Topical Cream is a New York-based arts organization supporting the work of women and gender non-conforming contemporary artists.
Youth Workshop: DIY Button Making with Juliana Huxtable at Artists Space
Published July 1st, 2024

On Saturday, June 22, 2024, Topical Cream hosted a youth button making workshop at Artists Space in collaboration with the writer, artist, and musician Juliana Huxtable. Juliana opened the workshop with a fantastic overview of the radical history of button making, highlighting the importance of DIY buttons as vehicles of community engagement, protest, and artistic expression. She also highlighted specific symbolically important buttons, beginning with those from the abolitionist movement in the 18th and 19th century to the feminist and gay liberation movements of the 20th century and through political movements of the present day. Juliana concluded by noting the role of button making as an important element of her own multifaceted and interdisciplinary artistic practice.  

Topical Cream Youth Lecture Series Juliana Huxtable, Button Making, Artist Space.
Juliana Huxtable makes buttons for painter Francesca Wade and her daughter at Artists Space for Topical Cream’s DIY Button Making Workshop with Juliana Huxtable!

Following Juliana’s introduction, children and their caregivers were free to design their own custom buttons. Participants used stencils, stickers, photos and prints, markers, and reclaimed materials like microfiche from Materials for The Arts, to create their own new and reimagined designs. Once their designs were ready, Juliana guided participants as they turned their art into fully formed buttons with the help of a button making machine. 

This workshop was the inaugural event in the ongoing Topical Cream Youth Workshop Series. The series is dedicated to empowering youth through hands-on workshops and conversations led by feminist luminaries from a variety of artistic and intellectual spheres. By providing access to a wide range of perspectives from art-world figures at the top of their fields, Topical Cream aims to foster a deeper understanding of intergenerational connections while encouraging youth to think creatively and critically about art, culture, and society!

Topical Cream Youth Lecture Series Juliana Huxtable, Button Making, Artist Space.
Topical Cream Youth Lecture Series Juliana Huxtable, Button Making, Artist Space.
Artist Maia Ruth Lee makes buttons with Juliana Huxtable’s custom button template at Artist Space.

Download a PDF of Juliana’s 3inch wide button templates to color in.


All Photos thanks to Vita Phoenix
Special Thanks: Kelly Taxter, Elizabeth Gramley, Elizabeth Wiet, Yulu Serao, and Nicole Rodriguez Manana