Spike Lee remembers novelist Toni Morrison and a portrait of her painted by artist Tim Okamura. In 2020, Morrison (1931–2019) was commemorated as one of Time magazine's "100 Women of the Year." As part of the project, Time created new covers for past issues, for which this painting was commissioned. The portrait became the cover of the reimagined 1993 issue, honoring the year Morrison became the first Black woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature.

This episode is part of an adapted audio guide to Spike Lee: Creative Sources, open at the Brooklyn Museum through February 4, 2024. Visit www.brooklynmuseum.org for tickets.

See a photo of the portrait and other objects Lee discusses: https://bit.ly/SpikeLeeGuide

This project was produced by Seaplane Armada and the Brooklyn Museum.