Above: Artwork by Mark Brown
Three major exhibits planned for fall 2015
The Fine Art Gallery at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus in Gautier has three major exhibits scheduled for the fall semester.
The premiere art event is an exhibit by Melanie Eubanks, Paula Pierce and Mark Brown, all fine art instructors at Jones County Junior College. The exhibit will run August 27-October 1. An opening reception for the artists is set for August 27 at 1 p.m. in the gallery.
Eubanks has been interested in clay since spending time at her grandparents’ home in rural Smith County, Mississippi. By age 6, she and her cousins would use the red clay they found there to make animal sculptures and other little creations. Her formal introduction to ceramics was at The University of Southern Mississippi. Even though she majored in painting and drawing, she continued taking every ceramics class she could squeeze into her schedule. In 1994, she began teaching at JCJC, where she still teaches ceramics, drawing and art history.
Pierce is the painting instructor at JCJC. Paula studied at USM, where she received her master’s degree in art education. She has also studied painting at William Carey University. Her medium is a combination of acrylic, oil and mixed media. She tends to vacillate between the real and nonobjective for subject matter, and her inspiration comes from the negative space in letters and numbers, things that are vertical, and incredible plants. Paula began her 10th year at JCJC this fall.
Brown received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mississippi State University, with a focus on sculpture and illustration. He has a Master of Art Education, with a studio emphasis in sculpture, from USM. He began working at JCJC in 2007. Brown’s sculpture draws upon gestural and figurative approaches. He employs discarded items to take advantage of their aesthetic attributes and to achieve desired effects. Because he chooses to assemble such a wide range of materials, the process of art-making has become as important as the finished object itself. It is his intention that the viewer becomes aware of this process through the investigation of the layers.
The remaining shows for fall 2015 will include a showcase of the work of Ben Bensen of New Orleans October 8-November 5. He is a storyboard and comp illustrator who also serves as chairman for the Society of Illustrators/Los Angeles.
The gallery will host an exhibit from the Mississippi Museum of Art November 12-December 10, featuring a collection of 16- to 18th-century Italian prints.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. For gallery hours and more information, contact gallery director Marc Poole, marc.poole@mgccc.edu or (228) 497-7684.