On April 28, Professor Nicole Morris’ English class celebrated the opening of their exhibit, “‘Let the People Sing’: Communities Reflected Through Art in the Tradition of Zora Neale Hurston.” During the semester, students focused on the texts of acclaimed writer Zora Neale Hurston while observing and creating art representing their perspectives of the Emory community. This opened up a dialogue with the students to share and reflect on what they encountered and/or heard in the community.

The students represented diverse backgrounds, and together, worked to identify and explore areas of the Emory community they had not yet visited. The students engaged with the Emory Police Department, Kaldi’s, the various Cliff Shuttle communities, the African Students’ Association and employees in Campus Services.

Recognizing the importance of having students interact with communities that are outside of their comfort zones, Morris asked her students to observe community and create art based on the study of Zora Neale Hurston and her anthropological and literary work, which were central to the purpose of the course. 

See the students' artwork and read more about this project on the course website. The artwork is currently on display at the Schwartz Center through Sept.1.