New Publication Features Preeminent Artists, Authors, and Scholars Reflecting on Landscapes in Art and Literature during a Time of Unprecedented Change

 “American Landscapes: Meditations on Art and Literature in a Changing World”
(University Press of Mississippi, November 2023)

 

Oxford, MS…The University Press of Mississippi (UPM) in association with University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses (UMM/the Museum) is celebrating the release of its latest volume in a series featuring artists and works in UMM’s collection: “American Landscapes: Meditations on Art and Literature in a Changing World.”

The publication is a vibrant result of UMM’s 2019 acquisition of William Dunlap’s seminal painting Meditations on the Landscape in Origins of Agriculture in America (1987). The acquisition was presented in an exhibition of 40 works by Southern artists curated by Dunlap and Melanie Munns Antonelli, UMM Curator of the Collections, revealing a range of interpretations of landscape. On the occasion of the exhibition, Friends of the University of Mississippi Museum and UMM organized a symposium featuring artists, authors, and scholars held in Oxford in March 2019 that included several of the book’s contributors.

The following contributors consider meaning in art and literature past and present, contextualizing the nation’s history—particularly that of the American South—during a time of unprecedented change experienced since spring 2019: [read more]

 

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Museum Recognized by Mississippi Heritage Trust

 

For more than two decades, the University of Mississippi Museum has been the steward of Rowan Oak, Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Faulkner’s home and grounds, with the support of university leadership and the Facilities Management Department.

The museum’s efforts were publicly recognized Thursday (June 9) with an award from one of the state’s premier historic preservation organizations. [more]

 

“For over 20 years, the University of Mississippi Museum has been the steward of Rowan Oak.  Constructed in the 1840s by Colonel Robert Sheegog, the Greek Revival house was purchase by renown author William Faulkner one hundred years later and was his family home until it donated to the University of Mississippi by his widow in 1972.  Visitors to Rowan Oak today can immerse themselves in the world of William Faulkner and wander the beautifully restored grounds.”— Mississippi Heritage Trust 

 

 

 

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Record Support Greets Harvest Supper’s Return

 

 

 

December 2021, The annual Harvest Supper fundraiser set new records for attendance and private support for the University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses when it returned this fall after being postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.

About 600 people attended the recent sold-out event, which generated $175,000, said Diane Scruggs, of Oxford, president of the Friends of the Museum Board. The event raised about $125,000 in 2019. [more]

 

 

 

 

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Jane Becker Heidelberg Endowment for the Arts

 

July, 2017 — The University Foundation just announced the establishment of the Jane Becker Heidelberg Endowment for the Arts.

Web Heidelberg, and his wife, Michelle, of Hattiesburg, have chosen the University Museum as recipient of a $30,000 gift. To honor his mother, a woman who loved the arts and Ole Miss, the endowment for exhibitions and programming will emphasize the work of young or emerging artists.

“The Jane Becker Heidelberg Endowment for the Arts represents arts philanthropy at its very best, and the University Museum is deeply grateful to the Heidelberg family for the creation of this fund in support of emerging artists,” said Robert Saarnio, museum director.

For more about the University of Mississippi alumni to inspired her family’s love for the arts, please  to continue reading about the woman who inspired her family. [more]

 

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The Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando — first stop on tour

“The Beautiful Mysterious: The Extraordinary Gaze of William Eggleston” 

June, 2017 — Thanks to the tireless efforts and sponsorship by Friends of the Museum, The University of Mississippi Museum exhibited a series of stunning color and early black-and-white photographs September, 2016, created by the world-reknown, Memphis-born photographer, William Eggleston. By popular demand and extended programming, the exhibit continued through January 14, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. 

Now the The Beautiful Mysterious adorns the walls of The Mennello Museum, Orlando, Florida, for its inaugural opening June 23, on display through September 3rd.  Guest curated by novelist Megan Abbott, Eggleston’s work is making a splash in local media.

