Friends of the Museum

Friends of the Museum Board Members

Julia Thornton
President

Afton Thomas
Vice President

Ygondine Creasy
Treasurer

Tom Howorth
Secretary

Robert Hollingsworth
Member At-Large

Ann Brock

Billy Chadwick

Wil Cook

Earl Dismuke

Jack Garner

Medora Justus

Dorothy Laurenzo

Kent Magee

Marianne Parks

Greg Patton

Jodi Skipper

Brenda Jones West

The Friends of the Museum supports the activities and acquisitions of the University Museum and Historic Houses through advocacy, fundraising, and special programming.

RECENT FRIENDS’ ACTIVITIES:

Special Events

  • Harvest Supper
  • Launch of The Beautiful Mysterious: The Extraordinary Gaze of William Eggleston catalog
  • Meditations on the Landscape in Art and Literature symposium
  • Buie Bacchanalia

Acquisitions

  • Meditations on the Origins of Agriculture in America (1987) by Bill Dunlap, in conjunction with the Mississippi Arts Commission*
    *The project is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, through the Avery B. Dille, Jr. Fund for Art Acquisition, in memory of Mr. Avery B. Dille, Sr., Mrs. Katherine T. Dille, and Mr. Avery B. Dille, Jr. 

Exhibition Support

  • Meditations on the Landscape in Art and Literature exhibition
  • The Beautiful Mysterious: The Extraordinary Gaze of William Eggleston traveling exhibit
  • Audio, video, and technology upgrades in gallery spaces

Educational Programming

  • Classroom technology upgrades
  • First Friday Free Sketch Days
  • Adult Studio Workshop and Milkshake Mash-Up supplies
  • Traveling Trunk, Boys & Girls Club, Outreach, and other partnership funding
  • Inter-generational programming support, including Buie Babies and Family Days
  • Museum Education Professional Development resource shelf
  • Guest artists and field trips for Art Zone students

The Friends of the Museum Endowment

The Permanent Collection

  • Future acquisitions at Rowan Oak
  • Rowan Oak website development
  • Supported efforts to restore access to outbuildings at Rowan Oak
  • Renovation of the original 1939 Mary Buie Museum
  • Re-installation of the Robinson Greek and Roman Collection
  • Art and artifacts conservation
  • Bailey Woods Trail signage installation