Spike Lee is set to share a peek inside his brain of creativity through a new art exhibit coming to his hometown at the Brooklyn Museum.
Over 300 objects that have inspired the Oscar-winning writer-director will be on display within the “Spike Lee: Creative Sources” exhibit opening at the Brooklyn Museum on October 6, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The display will consist of photographs, album covers, movie posters, letters, books, costumes, and film memorabilia that all played a part in Lee’s onscreen creations.
Running from Oct. 6, 2023, to Feb. 4, 2024, the installation takes a deep dive into the people, places, and things that helped shape Lee’s vision for his projects that include cult-classics like “Do The Right Thing,” “Crooklyn,” and “Malcolm X.”
The exhibit, curated by Kimberli Gant and Indira A. Abiskaroon, will be displayed thematically in seven sections with each featuring a clip from one of Lee’s films. The sections will highlight the influences Lee received from Black history and culture, his hometown of Brooklyn, other cinematic pieces, his family, music, politics, and sports.
“By making Lee’s collection accessible to the public, this showcase celebrates his legacy while honoring his deep connection to Brooklyn, a place that has been an integral part of his storytelling,” Gant said.
Other Black American artists who will be on display within the exhibit include Kehinde Wiley, Deborah Roberts, Elizabeth Catlett, and Michael Ray Charles. Renowned public figures will also be featured in the installation including Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Shirley Chisholm, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Angela Davis, Toni Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, and the painter Jacob Lawrence.
Attendees will get to see how works like Michael Ray Charles’ “Forever Free” inspired Lee’s 2000 film “Bamboozled,” along with memorabilia from Lee’s Brooklyn-based films like “Do the Right Thing” and “She’s Gotta Have It.”
The exhibit is the first major exhibition on Lee within his hometown of Brooklyn. It follows his personal collection that remains on view in the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ exhibition “Director’s Inspiration: Spike Lee (2021–22).”
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