“Dubbed the Picasso of photography, a collection of Eggleston’s is set to debut…When color film was introduced, it was a young man hailing from Mississippi who revolutionized the art form with pictures like paintings.” -Florida Central Post   

“William Eggleston’s peculiar eye for color and composition make him a national treasure.” -Orlando Weekly 

 
The Museum acquired the photographs from Dr. William R. “Bill” Ferris, founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, scholar, author and longtime friend of Eggleston. Eggleston’s work was credited with helping establish color photography in the late 20th century as a legitimate artistic medium. “This exhibit allows everyone to know his work, which is part of the legacy of Ole Miss,” said Ferris. [more] 

“Momentous day for UMMuseum exhibit feat. work of Memphis native William Eggleston travels to Mennello Museum”– Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter posted, Twitter

 

 

 

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Past-President of Friends of the Museum honored by MILA

CLEVELAND, Miss. — Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters (MILA) announced the 38th Annual Award Winners on Saturday, June 3, 2017. Kent Wyatt Hall at Delta State University hosted the event, honoring eleven Mississippi artists, musicians and writers.

The University of Mississippi is pleased to announce Award-Winner in Visual Arts, Carlyle Wolfe, for her piece “Fall”.  Past President of the philanthropic organization, Friends of the Museum, Wolfe extracts silhouettes from her drawings of plants. She then cut paper stencils, until 2016 when she began cutting the delicate silhouette stencils from stainless steel. 

The University of Mississippi also boasts Award-Winner in Photography, Dr. David Wharton for “The Power of Belief: Spiritual Landscapes from the Rural South.” Wharton has served as Director of Documentary Studies and Assistant Professor of Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture since 1999.  The Noel Polk Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jere Allen, professor emeritus of art at Ole Miss and internationally known figurative artist. 

Local favorites who often provide music at Rowan Oak events, Thacker Mountain Radio Hour received Citation of Merit. For more information visit MILA. 

 

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Special thanks to Current Exhibit Sponsors

 
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM

Lasting Impressions: Restoring Kate Freeman Clark

March 28-July 22, 2017

Lester and Susan Fant
Bank of Holly Springs
David B. Person
First State Bank
Tim and Lisa Lindy
Tyson Drugs, Inc.
Ellis Stubbs State Farm Insurance
 

 

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ROWAN OAK:

Etchings From William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury by Boyd Saunders

Phil Swan
Friends of the Museum
 

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SPECIAL EVENTS:

Harvest Supper

Looking ahead: 2018 Harvest Supper, Oct. 12, 2018

Friends of the Museum members deeply appreciate the generosity of sponsors for the dinner, which has become one of the signature events of the Lafayette-Oxford-University community’s fall season.

 

PAST SPONSORS AND DONORS: 2015-2016

A&N Catering	Alicia and Jason Bouldin	Ashley and John Callery	Virginia Chavis
Peggy Adams	Norma Bourdeaux	Scott Caradine	Cicada, Inc.
RJ Allen & Associates	Lucia and Louis Brandt	Carolyn “Chinney” Carothers	City Grocery
Billie Allio	David and Shawn Brevard	Marti Funke and Brian Carpenter	Joy and John C. Clark
Bancorp South	Kristy Bridgers	Cathead Vodka	Langdon Clay
Baptist Memorial Hospital North MS	Hughes Brown, PLLC	CDP Landscape Architecture	Maude Clay
Claiborne and Marian Barksdale	Susan Bryan	Billy and Julie Chadwick	J.D. and Mary Susan Clinton
Diane Davis Barrentine	Melissa Swetland and Danny Bulian	Lisa Chandler	Robin and John Cocke
Bayou Birds	Jennifer and Pat Caldwell	Diala and Phillip Chaney	Dr. and Mrs. Steve Cockerham
Ross Bjork	Rachel and David Calhoun	Charter Road Hospitality, Inc.	Myrna Colley-Lee

