Afrofuturism Is the Focus of Bay Street Theater Art Show

Bay Street Theater is presenting an exhibition to celebrate Black History Month in its lobby gallery, open to the public and free of charge. The exhibition, “Regional Artists Explore Afrofuturism,” is co-curated by Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, executive director and chief curator of Eastville Community Historical Society of Sag Harbor, and artist Michael A. Butler in collaboration with Bay Street. It will open with a reception on Saturday, February 10, from 2 to 5 p.m. and runs through Sunday, March 24, during Bay Street Theater lobby hours, which are Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and during Bay Street performances.

The exhibition explores the ever-expansive aesthetic practice and the multidisciplinary world of Afrofuturism. Afrofuturism reimagines an alternate reality, reinterprets a distressed past, reclaims the resiliency of people from the African Diaspora, and presents a future of liberated expressions through art, music, literature, film, fashion and space.

This exhibition seeks to introduce visitors to the concept of Afrofuturism and hopes to broaden the understanding of Black intellectual history. The influences of Afrofuturist thought can be seen in American pop culture and is a driving phenomenon in African American Culture. It features work by artists Michael A. Butler, Judith Henriques-Adams, James P. Ward, and Dr. Nichelle Rivers. Works of art will also be on loan from the private collections of Michael A. Butler, Dr. Martin A. Butler, and the Eastville Community Historical Society.

“I believe in being active in the community,” said Butler, who has been on the board of the Eastville Community Historical Society for over 20 years, serving as president, vice president and recording secretary. “People need to step up sometime and have an impact on the environment they’re part of. It’s part of the legacy you leave behind.”

Bay Street Theater is on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor. For more information, visit baystreet.org.