Black, Brilliant and Free: An Interactive Installation

Interdisciplinary Artist and Literary Scholar OlaRonke Akinmowo presents “Black, Brilliant and Free,” an interactive installation at BLAIS (Milstein Center, 2nd fl.) in honor of the Zora Neale Hurston Centennial at Barnard College (opening January 21, 2025 and closing May 5, 2025.) Throughout the spring 2025 semester, Barnard Library and Ola invite the Barnard community to engage with the words and legacy of Hurston through a two-part workshop and critical conversation on the theme of finding freedom through autoethnography, using her memoir Dust Tracks On a Road as model/template. Free copies of the book will be made available for all participants while supplies last (email tbryant@barnard.edu).

Come join us for the following events:
February 11: Part I Book Chat
March 11: Part II Collage Making
April 8: Part III Zine Making

OlaRonke is the Creator/Director of The Free Black Women's Library, a social art project that features a collection of over five thousand books written by Black women and Black non-binary writers, a free store, a period pantry, a backyard garden, a virtual Reading Club, a weekly book swap, and a wide array of free public programs. It is a literary hub, social site, Black Feminist archive, and community care space located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. All races, ages, and genders are welcome to read, write, work, rest, day dream, and learn in this space. Follow them on social media @thefreeblackwomenslibrary to stay connected. 

Co-sponsored by the Zora Neale Hurston Centennial and B.O.S.S.