The Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) is proud to announce the addition of 11 new works to its permanent collection through acquisitions and gifts. Entering the collection since July 2023, the artworks span various mediums and themes, highlighting MMA’s dedication to representing a diverse range of voices, fostering connections through the power of art, and reflecting the rich tapestry of American and international artistic expression.
MMA’s Laurie Hearin McRee Director Betsy Bradley commented, “These acquisitions not only broaden the narratives within our collection, but they also invite honest dialogue with our past, engage with the present, and inspire our community towards a collective future. The Museum gratefully acknowledges our donors whose generosity made these purchases and gifts possible during our last fiscal year.”
The new acquisitions include:
Jacqueline Bishop (b.1971)—known for her ethereal paintings, drawings, and installations—explores the intricate relationship between humans and the natural world in her work Sentient (from the nest series, 2005). Her work delves into the political dimensions of landscapes, migration, and extinction, urging viewers to confront the consequences of environmental collapse. Bishop’s work serves as a powerful testament to the urgency of preserving our natural world.
Her work is included in the collections of the Arkansas Arts Center, Detroit Institute of Arts, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum, and other institutions. This painting is Bishop’s third piece to enter MMA’s collection.
Patti Carr Black (b.1934), a formative figure in Mississippi’s cultural sphere, is celebrated for her extensive writing and contributions to the state’s visual arts. Black’s career in the arts was deeply influenced by her tenure at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, where she was mentored by notable figures such as Charlotte Capers and formed lasting connections with icons like Eudora Welty. During her time at the Archives, Black held a wide range of positions including librarian, exhibits designer, and director of the State Historical Museum (the Old Capitol) and several other state properties. She conceived over 100 exhibitions that celebrated Mississippi’s unique heritage.
In Untitled, Black portrays Howard Jones, a local musician known for his trombone play with the jazz group “The Sizzlin Six.” Jones was recognized for creating art through music, painting, and sculpture.
In addition to Art in Mississippi, she has written numerous books, documentaries, monographs, and guidebooks covering various subjects. In The Mississippi Story, based on her curated exhibition by that name at MMA, Black shares her deep knowledge and understanding of Mississippi art and culture.
Akea Brionne (b.1996) is an interdisciplinary researcher and artist working within Afro-Surrealism. Focusing on the ways history influences the contemporary cultural milieu of the American black middle class and the history of urban and suburban planning, she explores current political and social themes related to historical forms of oppression, discrimination, segregation, and black identity.
Her work is featured in the Smithsonian’s Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections and Duke University’s David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library. She was selected as the 2018 Documentarian of Color by Duke, and her series, Black Picket Fences, was acquired for their permanent collection and is on preserve at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. In 2019, Brown was awarded the 2019 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize, an award that assists in furthering the careers of visual artists and visual artists collaborators that live and work in the greater Baltimore region. School Children was exhibited in MMA’s groundbreaking exhibition A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration, currently traveling the country.
Andrew Bucci (1922-2014) was a celebrated abstract artist born in Vicksburg, MS. His artistic journey began with lessons from Mary Clare Sherwood and blossomed under the mentorship of Marie Hull, one of the state’s most prominent 20th-century artists. Bucci’s artistic pursuits were briefly interrupted by service in World War II and the Korean War. Following military service, he pursued formal art education, earning degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Throughout his career, Bucci’s eclectic style, influenced by his diverse experiences, found recognition both in Washington, DC, where he settled and in his home state. Notably, his magnolia design graced a U.S. postage stamp commemorating Mississippi’s statehood 150th anniversary on December 11, 1967.
Bucci’s profound impact on the Mississippi art scene is evident in his extensive presence in the MMA’s collection, with 54 works attributed to him. Additionally, he donated 115 works to the Museum, including 15 of his own creations. His contributions to the arts were honored with prestigious awards, including the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2009, and a lifetime achievement award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters in 2012. Bucci’s legacy extends beyond his lifetime, with his artwork selected as the signature image for the USA International Ballet Competition in both 2014 and 2023.
Caroline Wogan Durieux (1896-1989), a rare Southern female satirist in the early 20th century, is now celebrated for her incisive lithographs touching on human oddities and critical societal issues. Born in New Orleans to a Creole family, with her husband Pierre Durieux, she ventured to Cuba and Mexico where she immersed herself in the vibrant art scene and befriended luminaries like Diego Rivera. Returning to New Orleans, she became a pivotal figure in the local art community and championed racial equality in her role as director of Louisiana’s Works Progress Administration program.
Durieux’s work is represented in the collections of Louisiana State University Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. MMA now has two works by Durieux in its holdings.
