Oxford Art Crawl

The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council plans to start a new monthly art crawl in Oxford highlighting the private galleries, museums and community art spaces. A traditional double-decker bus will be transporting people from Southside Gallery, the Powerhouse, Gallery 130 and the University Museum on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Art crawls are popular events in most Metropolitan cities, often serving free wine and refreshments while showcasing all the local art exhibits.

“Oxford has been recognized as the new home of the arts in the south with its multitude of visual, performing and literary artists who reside there,” Wayne Andrews, director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, said.

Various art groups have coordinated efforts to organize this unique event. Mary-Kathryn Milner, director of Tourism for Oxford has shared “Oxford is a hot spot for visual arts and we thought that these once a month tours would highlight the various venues in our community while showcasing the talent of our local artists.”

Traditionally the museum, gallery and exhibit spaces held separate receptions. The organizers hope that through coordinating receptions, the scale of the event will bring visitors to enjoy the openings and the nightlife in Oxford. Visitors of the monthly art crawl will be able to park in one location and enjoy a ride on the historic double-decker bus to each venue, which will be running all night. Each venue will host a reception from 7-9 p.m. Visitors will have a chance to meet with the artists, enjoy a glass of wine and walk the Oxford square.

“Our goal is to achieve consistency in the event, such as hosting it on the fourth Tuesday of every month. I realize that most people spend their Thursdays at Thacker Mountain Radio and other events on the weekends, so I thought that Tuesdays would be a good night to get people out on the town to support local businesses,” Andrews said.

With the declining economy, local businesses need as much support as possible. This event is a great way to bring the people of the community together to support local artists and businesses on the square. Additionally, this is an invaluable opportunity for students’ artwork to be shown.

“Being an art major at Ole Miss, I would love to have the opportunity for the community to see the students’ and graduate students’ work. Most of our work is featured in Gallery 130, located in Meek Hall. However, not many people are exposed to our work outside the University. This is a great chance to have outsiders and even other artists see our work,” Mary Catherine Sheats, a senior Art major from Atlanta, Ga. said.

For more information on the Oxford Art Crawl, visit www.oxfordarts.com. Below is a schedule of the upcoming exhibitions for the month of March.

Southside Gallery	Claude Wilkinson & William Gay
The Powerhouse	Words and Art Exhibit
Gallery 130	Graduate Student Exhibition
The University Museum	Gee’s Bend Quilt Exhibit & A Civil Rights Struggle Exhibit