Photos courtesy of Colin Gray and SCAD FASH Museum, unless otherwise noted
From Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington to Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker, Ruth E. Carter has dressed many famous faces during her career as an Academy Award winning costume designer. Now some of those very costumes are on display inside the museum at Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.
The history museum’s latest special exhibit “Ruth E Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” highlights Carter’s influence and work in costume design. The exhibit, which debuted on May 11, interweaves Black culture and history from Jamestown in 1619 and beyond with style and flair Carter has been able to bring to life through her clothing on film. The new exhibit, organized by Ruth Costume Designs and curator Julia Long, boasts more than 60 of Carter’s original pieces and recreations.
Carter, who made history as the first Black person to win in costume design and the first Black woman to win multiple Academy Awards in any category, graduated with a degree in theatre arts from Hampton University. A native of Massachusetts, she first became interested in costume design as a child using her mother’s sewing machine. That sewing machine, along with the gown she, of course, created and wore during her first Oscar win in 2019 for Black Panther, are among the items on display.
The intent of “Ruth E Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” is to honor how Carter has drawn on the past to envision a more empowered future for those of African descent. Afrofuturism, a term first coined decades ago, examines African diaspora and reimagines, reinterprets, and reclaims the past as it explores the identity, agency, and freedom of African Americans.
“Our ancestors dreamed of Afrofuturism in Jamestown,” Carter said in February. “I’m excited and honored to present ‘Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design’ and connect the story of our journey from 1619 to Wakanda.”
African culture “has always been in her work since the beginning,” said Dr. Mariruth Leftwich, senior director of museum operations and education for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Colors, materials, patterns, and textures from African tribes have been inspirations for many of Carter’s designs.
Carter first got her start in the film industry thanks to director Spike Lee, whom she met shortly after moving to Los Angeles in 1986. She created thousands of costumes for both fictional and historical characters in scores of films. She worked with Lee on 17 films alone.
“Spike Lee was the gateway,” said Leftwich, though Carter has also worked with other famous directors including John Singleton and Steven Spielberg.
An array of unique garments and accessories from at least ten of her film and television projects are part of the exhibit, which range from historical productions including a remake of Roots and Selma to the superhero cinema hits Black Panther and its sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
“This can also be seen as a film catalogue of Black history,” said Leftwich.
Visitors are first introduced to the exhibit with costumes worn by four characters in Eddie Murphy’s movie Coming 2 America, as well as a recreation of the eccentric bright yellow outfit replete with aquarium shoes that Carter designed early in her career for Keenan Ivory Wayans’s 1988 movie, I’m Gonna Get You Sucka.
The exhibit includes authentic attire, including hats, crowns, and other headgear, as well as coats, dresses, suits, jewelry, and other accessories, worn by the original actors from many famous movies and television shows. Among the films and shows highlighted are the 2016 remake of Roots, as well as Steven Spielberg’s Amistad; The Butler starring Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker; two of Spike Lee’s films, Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X; Selma; and many more. Carter was nominated for Academy Awards for her work on Amistad and Malcom X. Visitors can admire several vibrant zoot suits Denzel Washington donned in Malcom X.
Marvel fans will most appreciate the costumes that are featured from the films Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, both of which earned Carter Academy Award trophies. Carter traveled to South
Africa for research on the films’ costumes, with many of Black Panther’s attire and accessories inspired by traditional African garb, including those of the Massai and Ndebele people. She used a variety of materials including beads, feathers, shells, metal, wool, and leather to make the clothing as genuine as possible. Costumes from ten characters in Black Panther are showcased.
Carter is best known for transforming the Black Panther superhero into an African king. She made more than 2,000 distinctive costumes for the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, working with a 3D printing artist to create some of the pieces.
“Everything is visually stunning,” Leftwich says. “She’s extremely talented.”
Leftwich’s favorite aspect of the exhibit is the juxtaposition of the outfits Carter created for the film Selma with images of the real people portrayed in the movie. Directed by Ava Duvernay, the movie is based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in the 1960s and stars David Oyelowo as King.
“I love to see history come to life through costumes,” Leftwich says. “It’s very compelling.”
“Ruth E Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” also offers a behind-the-scenes look at Carter’s design methods, including her travel research, sketches and drawings, and photographs.
Leftwich’s goal is for those who experience the exhibit to walk away wanting to know more about history and the people behind those that Carter has dressed.
“I hope they leave with their curiosity sparked,” Leftwich says. “I want them to want to learn more about these characters, these time periods. I also hope this exhibit inspires them to think more about how clothing acts as a storyteller. Clothing is such a personal thing and an effective way to connect to the past.”
Coinciding with Carter’s exhibit is an adjacent interactive exhibit, “Fashioned in History,” which focuses on the process that designers with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation use to create period clothing for their interpreters. Just like Carter, they rely on history, including period portraits and surviving garments, to also make their attire as authentic as possible.
“Ruth E Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” runs through December 1, 2024 at Jamestown Settlement, 2110 Jamestown Rd. in Williamsburg. Hours are 9:00 to 5:00. For more information, visit www.jyfmuseums.org/ruthecarter.