The Walters to Present the Work of Jewelry Designer Known for Contributions to Marvel Studios’ Black Panther films in April 2026

Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture explores the artist’s early years, work in film, and inspiration from the Walters Art Museum’s collection

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The Walters Art Museum announced today its forthcoming presentation of Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture from April 18 to August 9, 2026, a major museum show dedicated to self-taught jewelry artist Douriean Fletcher, whose work spans costume, film, and independent design. Douriean Fletcher explores the artist’s jewelry as a powerful narrative tool in art, Black identity, and visual storytelling through over 100 works spanning the artist’s life and career from her formative years to the present day and includes works from the Walters’ collection that inspired Fletcher. The exhibition was organized by the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City.

“Douriean Fletcher is a prolific metalsmith whose deeply personal works have shaped the cinematic worlds of culture-defining films that have resonated throughout Baltimore and around the world. Through Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture, visitors will gain a new understanding of those worlds, learn about Douriean’s career, and be delighted by the unique storytelling power of jewelry,” said Kate Burgin, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director and CEO. “This exhibition is right at home here alongside the Walters’ own global collections of jewelry, which include extraordinary works from Ancient Egypt, Indigenous Latin America, and Ethiopia, and underscores the importance of the Walters’ expansive collection as a source of inspiration for practicing artists.”

The exhibition unfolds across three thematic sections: Fletcher’s formative years and studio practice; her breakout film and television work, including pieces designed for major motion pictures; and her current artistic explorations. Visitors will encounter elaborate pieces made from natural materials as well as brass and gold and inspired by ancestral traditions, iconic futuristic jewelry and cinematic costumes from Marvel Studio’s Black Panther film franchise and jewelry from Coming 2 America, personal photographs and ephemera, a recreation of her first studio in New Orleans, and Fletcher’s designs spanning 2008 to present day, including her recent collection for New York City-based luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman.

Two rings from the Walters Art Museum’s ancient Egyptian collection that directly inspired Fletcher’s designs will also be on view in the exhibition. According to the artist, the rings express a simplicity of craft that gave her the confidence to become a jeweler.

“These rings are pivotal pieces in the exhibition, and in my artistic journey. Seeing simple, handcrafted sacred objects created outside of Eastern and Western belief systems piqued my curiosity, and they changed how I think about using adornments to represent ideology. The ring depicting the goddess of Hathor became like a talisman for me, because in it I saw symbolic meaning; I saw a story, culture, tradition, and history in a piece of wearable art. I carried that into my work,” said Fletcher. “The other ring has wire wrapped around the band, and I was really attracted to that action. You can tell someone physically wrapped the wire—that actual hands have worked on it, as opposed to a soldering iron. The representation of handcrafted art in museum spaces is so important, and I’m glad I can be part of that conversation.”

The exhibition also includes process sketches and behind-the-scenes imagery of Fletcher at work. Visitors will discover the references behind her designs, from a Maasai neckpiece to the structural experiments of Alexander Calder and the modern designs of Art Smith. A highlight of the exhibition is the jewelry Fletcher made for Queen Ramonda and the Dora Milaje from the blockbuster films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). These pieces, displayed with a selection of the films’ costumes by Academy Award–winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, offer a window into how adornment defines character, advances world-building, and represents Black sovereignty on screen. Fletcher’s jewelry for television miniseries Roots (2016) and motion picture Coming 2 America (2021) also are featured.

The artist’s practice exemplifies the ethos of Afrofuturism, a cultural movement that reclaims Black identity and history while envisioning egalitarian futures. Inspired by the storytelling traditions of Zulu beadwork, the ornate beauty of ancient Egyptian adornment, the myriad shapes of Ethiopian metalwork crosses, and the innovation of African American jewelers, Fletcher explores the use of symbolism in spiritual practice—reimagining and creating new talismanic forms that address personal and collective transformation. Fletcher’s oversized jewelry with narrative elements speaks to empowerment, spirituality, and intergenerational connection.

Raised in Pasadena, California, the self-taught metalsmith began making jewelry as a personal exploration of identity and cultural heritage. Her early work was shaped by her travels to South Africa, where she studied traditional forms of adornment and their role in community and ceremony. In addition to her film work, Fletcher maintains an independent studio practice. Her work has been celebrated for its layered references and commitment to handcraft, blending past, present, and future in wearable form.

The Walters Art Museum presents an adaptation of Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture originally presented at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, 2025.

The exhibition is co-curated by professor and design historian Sebastian Grant and Barbara Paris Gifford, Museum of Arts and Design’s Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Craft, and Design. Christine Sciacca, Curator of European Art, 300-1400 CE, is the point curator of the exhibition at the Walters Art Museum.

This exhibition is made possible, in part, by The Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Exhibitions Fund and other supporters of the Walters Art Museum.

ABOUT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM
The Walters Art Museum is a cultural hub in the heart of Baltimore, located in the city’s Mount Vernon neighborhood. The museum’s collection spans more than seven millennia, from 5000 BCE to the 21st century, and encompasses 36,000 objects from around the world. Walking through the museum’s historic buildings, visitors encounter a stunning panorama of thousands of years of art, from romantic 19th-century images of French gardens to mesmerizing Ethiopian icons, richly illuminated Qur’ans and Gospel books, ancient roman sarcophagi, and serene images of the Buddha. Since its founding, the Walters’ mission has been to bring art and people together to create a place where people of every background can be touched by art. As part of this commitment, admission to the museum and special exhibitions is always free.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Admission to the museum and Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture is free. The Walters Art Museum is located at 600 N. Charles St., north of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. For general museum information, call 410-547-9000 or visit thewalters.org.

Free admission to the Walters Art Museum is made possible through the combined generosity of individual members and donors, foundations, corporations, and grants from the City of Baltimore, Maryland State Arts Council, Citizens of Baltimore County, and Howard County Government and Howard County Arts Council.

ABOUT DOURIEAN FLETCHER

Raised in Pasadena, California, Fletcher began making jewelry as a personal exploration of identity and cultural heritage. Her early work was shaped by her travels to South Africa, where she studied traditional forms of adornment and their role in community and ceremony. In 2016, she became the first jewelry designer to be included in the Motion Picture Costumer Union. This distinction made her the sole jewelry artist on the production teams of the films to which she contributed. In addition to her film work, Fletcher maintains an independent studio practice, with recent collections featured by luxury retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman. Her work has been celebrated for its layered references and commitment to handcraft, blending past, present, and future in wearable form.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields and presents the work of artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill. Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving twenty-first-century innovation, and fosters a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design. For more information, visit madmuseum.org.