Graham Fagen’s (b.1966) creative inquiries explore the complexities of identity and cultural interplay. Fagen’s practice engages in difficult conversations through a diverse range of media including video, performance, and text. In The Slave’s Lament, Fagen intertwines the sorrowful narrative of Robert Burns’ poem with the reggae music of Ghetto Priest, creating a poignant commentary on historical suffering that resonates with contemporary social issues. This single-channel video installation, acquired by MMA with the generous support of the Franks Fund, captures the viewer with its moving score and powerful imagery, becoming a focal point for discussions about history, heritage, and the enduring impacts of the slave trade.
Fagen is a Professor of Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design at University of Dundee, Scotland. He has exhibited at Busan Biennale South Korea, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, and Tate Britain. He was international artist in residence at Artpace, San Antonio, TX in 2011 and represented his native Scotland at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015.
Thomas Cantwell Healy (1820-1899) was renowned for his portraiture skills as shown in Charlotte Davis Wylie, 1853. Established in Port Gibson, MS in 1844, he benefitted from its affluent community and commissions. During the Civil War, he remained in the South, where he was highly regarded among plantation owners for his portraits. Elizabeth P. Reynolds, curator of a 1980 exhibition of his works at MMA, discovered over 40 of Healy’s portraits that he painted in Port Gibson. The MMA collection now holds four of his works.
Matt Herron (1931-2020) was an activist and photojournalist, documenting pivotal moments of the Civil Rights Movement, including the aftermath of Medgar Evers’ murder trial and the March for Cheney, Goodman, and Schwerner. Beginning his career in 1962, Herron’s work appeared in major publications worldwide, documenting the struggle for racial equality in Mississippi for magazines like Life, Newsweek, Time, and The Saturday Evening Post. In 1964, he founded the Southern Documentary Project, aiming to chronicle social change in the South, and won the World Press Photo Contest for his civil rights photograph in 1965.
Image from Medgar Evers’ Murder Trial (1964) and March for Cheney, Goodman, Schwerner one year after their murders (1965) make 83 works by Herron in MMA’s permanent collection. He passed away in 2020, having profoundly impacted the documentation of social justice movements.
John T. Scott (1940-2007) celebrated for his kinetic sculptures, embodied the Afro-Caribbean vibrancy of New Orleans, LA, blending bold colors and motion in his works. Raised in the Lower Ninth Ward, his art was influenced by his mother’s embroidery and studies under Charles Pollock. Transitioning from static to kinetic forms in the 1980s, Scott’s pieces often address urban violence and cultural identity showcased in site-specific installations like those at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Despite leaving due to Hurricane Katrina, his woodblock series from 2003 eerily foreshadowed the disaster, underscoring his profound connection to the city, leaving an indelible mark on the New Orleans’ art scene.
I Remember Birmingham (1997) conveys the artist’s poignant response to the tragic church bombing of 1963, honoring the four murdered girls. Providing a space for reflection, Scott’s installation echoes his belief in art’s power to confront human cruelty, serving as a testament to the girls’ unrealized potential. In capturing the aftermath of this dark chapter in American history, Scott’s work becomes a solemn tribute, allowing visitors to share in his lament for the lives cut short and injustices endured.
Charles Smith’s artistic journey is one of profound transformation and healing. After serving in Vietnam, he found solace and purpose in meticulously molding clay in the ceramic studio at Jackson State University in the 1970s. The intricate forms and hand-carved surfaces of his pieces often reflect a blend of his personal history and a broader cultural narrative, encapsulating themes of struggle, resilience, and rebirth.
His work has been on view at the American Craft Museum, New York and Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC among many other institutions.
Carrie Mae Weems (b.1953) examines issues of race, class, and gender identity. Primarily working in photography and video, she also explores a range of disciplines from verse to performance. Weems has said that regardless of the medium, activism is a central concern of her practice; specifically, looking at history to better understand the present. She rose to prominence with her “Kitchen Table Series” in the early 1990s, examining tropes and stereotypes of African American life.
The recipient of numerous honors and awards, she was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2013. In 2023, she was the inaugural Agnes Gund Professor of the Practice of Art and Social Justice at Brown Arts Institute, Brown University in Providence, RI. The North Star (2022) was exhibited in MMA’s groundbreaking exhibition A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration, currently traveling the country.
For more information about the new acquisitions or the MMA, please visit msmuseumart.org.
About the Mississippi Museum of Art
Established in 1911, the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) is dedicated to connecting Mississippi to the world and the power of art to the power of community. The Museum’s permanent collection includes paintings, photography, multimedia works, and sculpture by Mississippi, American, and international artists. The largest art museum in the state, the Mississippi Museum of Art offers a vibrant roster of exhibitions, public programs, artistic and community partnerships, educational initiatives, and opportunities for exchange year-round. Programming is developed inclusively with community involvement to ensure that a diversity of voices and perspectives are represented. Located at 380 South Lamar Street in downtown Jackson, the Museum is committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion. The Mississippi Museum of Art and its programs are sponsored in part by the City of Jackson and Visit Jackson. Support is also provided in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
For more information, visit msmuseumart.org
