Page 140 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2020

JACKSON COUNTY
story by Cynthia Dobbs Sutton photo courtesy of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce
BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO THE CITY
Cynthia
Dobbs Sutton, Executive Director, Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce
W e are excited to see new development throughout our vibrant town. New
businesses are popping up, including the new Smoothie King location and the 4 Bulls Meats Seafood & Deli inside the Inlet Residences property on U.S. 90, as well as a new gallery called My Happy Place Gallery of Art and Tribe Boutique in downtown.
Ocean Springs Main Street has begun breathing new life into downtown through beauti cation e orts and lots of color. As a town that knows how to link arms and work together, several merchants and Main Street have started working alongside
the city and take charge of sprucing up our streets. And as for color, keep an eye on Ocean Springs,
you’ll soon see some colorful characters come to life on buildings throughout town. Secret gems and thoroughfares
alike will recieve
the artist’s
touch as
our team
of creators
tell the story
of our town through visual art.
story by Julian Rankin, WAMA Executive Director photo courtesy of WAMA
T he Walter Anderson Museum of Art (WAMA) was one of the last public places to open in downtown Ocean Springs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has done so with consideration to
keep guests and sta safe.
“While we are grateful to reopen, our top priority is the health of visitors,
employees and the community at large,” the WAMA website stated.
The safety guidelines include keeping museum visitors to 25 percent of the building’s capacity, limit the number of group tours to 10, frequent cleaning,
and requiring sta and guests to wear face masks.
In addition to its luminous permanent exhibitions and the 3,000-square-
foot Ocean Springs Community Center murals, the museum has a new exhibition of contemporary art, “Written in the Sand: Plein Air Painters of Horn Island.” The exhibition features work by seven coastal artists, inspired by the barrier island wilderness frequented by Walter Anderson.
The museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the legacy of American master Walter Inglis Anderson and kindred artists.
140 | August 2020
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
ENJOY ART, STAY SAFE
WAMA RE-OPENING
Ocean Springs