Page 29 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2020

“I went to Biloxi High then I went to Southern Miss and the University of Southern Illinois where I got my masters in business,” he said. “I never really wanted to leave the Coast, but
I had a graduate assistantship
up there so I went for school.
I always wanted to come back, but it took me 12 years to do so. I came back a couple of times after Katrina and I saw what was going on and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Christy moved back to the Coast in 2013. The next year, he made the commitment of buying a home on Seal Avenue, one of the most historic neighborhoods in Biloxi. He said that being
part of a neighborhood was the catalyst for his decision to plant
other. There are a wide-range of people living close by and that’s great.”
Although many may know Christy from his position as the Outreach Coordinator at the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum on Point Cadet,
he’s also well-known for his commitment to the arts. He was one of the founding members of Blackwater Brass, a popular funk and brass band that plays all across the Gulf Coast. Although Christy left the band in late 2019 to pursue other interests, his commitment to the arts remains a top priority.
“To me, when it comes to arts, it’s very important for a lot of reasons,” he said. “I feel like the arts is one of the few things that no matter where you go,
First Friday events in Biloxi. That’s through Biloxi Main Street for which I serve as the board president. The public
arts program is also through Biloxi Main Street. I’m also
on the executive board for the Biloxi Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. We want to keep the arts alive in our community.”
“...keep
it’s unique. It’s always influenced by the place. So, I think if you’re going to tell your story and it’s going to be unique and standout, it’s important for art and culture to be
the arts alive...”
at the forefront. I consider our food a huge part of that as well.”
Christy is a tireless volunteer when
it comes to his community. He
devotes several hours
of time on a weekly
– and sometimes
daily – basis to help
keep the arts alive in Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a whole.
“I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a few things,” he said. “I started helping with the
his roots on Seal Avenue.
“It’s close to the heart of the
city and I really wanted to be
a part of a neighborhood,”
he said. “It’s close to things that I enjoy like museums and all of the stuff going on in downtown. I can wake up and walk to wherever I want to go. The kids are close to all of this Biloxi history. Anywhere in the Howard Avenue neighborhood would have been great but we really lucked out in finding
this home on Seal Avenue. We have monthly block parties and everyone kind of knows each
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net January 2020 | 29