Call For Artists

Project and Theme Overview:

The University of Mississippi Museum is looking for an emerging artist focusing on installation and public art. The aim is to animate the Walton-Young House on university property adjacent to the museum, and create a high-visibility art project using the exterior of the house. The artist must create three separate outdoor installations, one each for the Front Porch, West Porch, and Rear Porch. Each porch may be independent concepts, or there may be a unified theme across all three. It will serve to further the visibility of this Museum property and create opportunities to incorporate the community in dialogue on the accessibility of art. The piece must be weather resistant and able to attract attention from University Avenue which runs in front of the house. Details about permissible anchoring and attachment modes are available upon request.

Porch Images and Dimensions

Download Here

The artist will be responsible for the design, fabrication, transportation, installation, and de-installation of the project and will work with The University of Mississippi Museum staff, as well as Project Manager Brooke Alexander.

Eligibility & Qualifications:

Professional and emerging artists who have worked in installation/public art contexts.

Required Application Materials:

• Design Proposal: In a written statement, discuss a concept and details for the project. Include a brief outline, materials to be used, and a timeline to be used – reflecting awareness of the Timeline milestones outlined below.
• Design Images: Submit digital images of proposed designs and ideas for the three porches.
• Work Sample Images: Submit 5 images of professional work.

Selection Process

The University of Mississippi Museum will review proposals. A selection will be based on the following criteria:

• Experience and aesthetic merit of any past public art project(s)
• Excellence in quality of art or design
• Relatedness to site and potential to connect to general public audiences, thematically and artistically
• Durability, safety, and resistance to vandalism
• Minimal maintenance requirements
• Maximum visibility to pedestrian and vehicular passersby, along all four sides of the House

To apply or to call for more information, please contact Brooke Alexander at balexand@olemiss.edu or cell (256) 998-2802.

Walton-Young House History:

The Walton-Young House, built in 1880, is a registered Mississippi Landmark and originally was a middle class home of the Victorian era. Horace H. Walton owned the house and a hardware store in Oxford, MS. He lived in the house with his wife, Lydia, and their three children until his death in 1891. Lydia allowed university students to board upstairs after Walton passed away, as a source of income to support her family. In 1895, Lydia married Dr. Alfred Alexander Young who brought two children to the house. Stark Young was the most famous Walton-Young house resident. He stayed at the house while attending Ole Miss, and went on to become a well-known novelist and playwright. After the death of Dr. and Mrs. Young, the house was purchased by the First Presbyterian Church of Oxford to be used as a parsonage. Ministers and their families occupied the house for the next fifty years. The house become a part of the university in 1974, and a part of the University Museum in 1997.