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

Written by Scott M. Crawford, Ph.D

Friends of mine Rachael Taylor and Kelly Cook from Broadmeadow United Methodist Church approached me this morning as I arrived for church.  They were leading the Children’s Bible Study and asked the kids, “What are you grateful for?” The answer was a unanimous, “I’m grateful for my LEGO’s!!!”  Of course, being a bit of a LEGO fan myself (ever so slightly), this made me smile.  Rachael and Kelly asked if there was some way to incorporate LEGO’s into a spiritual message to teach the children.  This blog is my answer.

As fans of LEGO JACKSON may already know, it is an idealized version of Mississippi’s Capital City, in which all are welcome, everyone cares for each other, and people bring about justice and equity for all.  One of the first buildings I wanted to create was my home church, Broadmeadow United Methodist.  It’s a very traditional looking church, with a tall white steeple.  Unfortunately, that kind of steeple is very difficult (almost impossible) to recreate in the right scale, proportional to the minifigures that populate LEGO JACKSON.

Building with LEGO often results in this kind of quandary.  Having a great idea but not having the pieces available (if they even exist at all).  Complicating everything is that the more one builds, the fewer pieces you have left in the collection, no matter how carefully they might be organized for easy retrieval.

Living with a chronic, progressive, debilitating disease like multiple sclerosis is a lot like that.  It can be described as “the gift that keeps on taking.”  Ones strength, cognitive resources, coordination, and stamina are all taken away slowly but surely…sometimes quite abruptly.

Yet, we are all called to “BUILD” something meaningful with our lives.  None of us have the same set of pieces, and although we may try to get more through education, hard work, and creativity, there are always limits.

My life as a clinical neuropsychologist ended when I got a severe form of progressive MS.  It was not unlike the time when vandals broke into my storage unit and destroyed a large part of LEGO JACKSON.  It was devastating.  I’d worked very long and hard to create a life I thought was meaningful, and it was taken away.  I was left to “pick up the pieces” and “start over” with “plan B.”

I now have a lot fewer “pieces” than I had before.  MS affects my cognition, although most people do not notice.  Chronic exhaustion limits what I do despite my “workaholic” personality.  Some days it is hard to get out of bed, and it is always a struggle to speak loud enough to be heard (my vocal cords are paralyzed).

There are very few things that I’m absolutely certain of, but one of them is that we are all tasked with creating something meaningful with what we have available.  To me, that means serving on various disability related boards and committees, and inspiring others to care for each other and our city through LEGO JACKSON.

I couldn’t build the exact likeness of my own church, so I examined what I DID have, and came up with a design for a “Cathedral” to represent a place where the people of LEGO JACKSON could revere their Creator.  LEGO JACKSON’s Cathedral debuted in 2010.

If I had the pieces, I’d like to someday build a Mosque, Jewish Temple, and other places of worship.

You’ll notice I repurposed “wheels” for stained glass windows.

I scrounged enough clear pieces to create a “stained glass cross” behind the altar.

I worked hard to recreate details like the altar cross, pipe organ, baptismal font, and bread/wine.  Jedi Knights serve for “monks”.

It didn’t turn out to be my church, but it serves the people of LEGO JACKSON well.

Remember, in life, we are asked to build something meaningful using fewer pieces than we wish we had.

Be creative.  Keep building.  Never stop.

-Scott

Jackson: photographs by Ken Murphy is available now for purchase. To order a copy, call Lemuria Books at 601.366.7619 or visit us online at lemuriabooks.com. 

by Kelly Pickerill

I’ve been charmed by Gregory Macguire’s new middle grade novel, Egg & Spoon. Though that’s its official classification I hesitate to call it middle grade; yes, it’s a fairy tale set in Imperial Russia, with two tween girl heroines and the inimitable, grandmotherly yet dangerous witch Baba Yaga as another of its main players. Its themes are the usual middle grade fare of being content with what you have and that anyone can be a hero. But it has much to offer grown-up readers, too. Much of the subtlety of the humor won’t be appreciated by younger readers, especially Baba Yaga’s references to modern culture (her indeterminate age has apparently endowed her with timelessness), and the narrator’s (a blind old monk in a prison tower) omniscient digressions from the story.

