Let’s Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar offered the first sustained look at a pivotal moment in Betye Saar’s career, when a visit to Chicago’s Field Museum in 1974 transformed the way she conceived of herself as an artist. A display of more than 60 objects—including a ceremonial robe from Cameroon, costumes and jewelry designed by Saar, drawings, photos, archival materials, and more—casts new light on the way Saar’s early career in costume design informed her pioneering work in assemblage and installation. Let’s Get It On was presented as part of a series of exhibitions and events linked to Panafrica: Histories, Aesthetics, Politics, a multi-year research project at the Neubauer Collegium that is exploring the connections between Pan-African politics and culture.

This event was organized as part of Panafrica Days, a four-day series of activities jointly organized by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Black Arts Consortium at Northwestern University, Chicago Humanities, and the Neubauer Collegium.