Fire Chief Jody Hatten shared the Wiggins Fire Station story for the Telling Trees Project with recent SHS graduate and MGCCC student, Jackson Jones. The February 2016 production of “A Gathering of Heroes”-sharing Stone County’s Best – included our Stone County’s Fire Fighters.
Photo by Kim Jones
Mural artist Elizabeth Veglia (left) and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) Fine Arts Chair (right) Sandra Cassibry begin celebration of Stone County’s Centennial. The mosaic tile mural will be dedicated May 10, 2016, and is supported by a grant from the Heritage Foundation and the Stone County Economic Development Partnership (SC EDP).
Veglia, Cassibry, and MGCCC art students are working with mural architect Rusty Ryals and the SC EDP Centennial Committee on this significant project.
Emily Sumrall’s 9th grade students dedicate “community banners” and mosaic tile benches to Stone County. The banners and benches were created by students in conjunction with fabric artist Marcus Weekley and tile artist Elizabeth Veglia and community volunteers. The banners will hang in Stone High School and the benches will be located on the nature trail between Perk Elementary and the Community Arts Center.
Sponsors for this project were: Bank of Wiggins, Friends of Stone County Libraries, Stone County Arts Council, Betsy and Otis Rowell and the SC Telling Trees Project. The project partner is MGCCC.
Please join us Monday, May 18th at 6PM in the cafeteria of Stone High School for the dedication of the latest additions to the “Murals of Stone County”, our Community Banners and the Mosaic Tile Benches (click link to the article about these wonderful benches).
The banners were created on March 27, 2015, with award winning quilter Marcus Weekley. The banners celebrate Stone County’s 100 years! Thanks to our sponsors: Bank of Wiggins, Betsy and Otis Rowell, Friends of Stone County Libraries, and the Stone County Arts Council in partnership with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and the Stone County School District.
Emily Sumrall’s 9th grade students from Stone High School recently spent two days with mosaic tile mural artist Elizabeth Veglia and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) arts instructor Sandra Cassibry creating mosaic tile concrete benches celebrating Stone County’s heritage plants and animals.
Project sponsors include the Bank of Wiggins, Betsy and Otis Rowell, the Friends of Stone County Libraries, the Stone County Arts Council, MGCCC, and the Stone County School District. We thank everyone for their support.
Award winning Storyteller, Fabric Artist, and Author Diane Williams presented “The Historic Journey of African American Quilters” on November 7, 2014 in Wiggins, Mississippi. This program was sponsored by the MS Humanities Council.
Diane then lead Community Teams through the creation of a “Stone County Journey/Art Quilt” on November 8th. The SCAC sponsored this event. Below are photos of the Community Teams and their work.
Emilie Sumrall’s 9th grade English class at Stone High School completed this spring an extensive project studying Stone County’s history, government, transportation, leaders/heroes and agriculture. The students decided they wanted to take a huge step and become “first hand participants ” in Mississippi’s official “Mural County” and sponsor a mural celebrating the farmers and Stone County’s agriculture. Working with mural artist Kym Garraway, the mural is now underway, will be finished this summer and installed in the hallway leading to the SHS cafeteria in August.
A special thanks to Jack’s Home Improvement for donation of the boards for the mural.
The Stone County Arts Council SCAC) enjoyed a great acrylic workshop with Kym Garraway on Saturday, February 15, 2014. Later in this post, you can check out the photos from this event or can see them on our Facebook page. The SCAC was honored to provide a student scholarship to the workshop. Special thanks to Kym for donating the proceeds from the workshop to the Yellow Brick Community Arts Center project!
Upcoming Events/Workshops!
February 18, 5:30PM – Important SCAC Planning Monthly Meeting, Visual Arts Center-Perkinston Campus
February 21-23 – Folk Music workshops and at William Carey University. For more information check the WCU website or contact Karen McQueen.
March 1, 9:00AM-2:00PM – Elizabeth Huffmaster’s Watercolor Workshop (Student will choose from watercolor paper or yupo and flower patterns or can design their own.) Cost: members $60, non-members $75. Call 601-928-6298 for more information or to register. All materials to complete one piece will be provided. Visual Arts Center-Perkinston Campus
March 5 – Read Across America – Share a story and art activity with Stone County Students. If interested in participating, call 228-697-4505.
March 11, 12:30PM-1:30PM -“The Emilie Stapp Story” presented by Daisha Walker (funded in part with a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council); Admission is free. The newest Stone County Traveling Mural will be introduced on the life of Emilie Stapp. The Mural, painted by Kym Garraway, is funded by the Stone County Arts Council and The Friends of Stone County Libraries. Visual Arts Center-Perkinston Campus
March 15, 9:00AM-2:00PM – “Art and Spirituality” presented by Joy Jennings, Watch for coming information on this incredible opportunity! -Visual Arts Center-Perkinston Campus
March 18, 5:30PM – Monthly SCAC Meeting followed by “The Emilie Stapp Story” (see March 11 for more information); -Visual Arts Center-Perkinston Campus
March 21-22 – Annual Pine Hill Day – SCAC will have a booth.
March 27; 12 noon – Storyteller and Cultural Arts Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission Diane Williams will be in Stone County at the Lightered Knot Kitchen (sponsored by the Friends of Stone County Libraries) telling stories and signing her new book on Mississippi’s Tall Tales (including some Stone County stories).
April 15, 5:30PM – SCAC monthly meeting; Visual Arts Center – Perkinston Campus
June 23-27 – Mark your calendars for K-12 students for the summer performing arts camp at MGCCC-Perkinston. For more information, contact Daisha Walker at 601-928-6289.
Other Notes
Come see Elizabeth Huffmaster’s Gallery Show now open at the Visual Arts Center.
SCAC member and artist Sherry Carlson, with the MGCCC – Perkinston Campus Art Students, is painting a traveling mural featuring the characters in Emilie Stapp’s many books. This mural will hang at alternate times at Wiggins and Perkinston Elementary Schools. An accompanying lesson will be shared with the students to share with them the incredible story of Emilie Stapp and the characters of her books.
2014 dues are due. We have lots of wonderful “art” going on and we need YOU!! Please let us know what you would like to do for “art” this summer – studio classes? 2 day classes? more Saturday classes?
See you soon!
Stone County Arts Council 