Last weekend, I took myself to the Spike Lee: Creative Sources exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, and it was honestly incredible to be immersed in all the inspiration and career memorabilia of Spike Lee’s catalog of films. The exhibit even included his short film work on music videos like The Butt, Michael Jackson’s They Don’t Care About Us, and his collaborations with Nike and Michael Jordan.
Seeing all the inspiring motifs from his life and their connections to his most notable films was amazing. I had a chance to sit on the stoop he transplanted in the middle of the exhibit, and it made me feel right at home. The backdrop to most of his films are the stoops. As a stoop kid who spent every Summer in Harlem’s late 90s right there, the visual presentation of them in movies feels so nostalgic and warm, just like pictures in my grandmother’s family album, that were left to me. When I recently passed by my family’s old neighborhood, I saw the building had been renovated and they got rid of the stoop in front of our building.
Spike Lee is one of my family’s favorite directors. Growing up, I saw all his classics – School Daze, She Hate Me, She’s Gotta Have It, Malcolm X, and I’ve even the most recent one, NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021, covering the 9/11 tragedy through NYC coping with Covid and BLM protests during the crisis. I appreciate the way he reflects Black stories in New York, during that time period, as most documentarians often leave out the unique way history affects us and our experiences in these challenging recent times.
My all-time favorite films from his catalog is Do The Right Thing. The opening credits with Rosie Perez dancing in boxing gear to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, also directed by Spike Lee, is one of my all-time favorite fashion inspo – the bold red lips, the choreography, and the passion and energy she’s exerting with every move still gets me.
The exhibit is very popular, and I’m glad I made it to one of the final weeks. The day I visited, Spike Lee was there personally signing books and autographs for folks. He was there sincerely all day from 11 am – 2 pm and 3 pm – 6 pm. I waited for 2 hours in a line filled with fans like myself with books, posters, and sneakers hoping to be across from their idol. I am happy he signed my copy of SPIKE, his beyond inspiring visual journal, that would make a great coffee table design piece, in a bold neon pink. I got to express all of my gratitude simply with “Thank you So Much” because he wasn’t taking any more photos with folks, because the line kept growing, and he was determined to greet everyone who patiently waited. I always make a friend while waiting on a line, and this time was no exception.
Final Rating
- Overall Experience: 10/10
- Exhibit: 10/10
- Getting up close to Spike Lee on a Knicks’ game day: 10/10
