September 8, 2017

Hinds CC’s colorful art tradition showcased in special Centennial show

Pieces of artwork from about 40 artists with connections to Hinds Community College are expected to be submitted for the Centennial Art Show, slated to run Sept. 25-Oct. 27 in…
BY: Cathy Hayden

Pieces of artwork from about 40 artists with connections to Hinds Community College are expected to be submitted for the Centennial Art Show, slated to run Sept. 25-Oct. 27 in the Marie Hull Art Gallery on the Raymond Campus.

Showcase artists include Bob Dunaway, former chair of the Art Department at Hinds, Mississippi artists Wyatt Waters and Bill Dunlap, stained glass artist Jerry Hymel and fashion designer Gary Feazelle, among others.

“The theme here will be the connections these artists have to Hinds,” said Sarah Teasley, chair of the Art Department and director for the art gallery.

Sarah Teasley, director of the Marie Hull Art Gallery on the Raymond Campus of Hinds Community College, shows one of her pieces. (Tammi Bowles/Hinds Community College)

Sarah Teasley, director of the Marie Hull Art Gallery on the Raymond Campus of Hinds Community College, shows one of her pieces. (Tammi Bowles/Hinds Community College)

Pieces from current faculty and other former faculty, students and alumni are also expected to be submitted, Teasley said.

A reception is scheduled in the gallery at 4 p.m. Oct. 10. For more information, contact Teasley at 601.857.3274 or sarah.teasley@ hindscc.edu.

“A visual arts program of study is essential to a well-rounded educational institution, and the prominent display of original works by Mississippi artists in areas throughout the Hinds campuses is a reminder of that,” Dunaway said.

Current and former faculty expected to participate in the exhibit note the longstanding influence the program at Hinds has had on the art scene in Mississippi and beyond.

One example is the ongoing, competitive art exhibit for art students in the state’s two-year colleges, largely organized by the Hinds Art Department, said Gayle McCarty, former art department chair and gallery director at Hinds, whose husband, Mike, also taught art at Hinds, at the Utica Campus. The McCartys’ two sons and grandson also attended Hinds.

“The competition is hosted by the different colleges throughout the state and provides an opportunity for a broad exposure to new ideas and insights,” McCarty said. “Many students who have been a part of the Art program over the years have told me how meaningful their experiences in Art at Hinds were to their career choices as well as to the enrichment of their lives.”

The Hinds Art Department was established in 1949 by Katherine Denton, for whom the art building on the Raymond Campus is named. According to a 1983 Hindsight article, classes were first held in a dorm room of Williams Hall, which burned in 2016.

The following year, the art program moved across the hall from President Dr. George McLendon’s office and had its first exhibit. As the program grew, it moved from location to location, including in the library, until McLendon suggested that “we just build an art

building. A fine arts building.”

The Katherine Denton Art Building, which opened in 1968, also houses the Marie Hull Gallery, named for the renowned Mississippi artist in 1972.

In 1980, another Mississippi artist Andrew Bucci, one of Hull’s former students, exhibited at Hinds. Hull donated several Bucci pieces to Hinds, and he donated several himself, for a total of 10. In 1983, Dunaway spearheaded having the reference room at the McLendon Library renamed the Andrew Bucci Reference Room in his honor.

Among the art show participants:

Current faculty/employees

Melanie Atkinson

Melanie John

LeeReyna Leyva

Brad Luke

Lee McCarty

Randy Minton

Phoenix Savage

Former Faculty (full-time and part-time)

Stephanie Busbea

Stephen Cook

Linda Denny

Katherine Denton

Bob Dunaway

Lee Dunlap

William Dunlap

Paula Duren

Paul Fayard

Michael Hataway

Jerry Hymel

Ky Johnston

Randy Jolly

Gayle McCarty

Mike McCarty

Randy Miley

Vicky Miley

Dana Moody

Russel Schneider

Albert Smathers

Traci Stover

Jimmy Tillotson

Louis Walsh

Gary Walters

Wyatt Waters

 

Alumni

Janet Akers

Madeline Bates

Nicolette Brokaw

Gary Feazell

Emelie Hebert

Jessica Hilton

Jeffery Hodges

Benjamin Ivey

Mark Millet

Brandon Moon

Easton Selby

Randall Teasley

Susan Teasley

Joel Walker

Jacob Walters

[tweetable alt=””]Centennial Art Show features prominent artists with ties to Hinds CC.[/tweetable]

 

Hinds Community College is celebrating its 100th year of Community Inspired Service in 2017. Hinds opened in September 1917 first as an agricultural high school and admitted college students for the first time in 1922, with the first class graduating in 1927. In 1982 Hinds Junior College and Utica Junior College merged, creating the Hinds Community College District. Today, as Mississippi’s largest community college, Hinds Community College is a comprehensive institution with six locations. Hinds offers quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.HindsCC.