New historical marker in Bay St. Louis honors legendary designer Nelson Carter Church
The Arts, Hancock County, in partnership with the City of Bay St. Louis, will hold a historical marker dedication ceremony for the late Nelson Carter Church and his Carter Church Designs.
Nelson Carter Church is best known for his elaborate Mardi Gras costumes which can be viewed at the Bay St. Louis’ Historic Depot District. His career in art began with early watercolor classes with his beloved grandmother which led to him attending the Parsons and Traphagen Schools of Design in New York. Steve Barney with The Arts, Hancock County said, “Carter Church and his husband Yancy Pouge were legendary Mardi Gras designers. They designed costumes for Mardi Gras balls everywhere from Mobile to New Orleans. There costumes were featured in hundreds and hundreds of balls throughout Mardi Gras.”
Church lived in New Orleans and received lots of inspiration from the Big Easy, but once he moved to Bay St. Louis he grew even deeper into his craft and even assisted with the opening of the city’s Mardi Gras Museum at the Historic Depot. Friend Kay Kell said, “The main thing is to remember how much Carter loved Bay St. Louis and Bay St. Louis loved him. He gave back to us in so many ways.”
Church created some of the most detailed and intricate Mardi Gras designs across the Coast. His last Mardi Gras design was created for Kell. “I had seen his work for years. I never ever thought that I would wear one.”
Church was so popular he even created dresses for celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor and Carol Channing. “He was one of the highly sought-after designers by movie stars. When debutantes are having balls, any kind of royal occasion where you needed an over-the-top festive costume, Carter Church was the guy.”
His passing in 2018 left a hole in the Mardi Gras community, but with this new historical marker his legacy will continue to live on. “Through this marker, people will get information and if you read into some of the things Carter did, it’s amazing. He had an incredible career.”
The unveiling of the historical marker will take place on Saturday, March 26th at 4 p.m. at the Arts Community Center located at 405 Blaize Avenue.
To RSVP go to hancockarts.org.
