In Ryan Coogler’s wildely successful Black Panther and Wakanda Forever films, costume designer Ruth E. Carter fashioned regal looks that elevated the franchise as a whole. But the intricate jewelry, all brought to life by Douriean Fletcher, was equally striking. For those new to Fletcher’s work, you now have the chance to get to know her better: For the first time, the designer is getting her own major museum exhibition in New York City.
“Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture,” opens at the Museum of Arts and Design this Saturday and runs until March 15, 2026. The showcase focuses on Fletcher’s sculptural pieces—made with materials like brass, gold, shells, and semi-precious stones—which explore themes of Black identity and spirituality, as well as concepts of Afrofuturism. “My work channels Afrofuturism by honoring ancestral technologies while imagining new futures through adornment,” said Fletcher in a release. “Each piece is an energetic portal, rooted in a desire to remain connected to African cosmologies and designed to activate personal power, spiritual memory, and liberation across time.”
The exhibition—co-curated by professor and design historian Sebastian Grant and Barbara Paris Gifford, the museum’s senior curator of contemporary art, craft, and design—will feature over 150 works, separated into three thematic sections. One section traces Fletcher s formative years and early experimentations; another touches on her current artistic explorations. Highlights include a 2013 sculptural shell cuff, and a 2012 necklace made of 18-karat gold-plated brass, cowrie shells, gold-filled chain, and wire.
The third section features designs made for Hollywood: In addition to Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, Fletcher has also outfitted characters in Coming 2 America, and the 2016 Roots miniseries, among other projects. On view is the full tribal council look worn by Ramonda (Angela Bassett) in Black Panther, including a necklace and dress ornament made of 18-karat gold-plated copper, aluminum, pyrite, and amethyst. Another eye-catching design is a signature Okoye (Danai Gurira) look, featuring a necklace and armor made of 18-karat gold-plated copper, brass Ghanaian beads, and leather.
The exhibition also presents 75 works from from the artist’s personal collection, including everything from tools to books and photographs that have inspired her work over the years. For an experience that’s even more personal, visitors to the exhibition can meet Fletcher at a soon date, when the artist will lead an intimate beading workshop. (A second artist-led workshop will also be held in the future, exploring techniques using soft metals.) If you have ever dreamed of costuming a big-budget Hollywood flick, now is your chance to learn how from the master maker herself.
