Page 26 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2024

ARTS
story by Cherie Ward photos courtesy of Walter Anderson Museum of Art and Jenn Hudson
t’s impossible to imagine any landscape or even some seascapes along the Gulf Coast without canopy after canopy of renowned southern live oak trees.
In fact, the tree itself is so special and held so dear
to South Mississippi natives, that it has earned its very own art exhibition at the Walter Anderson Museum of
Art (WAMA) in Ocean Springs.
“There are so many different ways to think about the
importance of southern live oak trees,” said Julian Rankin, executive director of WAMA. “This keystone species has multiple roles from community enhancement and shade to tourism. There’s a magnetism to these trees that people just want to be around. They tell of the ecological history, and they are so important to the environmental ecosystem.”
The exhibit opened on June 6 as a holistic appreciation for the southern live oak and with the intent of creating a community dialogue. Guest Curator Jerrod Partridge,
an Ocean Springs artist and business owner, envisioned
the 24-piece collection that showcases artworks in various paint mediums as well as photography and a large sculpture installation.
“Live oaks hold our childhoods in many ways,” Rankin said. “As children, they gave us a way to get an above-the- ground view of things. Walter Anderson would paint from the trees oftentimes and he would look down at his children, drawing them and so this idea of living in harmony with the landscape is part of what Walter Anderson did best.”
Artists include Partridge, Ashleigh Coleman, Allen Williams, Christopher Stebly, David West, Marc Hanson, Mary Anderson Picard, Mia Kaplan, Isabel Gamallo, and Steve Shepard.
“When I was thinking about live oaks, I considered their longevity,” Coleman said. “Their tenaciousness to survive the southern heat. Their ability to weather most storms. Live
26 | August 2024
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