Talks & Tours
Ruth E. Carter Book Signing
Join The Wright Museum for an afternoon with two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter for a conversation on her book, The Art of Ruth E. Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture, from Do the Right Thing to Black Panther, moderated by acclaimed creative, curator, impresario, consultant, and muse Peter “Souleo” Wright.
This gorgeous book includes an amazing array of images. Close-up photography reveals the details that make Carter’s costumes so special. Sketches and mood boards illuminate her artistic process and the way she collaborates with actors, directors, and fellow crew members. Hear firsthand the stories of Ms. Carter’s four-decade career that has shaped the narrative of the Black experience in American cinema. This includes behind the scenes stories of films such as Coming 2 America and Roots as well as discovering the artistry and passion that went into creating Black Panther and Wakanda Forever.
Tickets are $15 for the public. Admission is free for Wright Members!
Books will be available for purchase. Autographed copies will be available in advance for $40.
About Ruth E. Carter
%20copy.jpg)
Ruth E. Carter is a living legend of costume design. For Four decades, she has shaped the story of the Black experience on screen—from the ’80s streetwear of Do the Right Thing to the royal regalia of Coming 2 America. Her work on Marvel's Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever not only brought Afrofuturism to the mainstream, but also made her the first Black winner of an Oscar in costume design and the first Black woman to win two Academy Awards in any category. In 2021, she became the second-ever costume designer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In this definitive book, Carter shares her origins—recalling a trip to the sporting goods store with Spike Lee to outfit the School Daze cast and a transformative moment stepping inside history on the set of Steven Spielberg's Amistad. She recounts anecdotes from dressing the greats: Eddie Murphy, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Chadwick Boseman, and many more. She describes the passion for history that inspired her period pieces—from Malcolm X to Selma—and her devotion to highlighting the humanity of the Black experience.
About Souleo
Peter “Souleo” Wright has been hailed as an “icon of Harlem (Ruth Millington, art historian and author Muse) and “Harlem’s Heart & Soul” (NY Daily News). An acclaimed creative, curator, impresario, consultant, and muse, he seamlessly merges the worlds of art, fashion, literature, media, and music to document and amplify the stories of the merging and underrepresented vis exhibitions, events, and writing. Souleo has collaborated with noteworthy institutions and brands including Nordstrom, Columbia University, New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Museum of Arts and Design, and AARP. Notable projects include legendary department store Nordstrom's first-ever exhibition Styling: Black Expression, Rebellion, and Joy Through Fashion; the visual art debut of film icon Melvin Van Peebles in eMerge 2.0: Melvin Van Peebles and Artists on the Cusp: a spotlight on the unsung Harlem Institute of Fashion’s runaway shows in Showing Out: Fashion in Harlem; and I found god in myself: a celebration of Dr. Ntozake Shange’ for colored girls...