2021 Mississippi Invitational on view August 14—October 10, 2021
Jackson, MS…The Mississippi Museum of Art today announced 42 artists participating in the 2021 Mississippi Invitational exhibition, a survey of recent works created by contemporary visual artists living and working in the state. This is the largest number of artists represented since the Museum launched the biennial program in 1997. The exhibition will feature works across a variety of media by the following artists:
Norma Sanders Bourdeaux, Oxford
Jesse Ryan Brown, Cleveland
Cynthia Buob, Columbus
Langdon Clay, Sumner
Ashleigh Coleman, Ackerman
Timothy R. Collins, Gore Springs
Kira Cummings, Jackson
Brenden Davis, Jackson
Drew Dempsey, Brandon
Nicole Dikon, Tupelo
Earl Dismuke, Oxford
Sue Carrie Drummond, Jackson
Soon Ee Ngoh, Starkville
Michael N. Foster, Water Valley
Coulter Fussell, Water Valley
Karen Gilder, Florence
Ben Hillyer, Natchez
Allan Innman, Brandon
Will Jacks, Cleveland
daniel johnson, Jackson
Lawson King, Indianola
Carlyle Wolfe Lee, Oxford
Paula McClain, Brandon
Christina McField, Jackson
Alexis McGrigg, Utica
Walter Neill, Oxford
Carolyn Norton, Hattiesburg
Nathan Pietrykowski, Cleveland
Whitson Ramsey, Hattiesburg
Chip Sheppard, Jackson
Sabyna Strerrett, Ridgeland
Kristen Tordella-Williams, Jackson
Jen Torres, Hattiesburg
Spence Townsend, Greenwood
Stacy Underwood, Jackson
Greg Walker, Jackson; Pat Galuzzo, Baltimore, MD
Robyn Wall, Cleveland
Steven Wayne, Southaven
Brooke White, Oxford
Herb Willey, Waveland
Chris Windfield, Jackson
D’Artagnan Winford, Brandon
On view August 14 through October 10, 2021, this year’s Mississippi Invitational works were selected by guest curator Danielle Burns-Wilson.
“To be invited to serve as guest curator for the Mississippi Museum of Art’s 2021 Invitational is already an honor, but to do so against the backdrop of all that is happening around us is even more meaningful,” stated Burns-Wilson. “The world has reached an entropic state, seemingly never to return to its once ordered ways, and so I wanted the works in this year’s Invitational to reflect the many voices and experiences of this particular moment. I selected works that create a balance – through materials, media, and processes, as well as perspectives. This exhibition conveys human needs, reimagines our future, and liberates thought.”
Invitational artists will be eligible to apply for The Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship—a grant of up to $20,000 awarded to one artist. The recipient will be announced during an opening reception on August 13.
MMA Director Betsy Bradley said, “The might and fortitude of artists has always been an inspiration to me. In the face of all that is contrary, they summon the courage and strength to make something that speaks their truth to other people. And our communities are better for it. The 2021 Mississippi Invitational demonstrates that the power to make something beautiful, to survive, to connect with ideas and with others, can be stronger than the temptation to withdraw.”
A publication accompanying the exhibition will be available in The Museum Store.
During the month of August 2021, MMA will offer free admission as a way to welcome visitors back after the pandemic.
The Mississippi Invitational and its biennial exhibition and catalog are made possible with support from the Community Foundation for Mississippi/Jane Crater Hiatt Fund. The opening events are sponsored by Ross & Yerger.
About Danielle Burns-Wilson
Danielle Burns-Wilson currently serves as Chief Curator at the Houston Public Library. With more than a decade of experience, she also serves as an adjunct professor of art history and art appreciation at Lone Star College-North Harris Campus. Burns-Wilson received her B.A. in history and political science from Prairie View A&M University and her M.A. in art history from the City University of New York, Brooklyn College.
About the Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship
The Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship was created in 2005 by Jane Crater Hiatt and her late husband Wood (1930-2010) in response to the need to nurture and invigorate the arts within the state. The fellowship provides support to an individual artist in the development and creation of art over a two-year period. The funds may be used to purchase supplies and equipment, conduct research, or travel, and may be used for study with an individual artist or in a studio, workshop, or residency setting. Following the conclusion of the grant period, the artist is required to donate one original work of art, chosen from at least five works created during the grant period, to the Museum. Only artists whose work is selected for inclusion in the Mississippi Invitational exhibition are eligible to apply for the Fellowship in the year that their work is chosen. The recipient’s works should demonstrate the potential for significant artistic and cultural impact, as well as act as a catalyst for the development and realization of adventurous and imaginative ideas.
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