The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is set to unveil a new exhibit from two-time Academy Award-Winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter.
“Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” kicks off on March 22, 2025, as part of the museum’s 100th anniversary celebration line-up. From her humble beginnings in Springfield, Massachusetts, to winning two Academy Awards, the exhibit allows guests a glimpse into Carter’s 40-year journey as an artist and storyteller through costume design.
“We are thrilled to mark this Centennial with Ruth Carter, a history making artist, and share this moment with the state of Indiana,” Children’s Museum president and CEO Jennifer Pace Robinson said in a statement. “Carter’s celebrated exhibition of storytelling through costume design takes us on a transformative journey through the narratives of our past, present and future inspiring young minds, igniting creativity and shaping imaginations in ways that can profoundly influence their life trajectory.”
Carter was drawn to Indianapolis after learning about the city’s growing arts and culture scene — particularly BUTTER A Fine Art Fair, which champions work from Black visual artists from across the country. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is presenting the exhibit in collaboration with GANGGANG and the Madam Walker Legacy Center to acknowledge the creative contributions of Black artists and introduce younger audiences to the concept of Afrofuturism.
Carter describes Afrofuturism as both a “celebration of African and African-descended traditions and a speculative imagining of a future where Black people thrive, innovate and reclaim agency in narratives often overlooked or erased,” according to a press release.
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The cultural, artistic and intellectual movement combines elements of science fiction, technology, African culture and Black history to re-examine the past, present and future through a Black lens.
“Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design” features Carter’s childhood sewing machine, hand-drawn images of film characters and more than 60 of her original costumes — including pieces from “Black Panther,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Selma,” “Roots,” “Coming 2 America” and “Do The Right Thing.”
For more information about the upcoming exhibit, visit childrensmuseum.org/ruth-carter-afrofuturism.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.