indigo Seed-to-Stitch Project, inspired by Eliza Lucas Pinckney, who brought this cash crop to the Carolina Lowcountry in the mid-1700s. Combining nature and design, Magar grows heirloom indigo, makes dye from these plants, and then creates contemporary hand-dyed accessories, one-of-a-kind garments, and textile art.
Most recently the Garden & Gun Magazine Artist-in-Residence at Palmetto Bluff, Magar has created installations for the Charleston Museum, the Preservation Society of Charleston, ArtFields festival in Lake City, South Carolina, and for the South Carolina State Museum’s Carolina Makers exhibition. As a textile artist and designer, Magar explores traditional sewing techniques such as rag quilting, and incorporates oft-discarded resources into her work while also embracing contemporary ideas and innovative techniques.
“Growing up in a textile mill town, in a family of gardeners and quilters–and then moving to rural Johns Island–led me to grow the indigo that I use for my textile art and one-of-a-kind dresses. I’m inspired by nature, folkways, my own roots, and the Carolina Lowcountry’s unique history.”
