Revision Path: Episode 300; Hannah Beachler: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Episode 300 of the Revision Path podcast. It consists of an interview between Hannah Beachler and host Maurice Cherry. It opens with a brief discussion about the role and importance of production design in filmmaking, before segueing into a conversation on the difference between doing a production design for Black Panther and for Moonlight. At one point, Cherry asks if accessibility is considered in the design process, citing colorblind audiences as an example. Beachler admits that she has not thought deeply about accessibility in the past but will try to think more about it in the future. She describes the “Black Panther look-book,” noting that the team visited cities in Korea, South Africa and Oakland, California, while doing production research.

At one point in the interview, Cherry notes that Beachler’s work is featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, telling her “[N]ow Black Panther is part of the culture. I mean, of course, you won an Oscar for it. Congratulations. Your work is in the Museum of African American History and Culture. That surprised me when I first went. I did not expect to see as much Black Panther when I went there.” In response to his congratulatory remark, Beachler states that she is honored: “I did my best and my best was good enough.”

Some of the other topics they discuss include, some of the past projects she has worked on, such as Creed, Fruitvale Station, Beyoncé’s Lemonade, Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s “On the Run II” tour; Afro-futurism in Beyoncé’s Lemonade; motherhood; Beachler’s history of substance abuse; as well as Beachler’s future goals, including producing a period piece and creating a production and development company. They also talk about Beachler’s relationships and interactions with, and/or admiration for, individuals such as Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, Spike Lee and Ta-Nehesi Coates.

At the end of the interview, Cherry asks to wrap up and Beachler interrupts to ask if he thinks she is “intense,” to which he responds that the interview has been great. They thank each other and the episode ends with Cherry recapping the sponsors.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: June 24, 2019
• Produced by: Maurice Cherry, American
• Interview of: Hannah Beachler, American, born 1970
• Subject of: Ryan Kyle Coogler, American, born 1986
• Subject of: Beyoncé, American, born 1981
• Subject of: National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
• Type: sound recordings
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 1 hr., 48 min., 54 sec.
• Dimensions: File size: 91.6 MB
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: North Korea, Asia
• Place depicted: Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Africa
• Place depicted: South Africa, Africa
• Place captured: Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Ohio, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Africa
• Topic: Architecture
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Film
• Object number: 2019.47.11.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Maurice Cherry and Glitch, Inc.
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Maurice Cherry and Glitch, Inc Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.