Aristocratic yet spoiled Ekaterina encounters the young and peasant Elena when the train taking her to St Petersburg is forced to stop in Elena’s poverty-stricken village. A mishap causes them to switch places as the train resumes its journey, and Elena finds herself a stowaway on the train. Sure that the mistake will be discovered and the train will return to pick her up, Ekaterina begins to walk along the tracks, only to be swept into the clutches of the legendary witch, Baba Yaga. Ekaterina doesn’t know what to make of the ramblings of the witch—of the firebird and its magical tail feathers, of the ice dragon whose slumber in the north is said to be responsible for the winter season’s frost—she barely believes in the witch herself. But Baba Yaga knows something is wrong with the balance of magic in the world, because the snow is melting and winter is thawing too soon. Everyone heads to St Petersburg, Baba Yaga to warn the Tsar of the problems, Ekaterina to return to her privileged life, and Elena hoping to get help for her suffering family.

The elements of Maguire’s beloved Wizard of Oz retelling, Wicked, may be more familiar to readers than a world of firebirds and thousand-year-old Russian witches, yet Egg & Spoon connects us to a tradition that is familiar in a different way, and is as layered as Elena’s matryoshka doll—the bonds of friendship, the love of family, the precocious heroism of youth. An intricately crafted Faberge egg begins this adventure, and two girls from very different worlds must find common ground in order to end it.

Egg & Spoon is a selection of our Oz First Editions Club. A limited number signed first editions are still available.

Written by Kelly

How were you able to pick what would go into the book from each artist’s expansive works? So many options! 

N: We tried to work individually with each artist or craftsman to figure out what example of his or her work made the most sense to go in the book, so it varies from artist to artist. For some of the artists, such as Kristen Ley at Thimblepress or Andy Young at Pearl River Glass, we simply photographed what they were currently working on in their studio. With Fletcher Cox, we went to a home in Ridgeland where he has created a large quantity of furniture for the owner and helped design the house. For Bebe, we knew we wanted to include a photo of the iconic “Bebe” bird. The primary focus of the book is showing the artists in their studios, however, so in addition to showcasing their work we always ending up photographing whatever they were currently doing.

Do you feel like having backgrounds as booksellers lent itself to the process of putting together a book? 

N: Absolutely. I know first hand that everyone, no matter what, is going to judge the book by the cover, and this is especially true with an art book. I could write the best profile essays in the world and if the book was unattractive it would not sell. When I worked at Lemuria I spent a lot of time in Oz selling children’s books, and I noticed how people gravitated towards excellent illustration and design.

E: I feel like Nell and I have a grasp on what people look for in a book, having gained
that general knowledge from working in Lemuria. After selling thousands of books you
kinda start to get a feel for what it is people want in a book. HA!

 I’m going to be bad and ask you to pick favorites. Best studio space?

N: This is such an unfair question! Of course I loved all the studios for different reasons. I personally like to work in small spaces, so I was the most astonished by the huge studios that seem like they go on forever. I think Andy Young’s studio is astounding – it’s basically a maze; you move from building to building through narrow passageways that lead from one workspace to another. Bebe Wolfe’s studio also has a wonderland quality because there are so many different outposts for different tasks, yet there’s a comparable vibe and energy in every building. Kristen Ley’s studio is also a favorite for me because her inimitable sense of style is worked so seamlessly into the functionality of the space, and she organizes impeccably in room after room after room.

E: Richard Kelso. Richard is one of those people who is so near and dear to my heart; I
just adore him. I literally hang on his every word. If you were to dream up what an oil painter’s studio would look like in your mind it would be “The Box”. Richard lovingly calls his studio “The Box”. If I have heard “Alright Babydoll, I gotta get back to “The Box” one time, I’ve literally heard it a hundred. Richard is the very definition of a creature of habit. It is one of the things you have to love about him.

Ellen, who influences your work?

E: Oh dear lord too many to list. I’ll try and keep it brief: Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Annie
Leibovitz, Richard Avedon, Clarence John Laughlin, Herb Ritts, and Michael Kenna.

