DUNWOODY, Ga—“Black Panther,” the Marvel comic that smashed box office records this year after being adapted for the big screen, will be the subject of a lecture at Georgia State University’s Dunwoody Campus Oct. 17.
Dr. Amanda Hellman, curator of African Art at Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum, will kick off the Perimeter College Sarah Larson Lecture Series with a talk entitled “Art and Authorship in Black Panther: Historical African Imagery in a Contemporary American Film.”
“The film begins by using typical stereotypes of African poverty,” Hellman said.
But, according to Hellman, “Black Panther” producers utilized a deft kind of “visual language” to debunk these stereotypes and present the movie’s fictional Wakanda as a technologically and socially advanced society. The imagery used relies heavily on cultural traditions from a variety of African countries and ethnic groups from across the continent.
“My presentation will address questions such as who gets to take such liberties with visual material, what are the historical implications and does it do a disservice to the cultures involved,” Hellman said.
Hosted by the Perimeter College Sarah Larson Lecture Series, “Art and Authorship in Black Panther: Historical African Imagery in a Contemporary American Film” is free and open to the public.
The event will be 1-2:15 p.m. at Georgia State’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Rd., NC Building Auditorium.
For information, contact Ryan Lake at [email protected] or 770-274-5475.
Photos
Top: Scene from “Black Panther” movie. Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER..L to R: Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman)..Ph: Matt Kennedy..©Marvel Studios 2018
Above, left: Dr. Amanda Hellman, curator of African Art at Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum and speaker at the Sarah Larson Lecture Series.