Inspired by the visual representations found in early African-American cinema and music, With a Cast of Colored Stars, highlights the evolution of racialized iconography in Black American popular entertainment. The title of the show is directly inspired by the marginal text used in Oscar Micheaux film posters such as Swing! (1938), The Exile (1931) and Underworld (1937). Among some of the many phrases displayed in these posters were, “an all colored cast” or “with a cast of colored stars”—language used by Black filmmakers to promote and advertise Black content during the early 20th century.

Curated and designed by Kelly Walters, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the BFA Communication Design Program in Parsons School of Design, The New School. Exhibition Design and Creative Project Management by Joelle Riffle (Parsons, BFA Communication Design 2013) and Research Assistance by Staicy Ngongu (Parsons, BFA Communication Design 2022).