Jackson Free Press

Rhis Harris sits beneath paintings of deer with broad antlers and one quality that gallery-goers definitely wouldn't associate with the quadrupeds before viewing the pieces—a haze of blues, purples and pinks pouring from the animals' mouths or surrounding their bodies, which Harris says represents the universe and spirituality.

The motif is a common feature in Harris' artwork, which they—meaning Harris, who prefers non-binary gender terms—say is a way to explore significance. "When people think of deer, they think, 'They're just game. They're just animals that need to be controlled as a population,'" Harris says. "They don't really look at them as more than food or trophies. A lot of my portfolio is kind of exploring the idea (of) if deer were more than just animals on a planet, if they were something more ingrained in the fabric of the universe, if they were more important than just an herbivore."

Harris, 17, plans to further pursue art after graduating from Murrah High School in May, having also studied at the Power Academic Performing Arts Complex since seventh grade. While Power APAC doesn't offer classes specifically in relation to their passions—character design and sequential art—Harris says the school offered a solid artistic foundation.

While Harris mostly focused on schoolwork and art, they have also been an active volunteer for organizations such as the Mississippi Children's Museum and the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Harris clocked in more than 200 hours at the Jackson Zoo, where they earned the President's Volunteer Service Award in 2012. For the past year and a half, Harris has also worked with the local Gay-Straight Alliance.

"I'm sort of known for both my queerness and my art, so those are just the main two sparkling things," Harris says.

"I participated in the rally (against HB 1523) at the Governor's Mansion a couple weeks ago, and I've been trying to get more involved in the GSA and how we can spread the acknowledgement of (needing) a safe space for people who don't have a safe space."

As high school draws to a close, Harris has begun applying for art schools across the U.S., such as the Art Institute of Chicago, and has already received interest from the Pratt Institute in New York City and the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. Although the path isn't set yet, Harris hopes to one day help others discover and communicate their true selves.

"I want to go into some sort of field where I encourage expression in other people," Harris says. "Like, I'm really interested in character design because you can express multiple things and different aspects through just a single design of a character and all the workings behind that character in a story. I want to be able to show people that you don't benefit from not being yourself. You can fit into a box your whole life, but where's the fun in being 'normal'?"