AfroCosmicMelatopia
This winter and spring educators, young musicians, and creators will showcase their work in two celebrations as part of Carnegie Hall’s Afrofuturism Festival. In AfroCosmicMelatopia, we ask creators to imagine a future world of infinite possibilities for liberation, inclusion, and empowerment for all people. Derived from the words “afro,” “cosmic,” “melanin,” and “utopia,” it is a place where music, dance, poetry, and visual and digital arts bring forth a vision for a new world.
As part of Carnegie Hall’s Afrofuturism Festival, two showcases will celebrate select works from the Hall’s Weill Music Institute community. Artists of all disciplines are welcome to submit original work for consideration.
We are looking for music, words, and art that demonstrates a central role for Black people and all those in the African diaspora in a thriving future.
Your submission should include a clear statement of a connection to the themes of Afrofuturism in order to be considered for inclusion in the event.
The submission deadline has passed.
Key Dates
Submission Deadline: January 15, 2022
AfroCosmicMelatopia February 27, 2022*
Journey into AfroCosmicMelatopia: March 25, 2022*
*The February event will showcase music, art, sound, and stories while the March event will feature DJs and digital art.
How To Join AfroCosmicMelatopia?
- All submissions must include a clear artist’s statement outlining a connection to the theme of Afrofuturism in order to be considered for inclusion.
- If you are submitting music, your submission should include a video of your performance of an original song or piece of music. You will have the opportunity to indicate whether you would like to perform your song or have someone else perform it.
- If you are submitting poetry, your submission should include a video of your performance of your original poem. You can include visuals or music that helps to tell the story of your poem.
- If you are submitting visual or video art, you should submit a video or a link to still images of your work.
- If you would like to submit any other kind of art, please make a video of your performance or work and send it to us as part of the submission process. You will have room in the application to indicate what kind of work you are submitting.
For more information about what we are looking for in a video submission, download this attached PDF.
How will we evaluate the submissions?
A group of Carnegie Hall staff, teachers and young people will review the submissions and select work based on the following criteria:- Is this work strongly connected to the themes of Afrofuturism?
- Is this work ready for inclusion in an event at Carnegie Hall?
- Has the artist shared a compelling narrative of the background of the work?
- How does the work show a unique perspective among all of the work selected for the event?
What Is Afrofuturism?
Afrofuturism is an ever-expansive aesthetic and practice where music, visual arts, science fiction, and technology intersect to imagine alternate realities and a liberated future viewed through the lens of Black cultures.
“Afrofuturism is a way of seeing Black people thriving and surviving in the future context and being the masters of technology rather than being the tools.
“Afrofuturism is the high culture of the African diaspora and how people of African descent operate with agency.
“Afrofuturism is a vision of the future in which black people played a central and significant part.
Learn more about Carnegie Hall’s citywide festival Afrofuturism.