Bits & Pieces: Interpreting Toni Morrison Through Collage (Aug 11)

Dates: August 11, 2024

Meetings: Sunday, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM CST

Location: Houston Center for Photography

Cost: $95 Tuition + $20 Materials (HCP members receive a 10% discount)

Instructor: Tay Butler

Skill Level: Open to All Levels

This workshop uses the writings of Toni Morrison, acclaimed American novelist and Nobel Laureate, to create and interpret collages made in class. Known for her “incantatory prose” and lyrical explorations of the Black American experience, Toni Morrison is the author of eleven novels, such as “The Bluest Eye”, “Sula” and “Beloved”, a 1988 Pulitzer Prize winner. By emphasizing her uncanny ability to describe emotions and set scenes, amongst other gifts and skills, participants will break down passages and find their own unique ways to find the visual counterpart to her words. 

In this class, instructor and artist Tay Butler guides participants to find the connections between the written word and the visual image. Passages and excerpts are interpreted artistically. Collage pieces are transformed from cuts of objects to marks. People lose or emphasize their identities, and become a part (, or creator), of communities. In a hands-on environment, each participant will leave with a permanent collage of their own, translating world-renowned literature into visual art.

Objectives:

• Engage with Toni Morrison’s most known (and unheralded) texts 

• Learn the specific methods employed by Morrison to craft her stories 

• Engage with contemporary methods of collage-making 

• Create one permanent collage to take home

Prerequisites: None

Course Prep: None