Jackson Free Press

Fondren resident Christopher Miner, 36, is one of 10 artists appearing in the Mississippi Invitational, an exhibition opening at the Mississippi Museum of Art today. A panel including New York-based art critic Peter Plagens picked Miner—along with fellow Jacksonians Brent Fogt, David Lambert, Matthew Puckett and Amanda Sparks, and five others—from a field of more than 100 artists to showcase local developments in contemporary art.

Miner grew up in Jackson and studied at the University of Tennessee, the University of Mississippi and Yale University, where he also taught. Much of Miner's work focuses on the sacred cows of Southern identity—religion, race and family. Miner's enigmatic videos often depict characters that challenge convention, like an auctioneer at the pulpit, or a cross-dressed gospel singer reverently aping a gospel song.

A former resident of New York City, Miner has had individual shows of his work in New York City and Berlin, but in 2006, he left New York to return to Jackson. Now Miner manages The Club at Crossgates, a Brandon fitness center owned by his father, and spends most of his free time with his wife, Amanda.

"It's a great thing. I'm excited about it," Miner said of being selected. "I want to be more involved in stuff going on in Mississippi than I am and I have been."

While he tries to keep his work and art separate, one aspect of his day job has caught his eye.

"The only thing I've decided is—we bought a space jump, a giant inflatable slide," Miner said. "And at some point I want to shoot some video of that because it's just so weird-looking. You plug this thing in, and in about 15 minutes it looks like a giant clown lung."

The Museum of Art is exhibiting several of Miner's videos, one 30-minute piece and a loop of seven shorter videos. A reception for the 10 Mississippi Invitational artist's is today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for Museum members only.