INSIDE
Wired in: This painting “Santeria the
Goddess” by Stefano Fortis will be
on display in the Afrofuturism exhibit
at the Brooklyn Antiquarian Book
Festival on Sept. 7–8. Stefano Fortis
Black to the future
Afrofuturism art exhibit comes to Greenpoint
By Chandler Kidd The future is now!
An annual book fair focused on
antique volumes will also peek into
the future next month. The sixth annual
Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair, returning
to the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint
on Sept. 7, will feature booksellers hawking
first editions and rare novels, along with
seminars and art exhibits, including one
showcase titled “One Day You’ll See: A
History of Afrofuturism.”
The exhibit celebrates black characters
in science-fiction and futuristic contexts,
as featured in books, paintings, posters,
music, comic books, and sculpture. The
term “Afrofuturism” was coined in 1993 by
art critic Mark Dery to refer to 20th Century
literature that combines African-American
characters and stories about technology, but
one of the show’s thee curators rejects that
definition as overly limiting.
“Afrofuturism is a membrane, it is
sort of something that anybody who is of
African descent can tap into. It is like a
realm of dreams, hopes and fears,” said
Brian Chidester.
The exhibition begins with a first edition
of the 1920 book “Darkwater,” by W.E.B.
Du Bois, which contains a short story about
a black man who is one of the few people
to survive a worldwide apocalypse. From
there the eclectic exhibition includes more
novels, images of sci-fi landscapes, and
mass-produced entertainment, including
comic books and music album covers. Each
exhibitor focused on their own specialty.
“We picked the pieces based on our
research and thinking about the subject
matter, for me that was dealing with contemporary
Afrofuturism, so I stuck with
comics,” said Stacey Robinson, one of the
three curators. Among the black superheroes
in the exhibit will be Black Panther,
who hails from a secret high-tech African
society; strongman Luke Cage; and supernatural
hero Brother Voodoo.
The curators are especially excited
about a spaceship sculpture created by
Kambel Smith, a contemporary artist from
Philadelphia, inside of which will play a
17-minute video detailing his imaginary
world. Other gems include original paintings
and comic strips by Charles Williams,
who invented his own black superheroes in
the 1950s and ’60s, Stevie Wonder’s album
“Innervisions” from 1973, which includes
the song “Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years
Away,” and Brooklynite N.K. Jemisin’s
short story collection “How Long ‘til Black
Future Month?”
The collection aims to educate visitors
on the current state of black culture and
where it comes from, Robinson said.
“The exhibit is a way of speculating
about black art. There’s always elements
inside Afrofuturism that examine the past,
examine past political movements, while
celebrating popular culture, but also speculate
about the future based on the politics of
the present,” he said.
Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair at the
Brooklyn Expo Center (72 Noble St. at Franklin
Street in Greenpoint, www.brooklynbookfair.
com). Sept. 7–8; Sat, noon–7 p.m.; Sun, 11
a.m.–5 p.m. $10–$15 ($5–$10 in advance)
Your entertainment
guide Page 41
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LICENSED TO CHOOSE
Cuomo calls on New Yorkers to vote for new state license plate
VOTE NOW: New Yorkers can vote on one of fi ve license plate designs. NYS DMV
COURIER L 2 IFE, AUG. 23-29, 2019
BY JENNA BAGCAL
New York license plates
are getting an update and
the governor is asking residents
for their help choosing
a new design.
From now until Sept. 2,
New Yorkers can vote on
one of five possible designs
for the state’s official license
plate.
The public can vote using
the online survey on
Gov. Cuomo’s website or at
the governor’s exhibit at the
Great New York State Fair
starting Aug. 21.
The license plate with
the most votes will become
the state’s official plate beginning
in April 2020. The
new design will replace the
10-year-old Empire Blue and
White plates, as well as the
Empire Gold plates.
Four out of five of the
proposed designs includes
the New York State motto
“excelsior,” a Latin word
meaning “ever upward.”
The plates also feature landmarks
such as the Statue of
Liberty, Niagara Falls and
the new Mario M. Cuomo
Bridge, named after the governor’s
father.
“License plates are a symbol
of who we are as a state
and New Yorkers should
have a voice and a vote in its
final design,” Cuomo said.
“As the life span of the old
plates comes to an end and
we develop new ones that
are as easy to read as possible,
I encourage all residents
to take part in choosing
this piece of our state’s
history and the State Fair is
a perfect place to do that.”
Currently, more than
three million vehicles in
New York State have plates
that are 10 years old or
older.
The aged plates undergo
damage, oxidation and peeling,
which makes it difficult
or impossible to read
the license place number.
The contest kicks off Cuomo’s
10-year license plate
replacement program to ensure
that plates are ref lective
and easy to read.
According to the governor’s
office, law enforcement
is less likely to pull
over and issue citations to
motorists with legible license
plates.
“The time has come for
New York to have a new license
plate, which is why
we worked hard to create
design options that not only
capture the heart of the Empire
State but also that our
customers will be proud to
put on their vehicles. I hope
everyone across the state
will take a few minutes to
view the options and vote
for their top pick,” said Department
of Motor Vehicles
Commissioner Mark J. F.
Schroeder.
Cuomo proposed the license
place replacement
program to modernize New
York’s expansive transportation
system.
New legible plates will
allow license plate readers,
which law enforcement,
red light cameras and cashless
tolling systems utilize,
to correctly identify registered
vehicle owners.
As customers renew their
vehicle registrations over
the new two years, the Department
of Motor Vehicles
(DMV) will replace license
plates 10 years or older beginning
on April 1, 2020.
Vehicle owners can pay
$25 to replace their plates
and an additional $20 if they
choose to keep their current
license plate number.
Drivers can also choose
from more than 200 custom
license plates from the DMV,
including ones that support
charitable causes.
See the complete list of
custom plates on the DMV’s
website at dmv.ny.gov/
plates/plates .
Voting closes on Monday,
Sept. 2, at 11:59 p.m.
License plates are a symbol of who we are
as a state and New Yorkers should have a
voice and a vote in its final design.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
This newspaper is not responsible for typographical errors in ads beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2019 by Brooklyn Courier Life
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