Artist and historian Cheyney 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.
Her first solo exhibition features performance pieces, photographs, and clothing designs. From audio recordings to photography that juxtaposes Black America’s past with present-day imagery of Black culture and Afrofuturist imagery, “The Ancestor’s Future: An Afrofuturist’s Journey Through Time” offers a fully immersive experience.
McKnight’s creative practice, rooted in history, presents a fresh and enlightening understanding of our shared history and future. She meticulously directed all the details in the photographs, selecting the clothing, settings, and poses. Photographer Elyse Ketura then brought McKnight's vision to fruition.
According to Afrofuturist Ingrid LaFeur, “Afrofuturism is a way of imagining possible futures through a Black cultural lens.” In the exhibition, McKnight depicts a landscape that, 200 years from now, becomes marshy due to climate change. She creates a sense of balance between natural and technological elements for Black communities.
Inspired by solarpunk and other contemporary trends, McKnight styled herself in clothing and accessories that mix technology with nature. For instance, her outfits combine linen with synthetic textiles recycled from plastic. In the photo she carries a Kenyan pipe made from wood and recycled metal.
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. Visit McKnight’s website at www.notyourmommashistory.com.
The exhibition, held at Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, closed on June 30, 2024. Watch a short video and learn more at dyckmanfarmhouse.org/the-ancestors-future-an-afrofuturists-journey-through-time.
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, included performance art and a conversation about the future of historic preservation on former sites of enslavement. Read more about the project at savingplaces.org/stories/an-afrofuturist-journey-through-history.