Jackson Free Press

Tougaloo College is partnering with the Mississippi Museum of Art on a joint exhibition titled "A Tale of Two Collections." The exhibit is the third in the Arts and Civil Rights Initiative, a program the two organizations launched in 2017 to use the art collections from both institutions as part of a series of lectures, workshops and other programs about the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.

"A Tale of Two Collections" will include works from eights artists whose work is on display in both the museum and Tougaloo's collections: Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Marie Hull, Hale Woodruff, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Benny Andrews and Thomas Eloby. The exhibit will also feature pieces from two of the earliest working artists representing each collection—Robert Seldon Duncanson and Heppie En Earl Wicks.

The museum and the college launched "A Tale of Two Collections" on Thursday, March 14, in conjunction with the opening reception for "A Modernist Vision: The Tradition of Modern Art at Tougaloo College," another exhibit that is part of the ongoing sesquicentennial celebration at Tougaloo. "A Modernist Vision" will remain on display at Tougaloo through Dec. 6, 2019. The college will host the campus opening for the exhibit on Thursday, March 21, at the Tougaloo College Art Gallery.

On Thursday, March 28, the museum will host "Telling the Tale of Two Collections" from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Turry M. Flucker, art collections administrator at Tougaloo, will speak about the relationship between the college and the museum, and discuss his upcoming book, "The Art of Activism: Art and Activism at Tougaloo College," which the University Press of Mississippi will release in spring 2020.

The museum will also host a gallery talk on "A Tale of Two Collections" titled "Collection Sharing & Cultural Exchange" on Friday, May 31, at 11:30 a.m. Redell Hearn, curator of art and civil rights for the museum and Tougaloo, will give a 30-minute talk on the historical significance of collection sharing, cultural exchange, and dialogue between the museum and the college.

For more information, visit msmuseumart.org or tougaloo.edu.

Margaret Walker Center Taking Submissions for Creative Arts Festival

The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University will hold its 13th annual Creative Arts Festival on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13. The center recently announced that it is now accepting proposals for papers, presentations and panels for the festival.

Participants must submit their proposals by Friday, March 22. The theme of the conference is "Arts as Activism / Activism as Art." A release from JSU states that the festival's organizers will accept proposals from high school, undergraduate and graduate students on any topic, and that submissions do not have to relate to the theme.

Categories for submissions include poetry and spoken word presentations, visual arts in any medium, written essays and performing arts such as dance or music. The proposal for a submission should be between 250 and 500 words.

JSU will also consider submissions in the written and poetry categories for publication, and the best essay from a JSU student on the "black experience in the American South," the release says, will receive the $1,000 Margaret Walker Alexander Annual Award. JSU students must also present their papers at the Creative Arts Festival on Saturday, April 13, and submit their 10-page essays by Thursday, March 28, to be eligible to receive the award.

To submit a proposal, email a document in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF to [email protected]. For more information, call the Margaret Walker Center at 601-979-3935 or visit jsu.edu.

Belhaven Offering Assistance to Argosy University Students

Belhaven University recently announced that it is offering assistance to some of the more than 16,000 students of Argosy University, a for-profit college that shut down on Friday, March 8, after the U.S. Education Department cut off federal student loan and grant funds to the university, citing deceptive marketing practices going back to 2013 and a failure to pay financial aid owed to students.

Belhaven President Roger Parrott directed all of the university's eight campuses and its online program to help Argosy students, a release from Belhaven states.

"To be in that situation, not knowing what to do or where to go, is terrible to imagine," David Sprayberry, assistant director of university relations at Belhaven, told the Jackson Free Press. "We want to do whatever we can to help and make this transition be as seamless as possible for them."

The university will waive application fees for Argosy students who transfer to Belhaven through April 30, 2019. Any student who transfers their credits to Belhaven will also receive a special $500 scholarship off their first class. Additionally, Argosy students may transfer in a maximum of two-thirds of their program hours toward a graduate program if possible.

For more information, call Belhaven's admissions team at 800-960-5940 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or email Belhaven at [email protected].