Afrofuturism Explored! 2026
registration is open!
Please use this link to register for the conference:
https://forms.gle/9rVyub6nQn3yTnUa7
Tickets for the dance performance will be available soon.
All events are free, but registration/tickets are required.
About the conference:
Afrofuturism Explored! was started with approval from the College of Performance, Visualization, and Fine Arts Dean of Academic Affairs in December 2023. The idea behind the conference was to give a much-needed platform to invite discourse surrounding the topic of Afrofuturism. Inaugural scholarly engagement with Afrofuturism focused on literature and the social commentary, and expanded to include other art forms – visual, movement, sound, film, et cetera – almost immediately. The climate in which Afrofuturism developed (prior to it being given its moniker in the early 1990s) was one of hopefulness in the face of unrest, solidarity via experimentation, and adding a new voice in a landscape of expanding academics. Today, Afrofuturism still retains these traits, and invites new waves of commentary, expression, and contemporary engagement with a variety of humanities, not only embracing the arts in all forms, but also anthropology, ethnomusicology, global language and cultural studies, historical studies, and much more.
This annual conference celebrates Black History Month combining scholarly research and creative practice related to Afrofuturism and other parallel movements such as Latinofuturism, Gothic Futurism, and First American Futurism. The conference is open to undergraduates, graduates, faculty, professionals, and anyone with an interest in Afrofuturism and the cultures through which it communicates. Submission related to adjacent art movements and genres such as Afro-Horror and Afro-Cuban Futurism or any other relevant topics are also welcome.
Some suggested topics include:
Afrofuturism and Non-Human Characters (animals, sentient spaceships, et cetera)
Afrofuturism as Diaspora
Afrofuturism and the Supernatural (yes, the same as last year)
Movement Art and Afrofuturist Sentiment
Renewable/Sustainable Living in Afrofuturism
Afrofuturist Rituals and Ceremonies
Technological Advancement in Afrofuturist Contexts
Participants should expect 15+ mins for presentations plus a Q&A session as part of the panel. In-person or Zoom presentations can be accommodated. To join us for the Afrofuturism Explored! 2026 conference, please send an abstract with a maximum of 300 words for papers, panels, or performances to Will Connor (willconnor@tamu.edu) by Friday, January 30, 2026. Successful abstract submissions will be announced on or before Friday, February 06, 2025.
Thank you! We’re looking forward to your submissions and we hope you can join us for the third annual Afrofuturism Explored!
For information about Celestial Bodies, the new work by Everett Perry-Johnson, see below
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tavia Nyong'o
Afrofuturism Explored! is excitred to announce this year's conference keynote speaker is Yale Afrofuturist scholar, Tav Nyong'o.
His new book Black Apocalypse: Afrofuturism at the End of the World is fantastic and you can grab a copy of that here: Tav's book on Amazon
You can find out more about Dr. Nyong'o's research and publications on his Yale website page here and here.
Tav Nyong'o
Celestial Bodies
a new work by
Everett Perry-Johnson
Celestial Bodies, an original work choreographed and devised by Everett Perry‑Johnson, traces a cosmic odyssey of star‑born beings who manifest on Earth as Egyptian Deities and Sentient Androids. This choreographic work examines themes of Other‑ness, excellence, sovereignty, embodiment, and the tension of existing in spaces that both include and resist marginalized bodies. Ultimately, the dancers’ ascension back to the cosmos becomes a reclamation of identity, memory, and posterity, inviting audiences to imagine worlds where difference is power, ancestry is technology, and the stars remain both origin and destiny.
The performance will take place after the conference in the LAAH/PVFA Black Box Theatre at 7pm. Celestial bodies will feature Everett Perry-Johnson, Jam Martinez, D'Mya Tabron, and students from both the College Station and Prairie View campuses.
Everett Perry-Johnson
Past Conferences
These are some of the past events related to Afrofuturism. For more information about these past events, please email the team here.
