Celebration and Collaboration!

This year marks the 10th anniversary since the creation of the Jackson Prep Visiting Writers Series which brought well known authors to campus. Authors spoke to the entire student body and met with small groups of students, allowing the opportunity to ask questions and dialogue with many remarkable people.

Remembering this anniversary got me thinking. Here at Prep, we have a special love and connection with books and authors. As a matter of fact, we are surrounded by a great host of writers right here in our library. There are twelve oversized posters on our walls depicting award-winning Mississippi authors, one of whom won a Nobel Prize, and many who won Pulitzer Prizes and National Book Awards. They symbolize our rich Mississippi history and our hope for an abundant future.

I am constantly trying to come up with inventive ways of engaging our students to notice and read these powerful Mississippians from the past and the present. This is the reason I lined the library’s walls with writers and why I started the Visiting Writers Series. Now, I am thrilled to present our latest endeavor to honor many of these writers and share them with the students in a new and creative way. I love art and appreciate what it takes to produce it. I am a fan of all

by Norma Cox Director of Library Services

PHOTOS BY HUBERT WORLEY

categories, but I am especially fascinated by the art form of collage which is defined as a creative work resembling a composition by incorporating various materials and elements such as paper, cloth, or wood glued onto a surface. I have always found them to be exciting, eye-catching, and fun. The thought hit me in the middle of the night that we could create our own unique collages featuring Mississippi writers and hang them in the library!

Having no idea of the magnitude of my innocent request, I went in search of our talented Art Department Chair Lisa Shive and asked if we could form a collaborative group composed of art teachers, art students, a local artist who is a Prep alum, and me, of course, to work together in creating a collection of works depicting writers in relaxed and interesting ways. Amazingly, after talking with the other art faculty, they said yes!

I chose six former Writers Series authors; Jesmyn Ward, Beth Henley, Rick Bragg, Richard Ford, Caroline Herring, and Natasha Trethewey. I also chose six Mississippi writers from our library walls; William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Margaret Walker, Tennessee Williams, Richard Wright, and Donna Tartt.

Next began the painstaking process of gathering countless photographic images and various and sundry paraphernalia such as old Prep library catalog cards, microfiche, postcards, and even guitar picks. Taking four large canvases, we divided up the writers and played around with placement which felt like a giant jigsaw puzzle and took far longer than any of us imagined.

But once we made it through that phase, the fun and creativity began to happen as we brainstormed and shared ideas. Lisa Shive and Prep alum Libba Wilkes planned and oversaw the entire process and put in many late afternoons in Lisa’s art room while never wavering on their insistence that this project be done right no matter how long it took. There was drawing and painting with colored pencils, charcoal, water colors, acrylics, and oils. Each of the art teachers found their unique spot. Lisa and Libba were fearless with a paintbrush or piece of charcoal and made brush strokes that initially terrified me but in the end were always right. Former art faculty Addie Louis popped in frequently to draw and paint and displayed a great eye for what was needed and what needed to go. Leslie Decker worked on a gorgeous glass piece as well as helped with placement, and Donna Goodwin created amazing embroidery works of art that reflected what a master craftsman she is while projecting her quiet willingness to do whatever was needed. The level of expertise and vision these teachers possess is astounding, and I was constantly amazed at the ideas and creativity they displayed regardless of how tired everyone became. In the heat of battle, my favorite thing to hear was Lisa Shive saying, “I have an idea,” and it was always something perfect for the problem at hand. Current Prep faculty and renowned Jackson painter, Ginny Futvoye, worked with us towards the end and painted some finishing touches. There were also several students who jumped in at various stages to work as well as offer opinions! Everyone’s ideas were welcomed, discussed, and enthusiastically celebrated. At times, it felt like there were hundreds of cooks in the kitchen, but instead of chaos there was amazing harmony, but not necessarily silence as we could be heard loudly celebrating when something worked especially well! These collages are composed of millions of layers, yet when placed together they create an overall effect of beauty, pride, and achievement. This was collaboration at its finest and so indicative of the Prep community. I have always been amazed at everyone’s willingness to go the extra mile for students and each other. They outdid themselves this time, and it was a joy to watch them pour all their many talents into what became a huge project of which to be very proud. And the collaboration didn’t end in the art rooms as we carried the finished canvases across campus to Dennis Morgan in the woodshop who graciously built the frames.

Lisa Shive said, “I learned more about these writers by using my hands than I ever did in my English classes. I became so intrigued that I began reading some of Richard Wright’s work in my ‘free time.’ This project was a labor of love that resulted in deeper friendships, real learning, sticky fingers, stained clothes, and collaboration.”

Now that the collages are hanging in the library, my favorite thing is seeing students connect to the writers on the wall and authors who came to Prep.

My hope is that they will see themselves in these collages, whether their inspiration comes from writer Jesmyn Ward or songwriter Caroline Herring, poet Natasha Trethewey, or playwright Beth Henley, there is so much richness and determination shown by each of these writers that they should provide sparks of imagination and motivation for years to come.

Students have asked me, “Mrs. Cox, if I become a great writer one day will you put my picture up on the wall?” What a great question and what a great dream! Hopefully, through countless and creative means it will happen, and I cannot wait for that day!

Here’s to CELEBRATION and COLLABORATION!