Academy Award-Winning Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter Will Receive Coolidge Award

 The Coolidge Corner Theatre is honoring acclaimed costume designer Ruth E. Carter with The Coolidge Award on Sunday, October 15, 2023, for her extraordinary history making contributions to cinema. On Sunday evening, Carter will be presented The Coolidge Award after a moderated conversation onstage in the theater’s authentically restored Art Deco Moviehouse. The same day, the Coolidge will also host an afternoon screening of Black Panther. Following the conclusion of the film, there will be a Q&A and a book signing with Carter for the release of her new book, “The Art of Ruth E. Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture, from Do the Right Thing to Black Panther” — a personal behind-the-scenes journey in creating the most iconic costumes in filmmaking.

The Coolidge will also honor Ruth E. Carter and her costume design work with selected screenings from Carter’s filmography to be played at the Coolidge leading up to her arrival. Titles include School Daze (Wednesday, September 13th at 7pm), her first of many collaborations with filmmaker Spike Lee; Black Dynamite (Wednesday, September 27th at 7pm); Selma (Wednesday, October 4th at 7pm); and Do the Right Thing (Wednesday, Oct 11th at 7pm).

For over three decades, Carter has shaped the story of the Black experience on screen— collaborating with prolific directors, including Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Ava DuVernay, and Ryan Coogler.

Carter’s costume design on Marvel Studios’s Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever merged ancient cultures and contemporary looks with technology and brought Afrofuturism couture to the mainstream. Her breathtaking work made her the first Black person to win an Oscar in costume design and first Black woman to win two Academy Awards in any category. She is also the only costume designer to win an Oscar for an original movie and its sequel. In 2021, she became the second-ever costume designer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Earning seventy credits, Carter’s costumes based on real and imaginative characters provide an arc to the narratives of African Americans from Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993), Amistad (1997), The Butler (2013), Selma (2014), Marshall (2017), Dolemite Is My Name (2019), and Coming 2 America (2021) to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Her devotion to retraining the eye to see beauty through costume design and telling stories that enrich the humanity of the Black experience cements her legacy as a preeminent voice and expert on period genres and Afro aesthetics.

“From the beginning, I wanted to tell stories that enrich the Black experience on screen and allow audiences to better understand each other through the powerful storytelling medium of costume design. Every historical film or biopic I costume designed set the stage to introduce Afrofuturism in the Black Panther films. I’m honored to have my career and Afrofuturism celebrated and to join the esteemed company of artists who have also received the Coolidge Award,” remarked Ruth Carter.

Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, Carter is beloved in her hometown. She was given the key to the city for her achievements and service to the community (2021) and will be having a mural painted in her honor in the city. She is a graduate of Hampton University, Virginia (HBCU) and most recently served as their commencement speaker and was given the distinction of honorary doctorate. She holds an additional honorary doctorate from Suffolk University, Massachusetts.

“We are honored to welcome Massachusetts’s very own, Ruth E. Carter to the Coolidge. Her iconic designs, creativity, and passion for history and culture can be seen on screen in some of the most inventive and visually dazzling films of the past three decades,” remarked Coolidge Corner Theatre Executive Director & CEO Katherine Tallman.

The Coolidge Award was launched in 2004 and recognizes a selected film artist whose work represents original and outstanding contributions to cinema. Previous honorees include Meryl Streep, Werner Herzog, Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas, Julianne Moore, Liv Ullmann, Zhang Yimou, Viggo Mortensen, cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, and film editor Thelma Schoonmaker.

Tickets are available onsite at the box office, or at coolidge.org. The Coolidge’s screens are accessible by elevators. All are also equipped with a variety of options for patrons that are hard of hearing, deaf, blind, and/or visually impaired. For questions about accessibility or to request any special accommodations, please email info@coolidge.org.

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