Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room Virtual Opening | Met Exhibitions

"Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room," like any of The Met’s period rooms, is a fabrication of a domestic space that assembles furnishings and objects to create a fiction of authenticity. Rather than affirm a fixed moment in time, however, this structure reimagines the immersive experience of the period room by embracing the African diasporic belief that the past, present, and future are interconnected.
Join us for a virtual tour of this exhibition whose narrative is generated by the real, lived history of Seneca Village, a vibrant community founded predominantly by free Black tenants and landowners that flourished from the 1820s to the 1850s just a few hundred yards west of The Met’s current site. In 1857, the City of New York destroyed Seneca Village, using eminent domain to seize land for the construction of Central Park, displacing its residents and leaving only the barest traces of the community behind. Acknowledging that injustice, the exhibition asks: What if this community had the opportunity to grow and thrive? Powered by Afrofuturism-the inspirational, creative mode that centers Black imagination and self-determination-the exhibition transforms a 19th-century domestic interior into a speculative future home for Seneca Village residents, only one proposition for what might have been had the community been allowed to thrive into the present and beyond.
In keeping with the collaborative spirit of Afrofuturism, The Met’s curatorial team worked with lead curator Hannah Beachler to envision and design the space with consulting curator Michelle Commander. Since 2019, the group has engaged numerous creative and intellectual partners to infuse the installation with additional ideas and perspectives. At a vital intersection at the heart of the Museum, this project opens a space for yet more histories to be told that look toward a more resilient future.
Learn more about the exhibition: www.metmuseum....
The exhibition is made possible by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation and the Director’s Fund.
Additional support is provided by Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne and the Terra Foundation for American Art.
The Met’s quarterly Bulletin program is supported in part by the Lila Acheson Wallace Fund for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, established by the cofounder of Reader’s Digest.
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© 2021 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

[@thetruthonlyplease]

Wonderful and inspiring ❤ intimate domain's 😢

[@andresmata4949]

A room full of hidden sufferings and future hopes all evocatively brought together. Thank you. I hope to see it in person soon.

[@kalebpaugh7811]

yeah that's wv p b mzp

[@kalebpaugh7811]

oh yeah that's why

[@kalebpaugh7811]

us assize g were q a look in ft

[@maricajackson4788]

Digging Deep! SANKOFA Bringing forth past, middle, present and future of Our People! Excellent Exhibition and Spokepersons.

[@danielleriverin3117]

Thanks for all genius and donors who took part of this valuable collaboration and made this possible! 💞✌️

[@harperwelch5147]

That’s a very fun and compelling installation. I’m impressed with the continuous effort The Met puts into these exhibits.

[@beverlygerman9647]

This story must be told. Thank you The Met for this exhibit.

[@johnjennings5675]

I'm so honored to have been a part of this wondrous exhibition!

[@benitashobe572]

This was extraordinary and inspiring. Thank you.

[@deborahdaughtry7745]

Thank you Schomburg!

[@duplessisart7478]

Brilliant.

[@Nya0213]

This literally made me cry. “ we are the lost tribe..” i love everything about this video this room i wish I could go see it in person.

[@biterface03]

Hello & thank you for this, It was honestly amazing & I hope if Extraterrestrials ever visit earth, they get to check this out.

[@kristintindall7585]

I love every aspect of this, so visceral. I long for this historical future. Thank you to the artists and curators.

[@gd4818]

We need to fly from Aotearoa NZ and to view this in person .. cannot wait. Kia ora

[@stephaniesparkles]

Thank you 🙏

[@brustusbc50]

Thank you

[@Howdypartner69420]

Afrofuturist? That some kind of science reggin?

[@briezzy365]

Give this a larger and permanent space.

[@holeymattress8128]

Realyl beautiful concept and realization. Not just another "woke work" to fulfill current woke requirements. Well done.

[@COISASDELUXO2022]

WE ARE FORMING THE LARGEST GROUP OF LUXURY SUPPLIERS ON THE PLANET! OUR SPACE PREMIERE JANUARY 1, 2022. IT WILL BE AN HONOR FOR OUR SPACE!