AfroFantastic: Black Imagination and Agency in the American Experience

This exhibition is curated by Rollins students under the direction of Julian Chambliss, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History. AfroFantastic  explores the complex sociopolitical forces linked to the black imagination in the American experience from the 19th century to present day. Exploring significant historical works of minority imagination and the critique inherent to their creation, student curators will examine how concerns about the African-American experience has shaped imagined and real circumstances. 

From early efforts such as Martin Delany’s Blake or Huts of America (1857) and Sutton E. Griggs’ Imperium in Imperio (1899) to Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s Black Panther in the 1960s and Sun Ra fantastic musical revolution in the 1970s, the challenge represented by future-oriented narratives intersecting with black experience has been a powerful indication of societal evolution. In this exhibition, the roots, evolutions, and expressions of Afrofuturism will shape an exploration of the American experience. Beyond the fantastic escapism, the engagement with a future vision that challenges societal expectations about identity and community create a space to reflect on the meaning of the American experience.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.