When the Metropolitan Museum of Art approached Ten Thousand Things to create jewelry to celebrate its new Afrofuturist exhibition, Ron Anderson and David Rees immersed themselves in the museum’s ancient African collections and the story of Seneca Village, a predominantly Black settlement in New York City that was destroyed in 1857 by the city to make way for Central Park. Acknowledging that injustice, the exhibition asks: What if this community had the opportunity to thrive?

The Met Store also commissioned three other pioneering artisans to create capsule collections with a goal of inspiring audiences to learn more about Afrofuturism and the history of Seneca Village. The Harlem Candle Company created the “Seneca” candle inspired by the sensory experience of the exhibit; artist Roberto Lugo designed his signature ceramic urns with a portrait of Harriet Tubman, and the image which will also be transformed into a collection of t-shirts and mugs; and interior designer Sheila Bridges’s Harlem Toile de Jouy print will be showcased in the exhibit and her design was also printed on accessories for the store.

The collections are launching at The Met Store and online at store.metmuseum.org on October 25.

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