By CLTure
May 23, 2023
Update from NCMA (7/27): “Due to unforeseen circumstances, this Saturday’s Afrofuturism concert has been cancelled.”
The North Carolina Museum of Art has announced a spectacular concert event that will feature performances by multi-genre jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, Sun Ra Arkestra (band of the late Afrofuturist pioneer Sun Ra), and alternative R&B songstress Dawn Richard on Saturday, July 29. The event, titled An Afrofuturist Concert, will coincide with the museum’s Ruth E Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design exhibition.
Washington is known for his wide-ranging musical style playing the saxophone on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, and sharing the stage and studio with artists such as the late Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Chaka Khan, Flying Lotus, and many more. He released his fourth studio album, Heaven and Earth, in 2018, and formed the supergroup, Dinner Party, with Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, and 9th Wonder in 2020.
The Ruth E Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design exhibition, which runs through August 6, features the work of Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter. She’s created pieces for films such as Black Panther, Malcom X, Selma, and Do the Right Thing. The exhibit displays more than 60 of Carter’s original garments while also showcasing her process, historical research, and attention to detail.
Afrofuturism pioneers Sun Ra Arkestra, originally formed and founded in the mid-50s by the late, great keyboardist and composer, Sun Ra (now led by Marshall Allen) will perform their signature brand of avant-garde jazz.
The Afrofuturism Concert featuring Kamasi Washington, Sun Ra Arkestra, and Dawn Richard takes place on Saturday, July 29 at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. The Ruth E Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design exhibition runs through August 6, 2023.
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