The Black Panther costume and other items featured in Marvel’s Black Panther will be part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for all to see.
The NMAAHC recently announced that the Black Panther suit worn by T’Challa, played by star actor Chadwick Boseman, will be featured during the museum’s African American Film Festival coming this fall.
“Black Panther is the first superhero of African descent to appear in mainstream American comics, and the film itself is the first major cinematic production based on the character,” the NMAAHC wrote in a Facebook post. “Black Panther illustrates the progression of blacks in film, an industry that in the past has overlooked blacks, or regulated them to flat, one-dimensional and marginalized figures.”
Oscar-nominated designer Ruth E. Carter created the now-iconic Black Panther costume and it was designed to celebrate African tradition while still maintaining design elements and features of a superhero suit. During a February episode of Vox’s “I Think You’re Interesting” the women responsible for creating the costumes featured in the film explain how their ideas evolved.
The women behind the Black Panther costume design
The Smithsonian notes the black panther suit worn by T’Challa “speaks to a growing capacity for innovation among African nations even as it celebrates their deep roots in tradition and ceremony” which contributes to why the Black Panther exhibit will be at the African American Film Festival at the NMAAHC.
Smithsonian African American Film Festival
The deadline for film submissions for the African American Film Festival has passed, but if you’re looking forward to seeing the Black Panther costume among other fascinating objects and materials from the film, mark your calendars. The inaugural film festival is from October 24 to 27. According to the Smithsonian, the festival will “will showcase historical and contemporary media works highlighting black experiences in America.”
According to the Smithsonian, museum staff is “considering plans to exhibit the Black Panther costume on a permanent basis,” but as of now, viewers will only have the chance to see the Black Panther costume up close during the film festival.
