Page 162 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2025

FINAL SAY
MATTIE
CODLING
Executive Director and Chief Curator, Walter Anderson Museum of Art
A photograph of a little girl with pigtails sits on my desk at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. She stands patiently for the photograph in front of a mural of a swirling whirlwind with coastal birds dipping and diving in and out of the picture plane. That little girl is me (just minus 30 years) and the mural behind her is from the Ocean Springs Community Center, connected to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. I found this lovely memento when going through some of my mother’s old teaching materials shortly after I started at the Museum in 2016. I keep the photograph to remind myself of the magic of a singular place and the importance of preserving our cultural treasures.
The Walter Anderson Museum of Art is one of those cultural treasures. The Museum is an unassuming building nestled amongst the live oaks on Washington Avenue in downtown Ocean Springs. But for those who venture inside, it is bursting with the inspiration and dynamic vision of Walter Inglis Anderson.
Anderson, who lived in Ocean Springs for the majority of his life, was a passionate observer of the world around him. He studied the plants, animals, and people of the area, composing artworks of heart-stopping sensitivity. His work is imbued with the landscape—the sun, the sea, cold winter fog, and torrential summer rains. It speaks to the collective cultural identity of the region and sticks with you long after you’ve left.
This connection to place is what inspired Walter Anderson’s widow, Agnes “Sissy” Anderson, to form a museum of her husband’s work in the place that it was
created. For Walter Anderson, this region was his muse—where Georgia O’Keeffe had New Mexico and Cézanne had Aix-en- Provence, Walter Anderson had Ocean Springs and the barrier islands that lay just south. Walter Anderson and his family found the beauty of the landscape and they tapped into it, creating a legacy that spans generations.
At the Museum we aim to continue to foster the creative legacy that was planted in Ocean Springs more than a century
ago. Through exhibitions, programming, and community events we strive to create space for continued growth and inspiration. We welcome over 40,000 visitors to the Museum each year,
ranging from residents of the
Gulf Coast to travelers from across the globe. Our team regularly goes beyond the walls of the museum, providing art and environmental education for students and families throughout the lower six counties of Mississippi.
This year we added to the Museum’s campus with the opening of The Traveler, a hundred-year-old coastal cottage that has been transformed into a café and art experience. In early 2026 we will begin construction of the Creative Complex, a multi-million-dollar facility that will allow for the expansion of our educational offerings and more opportunities for the community to engage with the art and legacy of Walter Inglis Anderson.
Throughout all of the growth that the Museum has experienced and all that we have ahead of us, we remain dedicated to the belief in the power of art and its importance in our lives. We invite you to visit us soon and experience this magical place for yourself.
162 | October 2025
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