The concept of Afrofuturism refers to an &ldquo\;intersection of speculative practice and liberation&rdquo\; becau se &ldquo\;striving toward freedom has required the Black imagination to s ee new paths and imagine different worlds.&rdquo\; Writers like Octavia Bu tler have used the genre of science fiction to imagine Black life at the n exus of the past\, future\, and fantasy. Similarly\, artificial intelligen ce (Ai)\, although not a new technology\, is being used by a new generatio n of artists to create vivid and fantastical images of Black life in the f uture. While many Black people are frustrated by the lack of positive repr esentation in contemporary media\, Ai technology is being used by Black pe ople around the world to imagine new worlds\, spaces\, and possibilities f or Black life. Employing the tools of art\, literature\, and technology Bl ack creators are not only able to envision what Black people of the future may look like but are also able to recreate images of our past.
\nT he &ldquo\;Afrofantastic&rdquo\; exhibition and its supporting programs wi ll explore issues of representation\, empowerment\, science\, science fict ion\, technology and race.
\nCurators:
\nDr. Chamb liss serves as a member of the steering committee for HASTAC (Humanities\, Arts\, Science\, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory)\, as a nation al planner for the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities\ , a board member for the Society for City and Regional Planning History (S ACRPH)\, and a board member for the Comics Studies Society (CSS).
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Chris Clark is a self- taught visual artist\, illustrator\, and muralist living and working in Ja cksonville\, Florida. Art\, to him\, is a form of journalism. Using acryli c\, oil\, ink\, and spray paint\, he explores the rich culture and history of the Black community across the diaspora and the social issues affectin g them today. For Clark\, reflecting the human figure is very powerful\, w hich is why he uses graphic-style portraiture and figurative works to depi ct Black life in America through his personal lens of a Black man\, husban d\, and father. At the core of his work is the notion that representation matters. As the artist explains\, &ldquo\;By telling my story\, I want to help the viewer rediscover theirs.&rdquo\;
\nClark&rsquo\;s artwork has been shown in exhibitions around the U.S. and abroad\, including &ldqu o\;21 Piece Salute: A Salute to the Ancestors Who Lost Their Lives in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre&rdquo\; at the Black Wall Street Gallery in New Y ork\, New York\, and &ldquo\;Through Our Eyes: Journey to South Africa&rdq uo\; at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum in Port Elizabeth\, Sou th Africa. He has received multiple art awards and grants for his work. Cl ark was chosen to participate in the House of Sedulo Artist Residency in L ondon\, United Kingdom\, and the Chateau Orquevaux Artist Residency in Cha mpagne-Ardenne\, France\, in 2022-2023. Most recently he completed his fir st artist fellowship the DEAR (Digital Evolution Artist Retention) fellows hip through the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute in Ne w York\, New York.
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Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs is the Library Regional Manager of Broward County Library&rsquo\;s A frican American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale. S he earned her undergraduate degree from Florida A&\;M University\, and her doctoral degree in United States History and Historical Administration and Public History from Florida State University. Her professional experi ence includes serving as Director of Projects and Program for the John G. Riley Museum and Center of African American History and Culture\, located in Tallahassee\, Florida\, and the Program and Education Coordinator for t he Library of Virginia in Richmond.
\nHobbs has served as coordinato r of the African American Studies Program at Valdosta State University. Sh e has also worked as a researcher\, writer\, consultant\, and director for several public and oral history projects in Florida and Virginia. Between 2011 and 2018\, she was Assistant Professor of History\, Chair of the Dep artment of Social Sciences\, and University Historian for Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens\, Florida. Between 2019 and 2022\, she served as Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and the Founding Director of th e FMU Social Justice Institute at Florida Memorial University.
\nHer book\, Democracy Abroad\, Lynching at Home: Racial Violence in Florida\, was published by the University Press of Florida and has been awarded bron ze medal for the 2015 Florida Book Award for Florida Nonfiction\, and the 2016 Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Award from the Florida Historical Soc iety.
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About the African American Research Library
and Cultural Center \;
The \;Broward County African American Research Library and Cultur
al Center \;(AARLCC) \;is located in the Sistrunk community\,
one of the oldest historically Black communities named for one of Fort Lau
derdale&rsquo\;s first Black physicians. Opening to the public on October
26\, 2002\, AARLCC became the third public library of its kind in the Unit
ed States dedicated to the study of Black history and culture. The 60\,000
square-foot Center serves as a repository of materials related to the loc
al\, national\, and international voices of the African diaspora with more
than 85\,000 books\, manuscripts\, artifacts\, framed art\, print\, photo
graphy\, audiovisual\, and documents held in our Adult Services Section an
d Special Collections. The Youth Services Section features a special colle
ction of Coretta Scott King Award books and the \;Ashley Bryan Art Col
lection \;from illustrators of African Descent. AARLCC also features a
5\,000 sq. ft. museum\, a 300-seat state-of-the-art theatre\, and a Compu
ter Training Center.