As the United States turns 250, the Speculative Futures series looks ahead, spotlighting artists, poets, scholars, and storytellers who imagine what comes next. Through programs celebrating Black History, Women’s History, AAPI Heritage, Hispanic Heritage, and Native American Heritage Months, the series asks how visionary narratives can reimagine identity, justice, and possibility in America’s next chapter.
Speculative Futures | Afrofuturism and the Art of Stacey Robinson
Conversation and Zine Workshop with Stacey Robinson
Moderated by MSU Museum curator Dr. Julian Chambliss
Step into the world of Afrofuturism with artist, graphic novelist, and University of Illinois professor Stacey Robinson, whose work reimagines Black identity, culture, and possibility through bold visual storytelling and sound.
Explore how Afrofuturism connects history, technology, and imagination to envision new futures for the African diaspora. After the talk, stay for a hands-on zine-making workshop inspired by Robinson’s practice, continued conversation, and light refreshments.
Stacey Robinson, born in Albany, NY. The influence of science fiction, Black liberation politics, and comic books fuel Stacey’s multimedia practice. He is a graphic novelist, curator, and DJ is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design, and Studio at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was a 2019-2020 Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellow at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research who completed his MFA at SUNY Buffalo. His work discusses decolonized Black futures, their obstacles, and securities. Books include: ‘I Am Alfonso Jones’ from Lee & Low Books, written by Tony Medina, and ‘Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre’, from Abrams Books, written Alverne Ball. Exhibitions include: Ascension of Black Stillness (CEPA Gallery) in 2021 and The Black Angel of History (Carnegie Hall) in 2022.