Jackson Free Press

The famous postman-art-collector, Herb Vogel said, "You don't have to be a Rockefeller to collect art."

That's the idea behind the Mississippi Museum of Arts' New Collector's Club. "The club is open to art enthusiasts as well as serious collectors or just casual collectors," says MMA curator Beth Batton. "There's no requirement except museum membership and a small club membership fee."

The New Collector's Club began in 2005 as a means to support new collectors and generate interest in contemporary art and the Mississippi Museum of Art. "Since then, the membership has grown to 67 households," Batton says. Members meet at least 10 times a year for visits to artists' studios, collectors' homes, guided tours of the museum and out-of-town excursions.

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, the New Collector's Club will host Collecting 101, an informal workshop and panel discussion about purchasing art. Panel members include local pediatrician and collector Steven Chevalier; visual artist and certified appraiser Maureen Donnelly; owner and director of Fischer Galleries Marcy Nessel; and architect and emerging collector Katie Lightsey.

Batton is especially excited to have Lightsey on the panel.

"Katie makes the point that you don't have to have a huge amount of discretionary income to be a collector," she says. "There is art out there that's affordable. If she sees something she likes by a New Orleans street vendor, she'll buy it."

Collecting 101 is Dec. 11 at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St., 601-960-1515). Visit msmuseumart.org for more info.