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Beautiful Strangers

beautiful strangers exhibition benner

 

Beautiful Strangers

Ancestral Inspiration & Cultural Complexities

November 8 - December 13

What happens when art calls to you across centuries and cultures? RAFFMA's groundbreaking exhibition explores the complex beauty of cross-cultural inspiration through the eyes of Professor and costume designer,  Andre Harrington.

When Objects Speak

Have you ever encountered a piece of art that stopped you in your tracks? We're invited into an intimate conversation with African artifacts that span fourteen countries and countless generations. These aren't just museum pieces in a collection. They're living testimonies to human creativity, each one rich with materials, textures, colors, and cultural meanings that have shaped artistic vision across continents.

The Beautiful Complexity

But here's where it gets interesting—and uncomfortable. What do you do when you're profoundly moved by artwork whose full story you don't know?
 
This tension between aesthetic attraction and cultural distance reflects a broader African diaspora experience of severed genealogies and recovered heritage.
 
Rather than offering easy answers, this exhibition creates space for the hard questions. In an era of fast fashion, viral trends, and ongoing conversations about cultural appropriation, how do we responsibly engage with culture?

More Than Beauty

The exhibition challenges us to sit with complexity rather than rushing to judgment. It asks us to consider what ethical cross-cultural engagement might look like in practice, not just in theory. Through Harrington's dual perspective as both designer and curator, we're invited to feel the pull of aesthetic inspiration while remaining accountable to the cultures that created these powerful works.
Join us for this exhibition that promises to change how you think about art, culture, and engagement. Come ready for beauty, complexity, and conversations that matter.
photo of par tof an african artifact
Dance Crest with Abstract Animals, Mossi people, Burkina Faso 

A New Way Forward

"Beautiful Strangers" represents a commitment to doing museum work differently. RAFFMA acknowledges that true stewardship extends beyond preservation to active reconciliation and community engagement. The goal isn't just to display these objects, but to bring them into dialogue with their originating communities and share their stories with integrity.

This exhibition is described as "not an endpoint, but a beginning"—a commitment to ongoing collaboration, transparent research, and the vital work of returning agency to the communities whose cultural heritage these institutions hold in trust.

Quote from Andre Harrington

" I saw The Wiz for the first time as a teenager in the 1970s. It was a transformative experience for my young eyes. The stage burst with color, shape, and texture—elements that echoed the bold vibrancy of my neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. This vibrating visual landscape excited and intrigued me, though at the time, I didn’t understand why. Years later, as I began my journey as a theatre designer, I found myself instinctively drawn to these same elements—color, shape, and texture—as tools to build worlds on stage. It wasn’t until I began designing for Black theatre companies that I discovered the source of that early inspiration: the aesthetics of Africa. The vibrancy, intricacy, and symbolic detail that define so many African art forms had been quietly guiding my creative choices all along. Whether I’m working on a contemporary play, a traditional drama, or an imaginative spectacle, these elements remain at the heart of my approach to costume design. I invite you to explore this collection of African artifacts through that same lens of discovery and inspiration. May the textures, colors, and forms speak to you as they have spoken to me—and perhaps even influence your own creative path."