During fall 2020, Morningside Lights returned, inspired by Langston Hughes’ 1926 poem Harlem Night Song, for a virtual celebration and a digitally-linked collection of home-built lanterns.
Since Morningside Lights first set off through the park nine years ago, its core mission has been to bring people together in a shared act of artistic expression. And while this year was different in application, the common bond remained the same.
Together, while apart, participants assembled text, images, and voices in sequence to create a shared piece of art, allowing the lanterns to illuminate Hughes’ poem and embody its spirit of togetherness in dark times.
Morningside Lights is led by the directors of Processional Arts Workshop, Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, and produced by Columbia University's Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre.