Heather Doram is an Antiguan artist, actor, activist and educator, who is the designer of Antigua & Barbuda's national costume. In 2002 she was awarded the Grand Cross of the Most Illustrious Order of Merit (Antigua) in recognition of her lifetime achievements.
Heather Doram | |
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Born | Antigua and Barbuda |
Citizenship | Antiguan |
Education | University of the West Indies Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts Savannah College of Art and Design |
Occupation | Artist, educator, activist, actor |
Known for | Designing the national costume of Antigua and Barbuda |
Born in Antigua, to a seamstress mother and a father who worked in sugar industries, Doram's family lived on a number of sugar estates due to her father's work.[1][2] She attended Antigua Girls’ High School in St John's and subsequently studied for an Associate Degree in Education from the University of the West Indies.[2] She returned to teach at her former school and a few years later was awarded funding to study for a BFA in Textiles at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston.[2][3]
In 1994 she received a scholarship which enabled her to study for a MA degree at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where her work was chosen to represent the university at the Venice Biennale.[4] After her graduation, SCAD also purchased the majority of her thesis portfolio for its permanent collection.[4] On her return to Antigua she worked for the Ministry of Education, advising them on arts curricula, and in 2003 was appointed Director of Culture.[2] Her works include a mural at V.C. Bird International Airport,[1] as well as collages and woven wall-hangings.[5] She designed award-winning carnival costumes designed with her husband Connie Doram.[2] In 2020 she called for revisions to be made to the Antigua Carnival costume judging criteria, in order to include and acknowledge the significance of new styles of mas (masquerade costumes).[6] She retired in 2006.[4][7]
In addition to her work as an artist and educator, Doram also has a successful acting career, which began in the 1990s. She has appeared in film, television and stage roles that include: The Vagina Monologues, The Sweetest Mango, and a monologue by Zahra Airall.[2]
In 1992 a competition was held to design a national dress for Antigua & Barbuda, and it was won by Doram.[8][9] The costume she designed is based on what women who worked as market vendors or bakers might have worn in 1834.[1] The costume for women includes a dress made from a "madras plaid of red, gold and green" which is then covered with a white pinafore, and headscarf.[1][10][8] The plaid was first designed in 1992 and formally adopted in 1994.[11] Men's costume includes a waistcoat in the same plaid, as well as a white shirt, black trousers and a straw hat.[10][8] A sample of the material is held at the Scottish Register of Tartans.[11] Since its inception, the national dress has been reinterpreted by many designers, and in 2012 the first National Dress Day was held on 26 October.[12]
Due to her focus on the heritage of Antigua and Barbuda in her work, Paget Henry has described Doram as a "nationalist" artist.[13]
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