Exhibit Closing Conversation: Ruth E. Carter: Afro-Futurism in Costume Design, @The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
(Detroit, MI | March 25, 2024) During the final weekend of Ruth E. Carter: Afro-Futurism in Costume Design, The Charles H. Wright Museum is proud to host our closing conversation with two-time Academy Award winner, Ruth E. Carter. This incredible exhibition, which features over 60 costumes, showcases her immersive process, historical research, and attention to detail. The exhibition has been on display at The Wright Museum since October 2023 and closes on Sunday March 31st.
The exhibition chronicles the career of Academy-Award-winning costume designer Ruth Carter whose work includes contributions to films such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing, and more. With more than 60 original designs on view and examines definitions and representations of Afrofuturism on screen and within culture, spotlighting Carter’s history-making story as one that shapes both the legacy and imaginative possibility of Black creativity.
In her closing appearance at The Wright, Ms. Carter converses with Dr. Kelli Morgan, Interim Senior Vice President of Exhibitions and Programming at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The two will discuss how the African Diasporic archive influences Carter’s work and the ways in which Black people have employed both costume and fashion as resistance. Join us on Saturday, March 30th at 3pm. For tickets and more information visit www.thewright.org.
| Members | FREE |
| Non-Members | $15 |
About The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History was founded in 1965 and for over half a century, the museum has dedicated itself to exploring and celebrating the rich cultural legacy of African Americans. Located in the heart of midtown Detroit’s cultural center, The Wright Museum’s mission is to open minds and change lives through the exploration and celebration of African American history and culture. Through dozens of permanent and visiting exhibitions, over 150 learning and engagement programs, as well as education and research opportunities for adults, children, and visiting scholars, The Wright inspires visitors toward greater understanding, acceptance, and unity by reflecting on the triumphs and tragedies of African American history. And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture is the museum’s 22,000 square foot, immersive core exhibit. The Wright Museum houses over 35,000 artifacts and archival materials and offers hundreds of programs and events annually.
About Ruth Carter
Over three decades in film, television, and theater, Carter has earned seventy credits and collaborated with prolific directors, including Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Ava DuVernay, and Ryan Coogler. Carter’s costumes based on real and imaginative characters provide an arc to the narratives of African Americans. From Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, What’s Love Got To Do With It, Amistad, The Butler, Marshall, Selma, Dolemite Is My Name, Coming 2 America To Black Panther; Wakanda Forever; her devotion to retraining the eye to see beauty through costume design and telling stories that enrich the humanity of the Black experience cements her legacy as a preeminent voice and expert on period genres and Afro aesthetics.
Carter's outstanding costume design work has also been honored with Academy Award nominations for Malcolm X (1993) and Amistad (1998) and an Emmy nomination for the miniseries reboot of Roots (2016). The impact of her career in filmmaking has been recognized with the Costume Designers Guild's Career Achievement Award (2019) and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2021). Carter is a member of the board of governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Media Contacts
Char Yates, Dir. Media Relations
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
cyates@thewright.org
313.494-5839
Kelly Miner, Marketing & Communications Manager
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
kminer@thewright.org
313.494.5865
###