Updated Jan. 13, 2026, 8:52 a.m. CT
For many, Afrofuturism is present in everyday life, via music from Beyoncé and Earth, Wind and Fire, watching Marvel’s “Black Panther,” and even caller ID.
Iowa City is celebrating Afrofuturism with an inaugural month-long festival, The Parables of the Future: Black Future Fest. The event, organized by Iowa City Senior Center (ICSC) coordinator LaTasha DeLoach held Jan. 19 through Feb. 19, replaces the Black History Ball. The new engagement will honor Black creativity and imagination at various venues across the city.
What is Afrofuturism?
Afrofuturism “expresses notions of Black identity, agency, and freedom through art, creative works, and activism that envision liberated futures for Black life,” according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“[In the Iowa City community] we have unique differences, but we are more alike than we are different,” DeLoach said. “This is to connect with one another, regardless of our background or where we come from…it’s about imagining the future.”
The new festival started small but quickly grew when Public Space One, Dream City, and FilmScene jumped aboard, expanding its reach.
The celebration also coincides with the Iowa City Senior Center’s 45th anniversary. To celebrate, the organization is establishing the Historic Post Office Gallery, a new exhibition featuring rotating displays of local artwork in two public galleries.
The inaugural gallery, “Parables of the Future,” featuring work by local Black artists, explores themes of Afrofuturism and debuts on Monday, Jan. 19, and will be on display until Feb. 27.
The gallery will host its grand opening, featuring a vendor market and fashion show, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14.
“[The Historic Post Office Gallery at the ICSC] is another way the senior center serves our community,” DeLoach said. “Now, our art gallery will be open to other artists in the community, regardless of age, and will have the opportunity to apply to be in our gallery [from now on].”
Afrofuturism takes center stage in Iowa City
The Black Future Fest kicks off at 10 a.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19 at the ICSC with the MLK Day of Service Food Drive and Art running until 2 p.m.
DeLoach believes MLK was and remains Afrofuturistic. The event not only fosters a better understanding of the genre but also offers tangible ways to engage with it.
“People miss who Dr. King really was. They get caught up in a quote here and a quote there and a statute here, but don’t know that [he embodies Afrofuturism],” DeLoach said. “He dared to see what the future would look like if Black folks were liberated. He was able to acknowledge the past, but Afrofuturistic in his leadership, and wanted us as a community to come together.”
What’s happening during Iowa City’s Black Future Fest?
Public Space One, the Iowa City Senior Center and Film Scene are heavily involved with celebrating Afrofuturism.
Afrofuturism’s reach across genres and communities is explored through PS1’s “What is Afrofuturism?” event from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31.
FilmScene will screen Afrofuturistic at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 12 along with a director discussion.
Arguably, the most recognizable figure in Afrofuturism is Octavia Butler for her science fiction and speculative fiction. The Iowa City festival will honor her legacy with a deep dive into two of her novels, “Kindred” and “Parable of the Sower,” during the Octavia Butler Book Panel from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Iowa City Public Library.
Dream City will close out the festival with a community discussion and panel with community leaders at 6 p.m., Feb. 19, at 611 Southgate Ave.
The Black Future Fest encourages community members to create opportunities to engage not only with other people but also with something new.
“The beautiful thing about all of this is that everything that we’re doing is what Afrofuturism is, remembering where we come from, but imagining the future,” DeLoach said. “We hope people really engage with the mixed opportunities we have. If you are a film person, we have film stuff; if you’re a book person, we have a book club; if you just want to donate food, you can do that. There is really nothing we don’t have.”
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached atJRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter,@rishjessica_
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