Visitors to the Mississippi University for Women Galleries can step back in time with the Memories of The W exhibition — and also explore the art of five W graduates featured in the Alumni Invitational exhibition.
Curated by Andy Snyder, this Memories of The W exhibition in Gallery B features photographs from the university archives.
Snyder worked with Derek Webb, the university archivist, to select the photographs.
“It was very exciting to be able to go through the university archives while selecting photographs for the exhibition. I looked for images from a variety of time periods, showing a range of activities,” said Snyder.
Included in the exhibition is an interactive display. Visitors are invited to write their own memories of The W on index cards, which are then displayed on wooden railings in the gallery. After the exhibition, the cards will be donated to the archives.
The exhibition runs in conjunction with the Alumni Invitational exhibition in the Eugenia Summer Gallery. “We wanted an exhibition that complemented the alumni show and that would bring in visitors who normally would not come to an exhibition. We’ve made a commitment to reach out and introduce ourselves to a larger community,” said Dr. Beverly Joyce, gallery director.
Alumni art
The five artists showcased in the Alumni Invitational are Aneesha Baldeosingh ’09, Shirley Boudreaux ’11, Cathy Dailey ’90, Jill Hammes ’76, and Jill Shoffiett ’96. The exhibition features a variety of artistic styles, subjects and media, designed to appeal to a range of viewers.
Upon entering the gallery, the viewer will be drawn to the vibrant primary colors of Hammes’ relief prints. Dailey’s work is also colorful, but her subjects are cats, dogs, birds and owls, depicted both singly and in groups. Some of the artwork demands quiet contemplation, as in Baldeosingh’s series of handmade papers. Boudreaux, a textile artist, offers delicate flowers made of intricate webs of thread along with handmade books. Shoffiett’s domestic interiors and landscapes are also intimate works, but rendered with what she calls “a distinctly ‘Southern Gothic’ quality.”
Friday reception
The opening reception for both exhibitions is Friday, March 27 from 4-6:30 pm.
Both exhibitions run through April 2 in the Mississippi University for Women Galleries, located in the Art and Design Building on campus. The galleries are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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