While construction continues inside the Boone Theater in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District, the Black Movie Hall of Fame has quietly taken shape a few blocks away.
Since the beginning of Black History Month, a preview exhibit at the Black Archives of Mid-America has been offering the public its first tangible look at what the budding hall of fame will become. The exhibit blends artifacts destined for the permanent hall with a walk through Shawn Edwards’ 25-year career as a film critic.
“We didn’t want to waste this Black History Month,” Edwards said. “We thought it’d be important to kind of utilize it to tell our story and get people familiar with what we’re doing in terms of what the Black Movie Hall of Fame will look like, what it will be, how it will function.”
The exhibit opens with Edwards’ own journey. Visitors encounter childhood photos, early articles from his days at The Pitch KC and Fox 4, and memorabilia from film premieres, set visits and festivals. Seeing it all assembled in one space has been a surreal experience…