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• "Red, White, and You" currently on display in ICC gallery

  Now through Dec. 4, Itawamba Community College will host “Red, White, and You,” an exhibition of the work of Jackson artist Ming Donkey in the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center gallery on the Fulton Campus.             The exhibit is a multi-media installation combining wall hangings, video and audio media. In the artist’s words, “Red, White and You” offers a visual exploration of contemporary capitalism’s impact on community and identity in America. The title references the American flag, symbolizing freedom and liberty, while reflecting on the ways emotions are manipulated and desires manufactured in our society. In a world increasingly divided into opposing factions, we find ourselves grappling with a growing sense of disconnection and alienation.”             According to the artist, the core of this exhibit is Ming’s worker character, an “everyman” avatar representing the nameless individuals who collectively seek their own version of Niagara – a metaphor for escape from our current realities, pursued by any means necessary. This figure highlights the excesses of a capitalistic culture and evokes Huxley’s notion of ‘soma,’ a distraction many embrace in their relentless search ...
• Armistead work currently on display in ICC gallery

  The 2019 fall opening exhibition at the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus features the paintings of John Armistead of Tupelo. Currently on display through Sept. 19, ‘Remembrance of Things Past’ is a collection of oils and watercolors depicting primarily rural landscapes of surrounding North Mississippi counties as well as a few portraits. Armistead, a Presbyterian minister, is an award-winning artist, author and journalist. He holds degrees from Mississippi College (B.A.), the University of Mississippi (M.A. in Classical Greek and Latin), Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (D.Min. in Theology and History) He has also studied at The Graduate Theological Union of Berkeley, Sorrento Lingue International Language Institute in Sorrento, Italy, the Art Students League of New York and the National Academy of Design in New York.             Armistead began formal studio training in Mobile, Ala. when he was eight years old, working in pastels and oils. He continued art studies through college and participated in master's classes taught by Everett Raymond Kinstler at the Lyme Academy of Fine ...
• Work of 94-year-old Virginia Jackson, one of ICC's first students, currently on display in Fine Arts Center Gallery

  “The Gift of Life,” a collection of paintings by 94-year-old Virginia Jackson of Tupelo, is currently on display in the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center Gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus.             The show includes Jackson’s acrylic paintings of landscapes and country scenes as well as two acrylic paintings by her granddaughter, Morgan Davis.             Jackson’s first recollection of an interest in art was when she received a box of Crayola crayons at the age of five. She recalls coloring the embossed flowers on doilies (small napkins or decorative mats), but she didn’t start painting until the age of 91 when her daughter, Jill Jackson King, bought her a set of acrylic paints. She describes herself as self-taught and paints most scenes from memory. Most of her paintings are landscape scenes of farm life and “pretty flowers,” but she experiments with abstracts, also.             She was born Virginia Anthony in 1929 in her family’s home outside of Tremont. Her father built their house and raised crops, cattle and hogs on their farm during the Great Depression. Growing up, she ...
• Summerford work on display in ICC Gallery

              The watercolor paintings of Fulton artist Laura Summerford will be on display through Dec. 7 at the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus.             Entitled “Southern Rust and Decay,” the exhibit includes 24 paintings featuring familiar Southern icons and images of the city of Fulton.             “I was born into a family of artistic ability,” Summerford said. “My parents were very creative and nurtured that spirit in my brother and me. This atmosphere helped to mold my future in the art field. From the time that I picked up my favorite red crayon, I was hooked. I would have rather draw and color than anything else.”             Summerford began to watercolor while majoring in graphic art at ICC. “The softness of the medium mesmerized me over the harshness that oils and acrylics possess. I had an instant love for watercolors.             While continuing her studies at Mississippi University for Women, she found watercolors to be her choice medium. “The light washes allow for many layers of color to show through ...
• Work of Victoria Cummings-Bobo now on display in ICC gallery

              The work of Victoria Cummings-Bobo is currently on display in the gallery of the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center at the Fulton Camps.             The exhibition titled “Enchanted Child’s Dream,” which features a collection of oil, acrylic and mixed media pieces to commemorate Black History Month, will be on display until Mar. 31.             Bobo’s work uses household items or something nature provides to tell colorful and vibrant stories. Her work ranges from miniature models, which reflect everyday people to vibrant paintings and statuesque colorful objects. She combines her art and her faith by using adorned mannequins to teach Sunday School classes at New Temple Baptist Church. Bobo’s love of the arts has included poetry, acting and playing the piano. After a time in New York City, she returned to Dorsey in 1987, and in 1988, Bobo and her sister, Dr. Ormella Cummings, formed We Amend Minds-By-Action, an organization devoted to introducing cultural activities and enrichment programs to young people and adults in Itawamba County and the surrounding area. She and her husband, Forrest, ...
• ICC selected among winners of Mississippi Business Journal's 2023 Best Places to Work in Mississippi

  Itawamba Community College has been selected among the winners of the Mississippi Business Journal’s 2023 Best Places to Work in Mississippi.             ICC was a finalist in the large category, which includes businesses with 150 or more employees.             “On behalf of our Itawamba Community College family, we appreciate this significant honor from the Mississippi Business Journal, which is a testament to how our employees see us,” said President Dr. Jay Allen. “At ICC, we are more than administrators, faculty and staff members. We are friends, and most importantly, we are family.”             According to Mississippi Business Journal Publisher Tami Jones, “We are so pleased to have such great companies that set the example of a great place to work. It is even more exciting that this award comes from how the employees view their employers. What better way to gauge and interact with your employees and the success of your company?”             ICC opened its doors, Sept. 1, 1948, and is celebrating its diamond anniversary.  It is situated on what was once a cotton and corn field on a 100-acre parcel of ...