SEATTLE — For more than 30 years, Ruth E. Carter has been telling stories through costumes. You've seen her work in "Malcolm X," "Do The Right Thing," and in "Black Panther," for which she won an Oscar.
Carter's costumes add both color and context to her films.
"My favorite thing about designing costumes is I can actually have my own sub-story going on," she told KING 5 at a press preview of the MoPOP exhibition Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design. "I can talk about this person's economic status, their social status.
"I can talk about whether they made their costume themselves or if it was a hand-me-down or if they are a dandy," Carter said. "I can really have fun, and that's what I really love the most about being a costume designer, just the exploration."
Carter researches her characters and the times and places in which they live. She finds photographs from those eras and begins accumulating color palettes and fabrics. She doesn't limit herself to films featuring African American stories, but she says they provide an opportunity to listen to her ancestors.
"What I have always tried to do with my career is actually tell a story about color and how color plays a role," Carter said. "With "Roots," we used indigo that they used to harvest in Africa as a family color. With "Black Panther," there was definitely color coding in each tribe."
As you walk through the exhibit, the journey of an artist unfolds before you. The costumes are beautiful, positive and inspiring.
"I hope that when people come and see this exhibition they realize there can be a career in art," Carter said. "A lot of the times, our parents don't want us to go into the field of art because they are afraid we won't be able to make a living, but with this exhibit, you'll see my humble beginnings with the sewing machine I used on "School Daze" all the way to the dress I wore the night I won an Oscar."
"Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design" opened Saturday, June 18, at the Museum of Pop Culture.
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