TONI MORRISON, 1931-2019
“Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory” — an exhibition devoted to the creative process of the late writer Toni Morrison, who taught at Princeton University from 1989 to 2006 — will open at the Princeton University Library’s Milberg Gallery on Feb. 22, and run through June 4. It will be curated by Princeton assistant professor of English and African American studies Autumn Womack and is described in a press release as “the center of a community-wide exploration of how Morrison’s archive continues to influence the past, present, and future.”
Princeton University is home to the Toni Morrison Papers archive, which includes manuscript drafts, correspondence, photographs and more. The exhibition will include about 100 archive items, most of which have never been previously exhibited.
“It is difficult to overstate the importance of Toni Morrison’s writing to American literature, art, and life,” said Womack in a press release. “This exhibition draws us toward the unexplored corners of her writing process and unknown aspects of her creative investments that only live in this archive.”
The following offerings will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition:
• “Cycle of Creativity: Alison Saar and the Toni Morrison Papers” will feature sculptures, prints and textiles by Saar, paired with writings from the archives. It runs at the Princeton University Art Museum’s Art@Bainbridge gallery, Feb. 25 to July 9.
• The McCarter Theatre Center has commissioned performance artists Daniel Alexander Jones and Mame Diarra “Samantha” Speis to create original works reflecting on Morrison’s influence. The performances will be presented on March 24 and 25.
• Princeton University Concerts, in partnership with the McCarter Theatre Center and the Princeton University Library, will present a commissioned work inspired by Morrison’s archive, created and performed by the jazz artist Cécile McLorin Salvant, April 12 at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium.
Princeton University will host a Morrison symposium, March 23-25, and there will also be Morrison-related lectures, in the spring, and children’s programming.
For more information, visit library.princeton.edu.
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