Jackson native now serving as MSU-Noxubee Refuge resident artist
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 Macon, Georgia, professional painter who has lived and worked for two decades in Spain is Mississippi State鈥檚 newest artist-in-residence.
As part of his month-long exploration of the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, Thomas V. 鈥淭om鈥 Cowsert will be sharing his talents and experiences with the university and local communities.
A free exhibition of the Jackson native鈥檚 artwork is on display through Aug. 29 in the Colvard Student Union鈥檚 second-floor gallery.
Also free and open to all will be a Tuesday [Aug. 9] opening reception in Cowsert鈥檚 honor at the Colvard gallery. The event begins at 5 p.m., and refreshments will be served.
Located 12 miles south of the Starkville campus, the more than 48,000-acre federal reserve spanning Oktibbeha, Noxubee and Winston counties was established in 1940. It serves as a feeding and resting area for migratory birds and resident wildlife, including white-tailed deer, alligators and beaver. Wetlands, cypress groves, prairie grasslands and forest also are among its many features.
A master鈥檚 degree graduate in international business management from the University of South Carolina, Cowsert worked in the banking industry before moving to Spain to become a professional artist. His undergraduate studies also were completed at South Carolina鈥檚 Presbyterian College in Clinton.
In his current career, Cowsert said he enjoys exploring 鈥渁n interplay of forms and colors and references from cubism,鈥 adding, 鈥淚 find inspiration from the colors, sounds, rhythms and flavors of the places I visit.鈥
He is the son of Virginia Veitch Cowsert and the late William S. Cowsert. Former Starkville residents, his parents lived for a time in Jackson before moving to Georgia.
In addition to MSU鈥檚 art department, the annual artist-in-residence program is a collaborative effort of the refuge and its Friends of Noxubee Refuge support organization, as well as the Starkville Area Arts Council.
Lori Neuenfeldt, 绿巨人视频art department gallery director, said the program plays an integral role in promoting the creative process for innovative visual, performance and literary artists. Visiting professionals receive complimentary refuge housing and are welcome to experiment and further develop their skills during time spent at MSU鈥檚 art facilities, she explained.
鈥淭he refuge residency provides emerging and established artists the opportunity and workspace to research and create art within the beautiful natural surroundings of Northeast Mississippi,鈥 Neuenfeldt said. 鈥淩esidents have the freedom to explore and interact with native wildlife, as well as with members of the refuge staff and campus and local communities.鈥
Previous participating artists have included painter and Webster County native William 鈥淏ill鈥 Dunlap; printmaker Kathryn Hunter of Decatur, Alabama; Pennsylvania ceramicist Lilly Zuckerman; mural artist and illustrator Michael Roy of Jackson County; New Orleans artist and critic Marian S. McLellan; New York artists Caetlynn Booth and Tyson Washburn; Mississippi Audubon Master Naturalist and artist Robin Whitfield of Grenada; Iowa artist Barbara Fedeler; 绿巨人视频fine arts/sculpture graduate Shelby Nichols of Aberdeen; San Francisco artist and curator Jenny Balisle; and contemporary textiles and craft artist Elin de Jong of the Netherlands.
Additional refuge information is found at , , and . NWR project leader Steve Reagan also may be contacted at 662-323-5548 or steve_reagan@fws.gov.
Part of the College of Architecture, Art and Design, MSU鈥檚 art department is the longtime home of the state鈥檚 largest undergraduate studio art program. It offers a bachelor of fine arts degree, with concentrations in graphic design, photography and fine art (ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture). For more information, visit , , and .
绿巨人视频is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .