A teen in blue sunglasses now stares back at Toni Morrison inside Cornell’s Morrison Hall, according to the Cornell Chronicle. The new tableaux—painted by high school students from Ithaca and Brooklyn—frames Morrison’s portrait with a second image: Ithaca High senior London Smith, evoking The Bluest Eye.
Unveiled Sept. 20, the wood-panel portraits were part of a symposium and collaboration led by artist Jesse Wright and architect Peter Robinson. Students read Morrison’s work, created art inspired by her themes, and visited each other’s campuses.
Now, Brooklyn’s school district plans to fold Morrison into the curriculum for 31,000 students—carrying the project’s message far beyond the walls of Morrison Hall.
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