My parents were not the type to leave my sister and me at home on the weekends. If they were going to antique stores, the Art Museum for a show, or out on the Natchez Trace to the Craftsmen Guild shop, Sanders and I were strapped into the back seat of the station wagon and off we went. There was not a holiday that we were not given a piece of Mississippi art to go along with whatever toy we wanted that year. While I was young I didn’t appreciate it, but I have certainly learned to; and in fact I am making my own trips now to art shows at the Mississippi Museum of Art and galleries around town. More often than not I find myself hanging out with different Jackson artists and craftsmen drinking a beer or two.
I got a phone call one day from my friends, Nell Linton Knox and Ellen Rodgers Johnson, saying that they had this great idea to put together a book about Jackson artists and their studios. These ladies and I became friends when they both worked at Lemuria, and since I am still at the bookstore, they asked my advice on whether or not I thought people would be interested. My immediate response was YES!!
Looking through an advance copy of Studio Jackson, I was so proud of Nell and Ellen, and the hard work they put into the book really shows. Nell’s interviews with the artists and Ellen’s photographs will transport you to the studios where the artists work their magic. You will visit Wolfe Studio, Pearl River Glass, where many Jackson artists have worked, and Richard Kelso’s studio above Hal and Mal’s that he affectionately calls “The Box”. You will cruise through Fondren, Midtown, and Downtown where William Goodman, Roz Roy, Davaine Lighting, Light & Glass Studio and Fletcher Cox are hard at work. You will even get invited to the home studios of Teresa Haygood, Justin Schultz, and Ginger Williams-Cook. These are just a few of the Jackson artists and craftsmen featured in Studio Jackson but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t leave you just curious enough to come and buy the book!!!
Studio Jackson: Creative Culture in the Mississippi Capital is a book that everyone interested in the arts will want to have in their collection. This is not an art history book; it’s a book that tells what is happening right now in Jackson’s art community and how we can look forward to its growth as long as we continue to support creative culture. Nell, Ellen, and many of the artists featured in Studio Jackson will be at Lemuria on November 4th at 5:00 P.M. so come on by; be a part of Jackson’s creative economy and join us for the signing and possibly a beer or two!!
Written by Maggie
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