NEW YORK, NY.- The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Alliance presents The Ancestor's Future: An Afrofuturist's Journey Through Time, artist and historian Cheyney McKnight's first solo exhibition featuring her performance pieces, photographs, and clothing designs that are transformed into modern textiles while highlighting the Black experience in America with 18th and 19th-century silhouettes. The exhibition, exploring themes of community bonds, health, climate change, and adaptation, will be on view from May 1, 2024 - June 30, 2024, and is free and open to the public. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, April 30, from 6 pm to 8 pm at The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum.
The Ancestor's Future is a significant exploration of Black America's past, viewed through the lens of Afrofuturism. McKnight's work delves into a distant future while drawing on the past and present, illuminating the crucial role of Black bodies, health, and joy. McKnight's creative practice, rooted in history, offers a fresh and enlightening understanding of our shared history and future.
From audio recordings to photography that juxtaposes Black America's past with present-day imagery of Black culture and Afrofuturist imagery, the exhibition offers a fully immersive experience. A live performance piece will occur once a week at the Museum, providing a unique opportunity for visitors to engage directly with McKnight and her work at the Museum. This interactivity will allow visitors to experience and participate in different weekly conversations, fostering engagement and connection.
Cheyney McKnight is the founder and owner of Not Your Momma's History. She advocates for interpreters of color at historical sites along the East Coast, providing them with much-needed on-call support. She uses clothing and primary sources to connect past and present events through performance art pieces. McKnight has taken her Let's Talk About Slavery table to over 30 parks, historical sites, and public events across America to provide a safe place for people to learn and talk about the history of enslavement.
McKnight graduated from Simmons University in 2011 with a Bachelor's in Political Science. In 2021, McKnight became an African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Fellow for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Her project, titled The Ancestor's Future: An Afrofuturist Journey Through History, was a piece of performance art and a conversation inspired by Afrofuturism about the future of historic preservation on former sites of enslavement. McKnight uses clothing designs that meld modern textiles that speak to the Black experience in America with 18th and 19th-century silhouettes.
