28 August Work of 94-year-old Virginia Jackson, one of ICC's first students, currently on display in Fine Arts Center Gallery August 28, 2023 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 “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 helped on the family farm as most children were expected to do. She said that since the county didn’t have electricity, the chores and reading were done by the light of kerosene lanterns. Jackson entered Itawamba Junior College in 1948, where she said that she was the first woman to enroll after its official accreditation and its doors opened. “The bus would pick us up from Tremont High School (where she graduated in 1947) and take us to IJC,” she said. “The classrooms held about 25 students, and the campuses would be unrecognizable to anyone today. ICC is the greatest thing that ever happened to Itawamba County. It gave us so much opportunity and was affordable.” Jackson said that she took primarily business and secretarial courses. It was also during that time that she met her husband of 52 years, Lelon, who died in 2001. He enlisted in World War II, stationed in Britain, and participated in day three of the Normandy invasion. After his tenure in the armed forces, he received five Bronze Stars and was awarded a Silver Star for his service. By trade, he was a cattle auctioneer, and Virginia Jackson helped him with bookkeeping and secretarial duties. They later worked alongside L.D. Hancock in the fabric business and settled in Longview, Tex. In 1973, the Jacksons moved back to Mississippi to help care for their parents. The exhibit will continue through Sept. 28. Admission is free. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, contact Shawn Whittington at eswhittington@iccms.edu or call (662) 862-8301. Related Articles Tom Douglas's work now on display at ICC Fine Arts Center gallery Recent works by Fulton resident Tom Douglas will be on display from Jan. 29-Feb. 22 in the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus. The exhibition, which is entitled Pathos and Whimsy, includes landscapes of Shiloh National Battlefield, which is on the route to Douglas’s native home in Tennessee. His intent is for the work to document curiosity and layered investigation. Douglas was a member of ICC’s art faculty from 1983 until he retired in 2013. Gallery hours are from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. except on days that the college is closed. For more information, contact Shawn Whittington at eswhittington@iccms.edu or call (662) 862-8301. "Between Earth and Sky," works of two artists, now on display at the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts gallery on the ICC Fulton Campus Now through Sept. 18, Itawamba Community College is hosting “Between Earth and Sky,” a collection of works by two participating artists in the gallery of the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center at the Fulton Campus. A collection of ceramic pieces by Melanie Eubanks of Jones College is complemented by the large acrylic paintings of clouds by Hattiesburg artist Martina Sciolino. All of the works are for sale. Eubanks is a ceramic artist who works primarily in stoneware and porcelain. The surface of her work is often decorated with brushwork, sgraffito or Mishima or a combination of all of these. With these techniques, she can make images that usually reference the organic shapes of nature and are echoed by the marks made by wood firing. Most of her work is functional and fired in a wood burning kiln, which creates irregular surfaces due to wood ash adhering to the side of the objects facing the flame, which interests her most. She fires her work at various kilns in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and at her home in Hattiesburg, where she shares a ... 'Fort Spillman' on display in ICC Fine Arts Gallery through Oct. 2 The paintings of Memphis, Tenn.-based artist Bobby Spillman, which is the first exhibit hosted this fall in Itawamba Community College’s W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center Gallery at the Fulton Campus, will be on display through Oct. 2. The collection titled “Fort Spillman” consists of 12 large acrylic and mixed media paintings deeply layered in imagery surrounding cultural narrative and personal experience. “The work is a reaction to the day-to-day act of living,” Spillman said. “It is sometimes a compilation of ongoing subconscious chatter acting as a surface to collect the filtered distractions, and in other pieces, the artist focuses on a single image that reflects a more thought-out singular moment.” Inspired by cartoons, comics, satire, art history, traditional tattoo flash and childhood pop culture, Spillman’s works are created in a range of mediums from paint, ink, aerosol, collage and color pencil. Spillman, who earned his master’s degree from the University of Memphis, currently teaches advanced placement art in the Germantown Municipal School District. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, contact Shawn ... ICC to celebrate Week of the Arts, formally reopen W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center Itawamba Community College will celebrate the Week of the Arts, Apr. 19-22, with several special events at the Fulton Campus, including a ribbon cutting and formal reopening of the newly-renovated W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center auditorium. They first event will be a CenterStage concert, Apr. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Band Hall. The remaining activities, which will be at the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center auditorium, are the ribbon cutting and open house, Apr. 20, 10 a.m.-noon; Fashion Show, Apr. 20, 6 p.m.; Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble concert, Apr. 21, 6:30 p.m.; and Choir and Chamber Choir concert, Apr. 22, 7 p.m. Renovations began in the fall of 2021 to restore the decades-old 24,000-square-foot facility, which had not received any major renovations since it was built in 1978. With upgrades to almost every inch of the facility, the state-of-the-art auditorium, lecture space, exhibit hall and lobby now boast modern designs that will be more inviting to all guests. The renovations were designed by McCarty Architects. The public is invited to all events. ICC student artwork featured in exhibit in newly-renovated W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center The artwork of several Itawamba Community College students is currently on display in the newly-renovated W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center at the Fulton Campus. The first student exhibition in the new space, which consists of approximately 80 pieces of art including drawing, painting, computer art and sculpture, will be on display until May 5. Artists include Taylor Braxton of Amory; Jamecia Walker of Baldwyn; Bayleigh Caldwell of Caledonia; McKenna Powell of Hatley; Alli Blansett, Makenzie Brooks, both of Houston; Olivia Jones of Mantachie; Francisco Garcia of Mooreville; Mia Coggin of Nettleton; Michaela Pearson, Rachel Gann, Kaitlin Stegall, Brianna Hall, Maria Tinajero, all of Pontotoc; Lily Wright of Red Bay, Ala.; Jaiden Hutson, Danielle Thompson, Elliana Parker, all of Saltillo; KaJatlon Clark of Shannon; Selena Crowley of Tremont; Ana Chambers, Drew Edmonson, Camille Campbell and Brianna Dent, all of Tupelo. Normal gallery hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. For more information, email Shawn Whittington at eswhittington@iccms.edu or call (662) 862-8301. Evening of the Arts to showcase talent, support Fine Arts at ICC An inspiring night of music, theatre and visual art will take center stage March 3 as Itawamba Community College hosts its annual Evening of the Arts, a division-wide celebration and fundraiser benefiting ICC’s Fine Arts Division. The family-friendly event will highlight the creativity and dedication of ICC students and faculty through live performances by the college’s Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, Centerstage, Chamber Singers, Percussion Ensemble and Theatre department. Guests will also experience visual art displays showcasing student and faculty work, reflecting the vibrant arts community continuing to grow across the Fulton Campus. In addition to celebrating student achievement, the evening serves as a fundraiser supporting all areas of Fine Arts. This year’s featured focus is The Steinway Initiative – The Power of One, a multi-year effort to replace practice room and performance pianos with Steinway instruments as ICC works toward designation as an All-Steinway School. While guests are invited to contribute to the Fine Arts area that resonates most with them, there is no obligation to donate in order to attend and enjoy the event. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a ... Comments are closed.