Artists can be notoriously reclusive. How do you feel like artists in the Jackson area fit into that spectrum? Were you surprised by any of their stories?

N: I think the artists and craftsmen that we interviewed and photographed were wonderfully trusting of us! They put themselves out there all the time selling their work, but asking an artist or craftsman to tell you their personal story and let you photograph their private space can be intimidating for everyone involved. There were certainly artists and craftsmen who I reached out to that were not interested in being part of this book for various reasons, and I expected that from the start. At the end of the day, I hoped that the artists would see being included in the book as flattering and exciting, and thankfully they all did.

The most surprising story for me was Roz Roy’s personal history and relationship with her art. I don’t want to give her story away yet, but she’s had an amazing life and artistic journey. I think readers will be drawn to her story as much as they are to her artwork.

On average, how long did each interview/photo shoot take?

N: Interviews lasted for at least two or three hours, and some interviews were multiple sessions.

E: The photo shoots ranged anywhere from 30 minutes to the delightful 3.5 hours I
spent with Roz Roy one afternoon just shooting her while she worked.

N: I will say the more photo shoots we did, the faster we got at breaking down the light kit and realizing when we had the shot we wanted. It was fun for me to watch Ellen grow as a photographer. The first shoots she would take up to 200 or 300 photos; by the end of the process she could shoot 10 and just tell me, “I got it,” and show me a shot that was perfect. There were definitely moments where we had the option to compromise or settle for less, and I am proud to say that neither one of us ever considered it.

 What was it like working together? 

N: I think working together on this project was an incredible journey for both of us. We have been close friends for years and have similar professional aspirations, but neither of us had ever worked on a book before. Now that we are finished with our first book, I can say that we relied heavily on each other throughout this process. What made this partnership so successful is that we never doubted each other even though we doubted ourselves. We truly admire each other’s strengths, and that keeps the whole project in perspective.

That being said, we relate to people in such similar ways that oftentimes our jobs in this project overlapped. Ellen came with me to most of my interviews with the artists and I went with her to most of the photo shoots. Ellen wasn’t the only one scouting for the photograph, I was not the only one asking questions about someone’s personal history. I might notice that someone seemed more comfortable photographed in a certain way, while Ellen caught a bit of history that I overlooked. Ellen took every photograph, and I wrote every word, but we helped each other with every step. I could not imagine a better partner.

E:  I think we were definitely good for each other. We both talked each other off the cliff
several times. Both of us are prone to dramatics but we both possess the ability to
downplay any kind of crisis that the other believes she is having. It was very symbiotic.

If you had any magical power, what would it be?

N: I am a picky eater and I hate cooking. I wish I could photosynthesize.

E: To make unicorns real so I could have one of my very own. I don’t think that’s really a
magical power, I just really want a unicorn. If that doesn’t suffice I kind of just want to be
Samantha Stephens from Bewitched. I want to be able to wiggle my nose and be
anywhere in the world and not have to fly on a plane to get there!!! I hate flying. Or
wiggle my nose and my house is clean. That would rule.

You put this book together in only a year. If you had more time, what would you do?

N: I am so glad we were on a time limit because you can start obsessing over perfection and forget that the goal of any project is to finish it. This book isn’t perfect – I’ve steeled myself for the imperfections that I probably won’t notice until someone comes to point them out. But in my opinion, we had enough time to do what needed to be done for this book, and now we are already talking about ideas for the next one.

Dream big. If you could put this book into anyone’s hands, who would it be and why?

N: We have talked about how much we admire publications such as Vanity Fair, so it would be pretty amazing if Graydon Carter could see our book. Maybe he will want us as freelancers. You never know.

E: Nell and I both have what a probably bordering on unhealthy obsession with Vanity
Fair. I do not watch or read news of any kind. If it is not in Vanity Fair I DO NOT KNOW
ABOUT IT. And I’m okay with that. Nell and I constantly talk about the day when we
finally get to Vanity Fair. So I would like for some high up there to get it, specifically
Graydon Carter.

Please join us at Lemuria on Tuesday, November 4 at 5:00 for the official release party of Studio Jackson: Creative Culture in the Mississippi Capital by Nell Linton Knox and Ellen Rodgers Johnson.