Mississippi Museum of Art and Mississippi State announce new, innovative partnership
Mississippi State University Provost Scholars tour the Mississippi Museum of Art’s exhibitions 2021 Mississippi Invitational and New Symphony of Time. The students participated in closer looking sessions with MMA staff to learn more about specific artworks in each exhibition. The visit provided academic and cultural enrichment for these Shackouls Honors College students.
The Mississippi Museum of Art and Mississippi State University announced a new partnership last Thursday [Oct. 28] that includes expanded educational opportunities and professional growth for MSU students.
“MSU’s new partnership with the Mississippi Museum of Art will offer several advantages to students, including free unlimited admission for all students with a valid student ID, free gallery visits, and group tours for classes, among other benefits,” said MSU College of Architecture, Art, and Design Dean Angi Bourgeois. “The collegiate partnership program with MMA is a great fit for MSU because we both are working to advance innovation and education in the arts.”
Department of Art Head and Professor Critz Campbell said, "I am proud of MSU’s relationship with the Mississippi Museum of Art and our shared commitment to the state's creative economy. Collaboration between the MMA and MSU allows both institutions to expand educational opportunities, create programming innovations, and provide free access to great art."
Campbell is also joining MMA’s Board of Trustees. The West Point native has taught at MSU since 2005. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990, he studied as a post-graduate exchange student at the Arco Centro de Communicao Visual in Lisbon; at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina as a CORE Fellow; and at Parnham College in the United Kingdom with a focus on furniture design. Campbell is also a trustee on Penland School of Craft’s board and a recent recipient of the 2019 Jane Crater Hiatt Fellowship from the Mississippi Museum of Art. He is among 14 new trustees joining MMA's board this year.
Through the new partnership, MSU faculty have the opportunity to extend learning and research beyond the classroom, along with access to MMA archives and education resources. MMA's dynamic program of exhibitions, public programs, community engagement, and educational initiatives will help MSU students become creative arts leaders of tomorrow. Paid post-baccalaureate fellowships will enable firsthand museum experience for recent graduates.
MMA Director Betsy Bradley said, "We are delighted to partner with Mississippi State University. MSU students and professors now have unlimited access to our nationally acclaimed programming, exhibitions, and collection, helping grow the university’s academic programs and opportunities. For MMA, the partnership further solidifies our vision to bring art to all Mississippians and pursue key initiatives that align with our goal to be a 'museum for the future rooted in community."
Working together, MMA and MSU will provide students the power to learn, grow and open the doors to new ways of thinking. Both institutions are invested in the future of Mississippi and all Mississippians.
