Mississippi News

Mississippi Museum of Art opens ‘Great Migration’ exhibit

Published

3 years ago

April 15, 2022

Photos: Mississippi Museum of Art opens homage exhibit to ‘The Great Migration’

by Vickie King, Mississippi Today
April 15, 2022

More than 6 million African Americans in the South migrated north seeking better opportunities and a better way of life between 1916-1970. Those millions populated cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

That exodus was called “The Great Migration.”

An homage to that pilgrimage north opened this week at the Mississippi Museum of Art, where 12 artists from across the nation with ties to Mississippi will have their newly commissioned works showcased in the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration.”

The exhibit features work by acclaimed Black artists, including Akea Brionne, Mark Bradford, Zoë Charlton, Larry W. Cook, Torkwase Dyson, Theaster Gates Jr., Allison Janae Hamilton, Leslie Hewitt, Steffani Jemison, Robert Pruitt, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, and Carrie Mae Weems. The works explore “profound impact of the Great Migration on the social and cultural life of the United States from historical and personal perspectives,” museum officials explained.

The museum hosted an April 8 weekend opening that featured discussions from most of the artists. The weekend guests included Ford Foundation president and author Darren Walker, who spoke to attendees about the lasting legacies of the Great Migration, and ABC anchor and Mississippi native Robin Roberts.

The exhibit will be open at the museum in downtown Jackson until Sept. 11, 2022.

Here are some photos from the exhibit’s opening weekend.

Los Angeles artist Mark Bradford’s piece, “In 500,” depicts a wanted ad calling for Black families to settle on land in New Mexico, as opposed to “Wanted” posters of a more sinister ilk. Bradford’s artwork is part of the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

Artist Jamea Richmond-Edwards of Detroit (center) and museum visitors chat about Richmond-Edward’s piece, “This Water Runs Deep,” currently on display as part of the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

Jamea Richmond-Edwards of Detroit discusses her mixed media and collage on canvas piece, “This Water Runs Deep,” depicting family impacted by Mississippi River flooding and their travels north to Arkansas and Missouri. The artwork is part of the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

Maryland based artist Zoe Charlton, poses with her collage on wood panel, “Permanent Change of Station.” The piece blends worlds of reality and fantasy, depicting her family’s journeys out of the South and around the world, many by way of the military, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

Artist Larry W. Cook, with one of the only portraits he has shot of his father. Cooks’ portrait of his father and other family members is called, “Let My Testimony Sit Next to Yours,” and is a part of the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

Museum curator Ryan N. Dennis describes the piece of Houston born artist Robert Pruitt called, “A Song for Travelers,” which depicts Houston’s Third and Fourth Wards where Pruitt grew up. The artwork is part of the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

Museum curator Jessica Bell Brown (center), describes the painted steel and aluminum, glass and dry-erase piece of artist Torkwase Dyson called, “Way Over There Inside Me (A Festival of Inches),” depicting ” the magnitude of accelerated movement in America.” Dyson’s sculpture is part of the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

Artist Akea Brionne describes the tapestries she created honoring her three great aunts (the Phelps sisters) and her great grandmother. These women in her life made it possible for the men in the family to migrate north in search of a better life. The artwork is part of the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

Artists, patrons of the arts and Mississippi Museum of the Arts staff kick off the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” an homage to the social, economical and cultural impact that resulted from the exodus of millions African Americans from the South to northern states. The exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” opened today at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

The Mississippi Museum of Art is host to the exhibit, “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration,” at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Friday, Apr. 8, 2022.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: December 20-22

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-12-20 12:03:00

SUMMARY: This weekend (December 20-22), Mississippi offers a variety of festive events. In Jackson, enjoy Food Truck Friday, candlelight concerts, a Grinch movie screening, and Journey to the North Pole. In Ridgeland, experience Merry Bingo, Christmas on the Green, and Fleet Feet Coffee Run. Vicksburg hosts Rock the Halls, while Natchez offers a European Christmas Shopping Village. Other activities include Santa scuba diving at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, and Magic of Lights in Brandon. Hattiesburg features Lights of the Wild and Teddy Bear Tea with Santa. Numerous holiday events are available across the state.

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Mississippi News

Attorneys seek protective order in Jackson bribery case

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-12-19 14:36:00

SUMMARY: Prosecutors in Jackson are seeking a protective order to prevent the release of sensitive information in a bribery case involving Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, and City Councilman Aaron Banks. The motion aims to protect personal, financial, and grand jury information, fearing it could impair investigations and fair trial rights. The three officials face charges related to a bribery scheme involving $80,000 in bribes for approving a real estate development project. Other individuals, including former City Councilwoman Angelique Lee and Sherik Marve Smith, are also implicated, with Smith pleading guilty to conspiracy.

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Mississippi News

Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse

Published

2 weeks ago

December 10, 2024

Staff Editor

www.wjtv.com – MICHAEL R. SISAK and MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press – 2024-12-10 14:27:00

SUMMARY: Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Mangione, who expressed disdain for corporate greed and the health insurance industry, was found with a gun matching the murder weapon and fraudulent IDs. He initially gave false identification but was recognized at a McDonald’s. Mangione, who wrote a three-page document expressing anti-corporate sentiments, is being extradited to New York. His family, shocked by his arrest, expressed condolences to Thompson’s family. Mangione had no prior criminal complaints but had a history of severe back pain.

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