Dr. and Mrs. John Joseph Cook	Jason Derrick	Diana and Gary Fisketjon	Goose Creek
Richard & Darlene Copp	Leelee and Jon Desler	Susan and Bowen Flowers	Anne-Marie & Bradley Gordon
Tom Corbin	Marty and John Dunbar	Lassie and Harry Flowers	Graduate Oxford
Lee and John Corlew	Linda Burgess and Bill Dunlap	FNB Oxford Bank	Bill & Ashley Griffith
Shelia Cowart	John T, Edge and Blair Hobbs	Richard and Marilyn Frey	Mark and Susan Gunn
Darrell Crawford	Vicki and Tim Ellis	Eddie and Martha Dale Fritts	Kathy Hamilton
Meredith Creekmore	Amy Evans and Dr. Marvin King	Mary Ann and Don Fruge	Lee Harris
Ed Croom	Paige and Glen Evans	Jack Garner	Sam and Mary Haskell
Tom Davis State Farm Insurance	Jan and Lawrence Farrington	Reba Garner	Randy Hayes
Trish and Jack Denton	Beth Ann Fennelly & Tom Franklin	Angie Littlejohn & Denise Gilbert	Gayle and Michael Henry

Mark and Susan Gunn	Friends of Dorothy & Tom Howorth	Martha Dunn Kirkley	Marla and Lowry Lomax
Kathy Hamilton	Elizabeth and Andy Howorth	Charles and Nancy Krpec	Dr. Billy and Rebecca Long
Lee Harris	Beckett & Mary Hartwell Howorth	LaRousse Salon & The Spa at LaRousse	George Lucas
Sam and Mary Haskell	Howorth & Associates Architects	Dorothy and John Laurenzo	Jeff and Elizabeth Lusk
Randy Hayes	Philip Jackson	Lazy Magnolia	Terry Lynn
Gayle and Michael Henry	Jasmine Art Glass	Lindsey and Jason Leach	Madison Charitable Foundation
Holcomb Dunbar, Attorneys	Vikki Hughes and Price Johnson	Leslie and Mark Lee	David Magee
Tish Horton	Lori Liston and Matthew Johnson	Amy and Slade Lewis	Magnolia Rental
Katrina and Mike Hourin	Jerry and Gloria Kellum	Amy Lewis, Congressional Staff, Federal Relations	Magnolia Wine and Spirits
Capel Howorth	Tiffany Kilpatrick	Patty and Will Lewis	Robert Malone

 

 

Olivia and Archie Manning	Marye and Paul Moore	Oxford Property Group LLC	Peyton Prospere
Melody and John Maxey	Connie and Eric Mott	John Palmer	Linda and Holly Raney
Emily and Mark McCauley	Richard and Nancy Muller	Kerry and Paul Parker	Jenny Rayner
Louisa McConnell	Melanie Munns & Zach Antonelli	Jane Henderson Pekala	Jim and Mary Sharp Rayner
Bobby Jo and Robert McConnell	Lydia and Carter Myers	Mary Ann and Roy Percy	George and Amanda Ready
Susan and David McCormick	Nautilus Publishing	Hayden Perkins	Hardy Reed
Steve and Rose McDavid	Neilsen & Co	Michelle Perry	Jane Thomas Rogers
Caroline McIntosh	Joli and Mac Nichols	Holmes Pettey	Roxford University
Donna and Charlie Merkel	Ron Nurnberg	Rebecca and Locke Phillips	Robert Saarnio
Karen and Bruce Moore	Oxford Floral	Poppa’s Wine and Spirits	Saint Leo

Sample & Poole Properties, LLC	Tom and Elizabeth Speed	The Self Foundation	Melody and John Webb
Laurian Scott	Robert and Elizabeth Stalder	Mary Thompson	Brenda West
Diane and Dickie Scruggs	Belinda Stewart	Sonia and Wright Thompson	Ralph and Susan White
Jody and Pick Scruggs	Gay and Jack Stubbs	Robin and Tod Threadgill	Brooke White
Bob and Cindy Seibels	Tannehill, Carmean & McKenzie PLLC	Trent Lott Leadership Institute	Lynn and Will Wilkins
Carolyn and Bill Simmons	Blake Tartt III- NRP Oxford	UM Steel Band	Machelle and Ernie Williams
Mary Louise and Robert Sinclair	Pat and Patty Tatum	Ralph Vance	Lisa and Franklin Williams
Mary and Mark Solomon	Dr. and Mrs. Cooper	Rosie Vassallo	Carlyle Wolfe
Southside Gallery	Terry Lynn	Vino Wholesale	Woodson Ridge Farms
Rose and Hubert Spears	Suzan and Tommy Thames	Shonda Warner	Margaret Wylde & Ken Wooten

 

Yalobusha Brewing Co

Younger Foundation