Colors through Darkness | Tracie Morris
Fri, March 27, 2026 7:00 PM at Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, 547 E Circle Dr. East Lansing, MI
“Colors through Darkness” is an original performance in response to the Broad Art Museum's Winter/Spring 2026 show, “Darkness,” by Jan Tichy—an exhibit which submerges the museum’s central gallery in total darkness. Morris will perform in that darkness, using recorded sound, moving image, and live performance to collaborate with Tichy’s exhibition.
In these interventions, Morris considers Black diaspora concepts of color, gender, darkness, language, mystery and land. Her literal and metaphorical framing of degrees of darkness and ranges of color incorporates traditional African, avant-garde art and feminist elements in conversation with Tichy’s installations.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m. A reception and book signing will follow. This event is free and open to the public.
MSU ramps and lots are open to the public after 6:00 p.m. The nearest accessible parking can be found directly south of the museum in Lot 8, available to vehicles with the appropriate state-issued disability parking placard at any time.
Metered parking and additional accessible parking is available in the Grand River parking structure (Ramp 6). Paid parking is also available throughout the City of East Lansing (rates in effect Monday–Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 a.m.).
Tracie Morris is one of the most distinguished poets of her generation, a pathbreaking performer whose experiments with sound and language have inspired generations of poets to expand the boundaries of their art. Her recent books include Human/Nature Poems (Litmus Press, 2023), Who Do With Words (Chax Press, 2019), and Handholding: 5 Kinds (Kore Press, 2016). She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, as well as awards and grants from Creative Capital, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the Asian Cultural Council. She is currently Professor of Poetry at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
“Colors through Darkness” is made possible thanks to the support of a Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant from Michigan State University, as well as support from the Creative Writing Program, and the Broad Museum.