Author Archives: Entertainment

‘I create characters through clothing’: Springfield native, ‘Black Panther’ costume designer Ruth E. Carter visits STCC

Ruth E. Carter was in Springfield for Springfield Technical Community College’s first Comic Fest.

SPRINGFIELD — Anyone looking for advice on how to get into fashion design school, or how to sew a prom dress, should not ask Ruth E. Carter.

“I didn’t study fashion, I can barely sew, I am not a fashion designer, that’s not what I do,” said the Academy Award-nominated costume designer and native of Springfield. “I am a storyteller. I create characters through clothing.”

Carter on Thursday shared some of her experiences of being in the costume and film industry for 30 years with students at Springfield Technical Community College during the college’s Comic Fest.

“This is our fist time attempting this and it went so well,” said Vonetta Lightfoot, multicultural affairs operations manager for the college. “Carter is a Hampton University alumni like me and I just knew we had to have her as our keynote speaker. She is from Springfield and she makes us proud.” 

Students from Kiley Middle School and Duggan Academy in Springfield, as well as East Longemadow High School, attended Carter’s talk, which was nearly two hours long and included many behind-the-scenes details about her work on Marvel’s “Black Panther” movie.

Carter shared secrets about the queen of Wakanda’s perfectly cylindrical headdress (it was made on a 3-D printer) and the markings on Black Panther’s suit of armor (it’s the Wakandan alphabet).

“Marvel is like the CIA, there’s a code of silence,” she joked, recalling her first visit to the studio to present her vision for the world of Wakanda, a fictitious African nation.

Carter said even with 14 Spike Lee films, a Steven Spielberg film and 30 years of experience under her belt, she was still nervous to work on the Marvel  blockbuster.

“I don’t think that nervousness ever goes away. I wondered what people would think of my work, whether I could handle such a big project, but I just did it,” she said.

Carter recalled the moment when the main cast was all dressed in their costumes for the first time for a photo shoot at the studio.

“I was standing there looking at this before it had been presented to the world and my feeling was, we have really done something special here. We have really done something different that never has been seen before, and I was filled with joy that we we were able to accomplish such detail for each character and this world,” she said.

During a question-and-answer portion of the event, students, teachers and fans of the movie thanked Carter for her representation of the characters.

“As a true fan of the comics I just want you to know that it was very touching to see the attention to detail that you paid to the story line of each character,” said Antonio Smith, a student at STCC. “It meant a lot to comic book fans like me.”

Others asked how she achieved her success. Carter said her advice might not be the most prudent according to adults in the room.

“I am not your parent or your teacher or councilor, so I am always going to tell you to follow your passion no matter what. That’s what I did,” she said. “Be a student of your own passion and people will take notice, and when people take notice they will give you opportunities, and one opportunity always leads to another.”

Dakin Humane Society: When Dixies become Yankees

There’s nothing quite like the happy welcome that takes place when a transport of Dixie Dogs pulls up at Dakin Humane Society.

There’s nothing quite like the happy welcome that takes place when a transport of Dixie Dogs pulls up at Dakin Humane Society.

  A ramp, built into the side of the large, temperature-controlled truck, is lowered to the ground as Dakin animal handlers stand by, ready to help the new arrivals disembark.  With precision, they walk the dogs down the ramp, one at a time, to a patch of grass so they can relieve themselves before being led into our building and into their designated enclosures. 

 These dogs will spend their first 48 hours quarantined in our Dixie Ward, being walked and cared for by our team of specially-qualified staff and volunteers. On the third day, they are examined by a veterinarian and hopefully cleared for the adoption floor. If a dog shows signs of illness, he remains in our care until medically cleared for adoption.

 It’s exciting to see these adorable faces join our lineup of adoptable animals.  They come to us from places in Texas, Virginia and South Carolina, thanks to our partnerships with shelters and rescue organizations in those states.  Why subject these pets to a long road trip to a new Yankee lifestyle?  Because we want to help them as well as the shelters they’re leaving behind.

 Pet overpopulation in the southern states is a reality. The northeast has curbed overpopulation through spay and neuter practices, but in other parts of the country it remains an issue.  In some cases it may be a financial hardship for pet owners, in other cases the nearest medical facility that could provide the surgery is hours away.  Many litters are unwanted, puppies and kittens become homeless and end up in shelters that are already overcrowded.  The sad truth is that sometimes euthanasia is used in response to this problem.

 The ongoing issue of pet overpopulation outside New England has led us to work with groups like Operation Pets Alive (OPA), one of our primary partners in pet transports.  This Texas-based organization has been the liaison between us and overcrowded shelters in the Lone Star state for several years now.  They seek at-risk dogs in shelters who fit our criteria (healthy and friendly), reach out to us to check if we have the space for them, arrange for the transport, then provide us with an itinerary and updates about the journey north.  Most of the transport arrivals are adult dogs, but puppies occasionally start their adventures with a trip to Dakin. 

 Then there were the pets we brought up from another partner, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey.  Their transports to us are typically felines (157 cats/kittens in the past two years), but they have also sent more than 100 dogs from southern shelters who are transitioning through St. Hubert’s on their way north.  This partnership works both ways; if we’re inundated with small animals, they’ll take them from us if they have the space.

 Out-of-state animals made up about 10% of the intakes at Dakin last year, and Dixie Dogs are just a fraction of that percentage.  We also accepted shelter animals from hurricane-ravaged areas of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico last year.  Overall, the number of dogs only slightly exceeded the number of cats we received via transports.

 These partnerships have allowed countless animals to find bright and happy futures.  Your support of Dakin Humane Society allows us to keep building bridges for animals who may need to travel a long distance to find their way home.

Lee Chambers is marketing and communications manager of the Dakin Humane Society. Dakin delivers effective, innovative services to animals in need and the people who care about them.