We're asking people around the park, have you ever heard of the term Afro-Futurism?

I've never heard of the term. I'm sorry. Yes, yes I have. I have heard about

for futurism. How would you define it? The idea of an Afro-centric world in

the future. A full-ward thinking look. Explorers different ways of technology

in future and how one involves an associated political climate. It's about

the importance of, because we focus a lot on like black history, but also

like black futures are important too. And I think it's just about focusing on that.

And who comes to mind for you? Like Sunra or like Genoma Day?

Big Genoma Day fan. I would say Octavia Butler. I first researched the term because

of the other company. They were these two amazing black women that were part of their

resident program that are creating an Afro-futur work. And so when I saw their

work I was like, oh what is Afro-futurism?

It's Notes from America. I'm Kai Wright and Happy New Year.

We're going to start 2023 by trying to simultaneously look backward and

imagine a radical future. That seems like a good way to describe the work of

production designer and visual artist Hannah Beekler. Over the past decade or

so she has created some of the most beautiful, complex and richly black

worlds in film. She's designed worlds from moonlight for Beyoncé's

lemonade and most famously for both black Panther films.

I spoke to her last year just after she tried a little different medium.

She curated an Afro-futurism period room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,

which is now a permanent exhibit at the World Famous Museum.

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