USM Alumna Featured in Mississippi Museum of Art Invitational

Thu, 06/15/2023 - 01:04pm | By: Ivonne Kawas

Adrienne Domnick, a visual artist from Jackson, Miss. and alumna of The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), was invited to participate in this year’s Mississippi Invitational exhibition, held by the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA).

MMA’s highly competitive cohorts includes 15 artists to be featured in the 2023 Mississippi Invitational exhibition, a survey of recent works created by contemporary visual artists living and working in the state.

As the largest art museum in the state, the MMA offers a vibrant roster of exhibitions, public programs, artistic and community partnerships, educational initiatives, and opportunities for exchange year-round. This is the largest number of artists represented at the Mississippi Invitational since the Museum launched the biennial program in 1997.

Invitational artists are competitively chosen, and the exhibition will feature unique works across a variety of media. Domnick will be given the opportunity to showcase her talent with two pieces titled "Time: A Love Supreme, Big's Room,” and, “Freedom Summer."

“I’m extremely honored to have been selected for this year’s Invitational exhibition,” said Domnick. “This opportunity is not just a validation of my art, but an affirmation of my journey as an artist.

“Big's Room pays homage to my late cousin Big, a big influence on me growing up," shared Dominick. “It's an installation exploring memory, identity and family history."

Domnick’s work is an exploration of sound, light, and bold colors through paint on a variety of surfaces. Her approach — redefining blank spaces by manipulating color and light to emphasize a particular expression, image, or emotion. She aims to rediscover black culture through the lens of contemporary art.

Domnick also leverages her creative perspective to bridge the gap between community and art. Championing many of the creative initiatives in Jackson’s Midtown community in her roles as the Former President of the Business Association of Midtown and Co-Founder of AND GALLERY — an artist-run space for contemporary art. Domnick started pursing her art practice after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Coaching Education from USM.

On view this month through September 17, 2023, this year’s Mississippi Invitational works were selected by guest curator Katie Pfohl, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

"I am thrilled to work with the wonderful team at the Mississippi Museum of Art to create the 2023 Mississippi Invitational,” said Pfohl. From my seven years as a curator in New Orleans, I know the talent, depth, and thoughtfulness of artists in the Gulf South. I am honored to have this opportunity to continue a dialogue with artists from the region, and craft a project that responds to this moment in Mississippi's history." 

The art in this year’s Invitational reflects on the theme “Gulfs among Us,” which confronts a world marked by social, political, cultural, and geographic divisions. The artwork in this exhibition responds to a series of ever-widening gulfs: between people and communities, humans and the environment, and our interior and exterior selves. These 15 artists from across Mississippi are united in envisioning how art can speak across and between divides.

MMA Director Betsy Bradley said, “I continue to be excited and inspired by the artists in our state. The 2023 Mississippi Invitational, the thirteenth iteration of this exhibition series, will bring audiences together across our many divides. We are grateful to these artists to allow our community to feel more connected to each other.”

The Mississippi Invitational and its biennial exhibition, artist fellowship, and catalog are made possible with support from the Community Foundation for Mississippi/Jane Crater Hiatt Fund.

General admission is $15/Person; $13/Seniors and groups of 10+, $10/College students with school ID; and free for Museum Members, children ages 5 and under, and K-12 students on Thursdays thanks to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi. Opening hours are Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1– 5 p.m.

For more information about the 2023 Mississippi Invitational, visit msmuseumart.org.

About the Mississippi Museum of Art

Established in 1911, the Mississippi Museum of Art is dedicated to connecting Mississippi to the world and the power of art to the power of community. The Museum’s permanent collection includes paintings, photography, multimedia works, and sculpture by Mississippi, American, and international artists. The largest art museum in the state, the Mississippi Museum of Art offers a vibrant roster of exhibitions, public programs, artistic and community partnerships, educational initiatives, and opportunities for exchange year-round. Programming is developed inclusively with community involvement to ensure a diversity of voices and perspectives are represented. Located at 380 South Lamar Street in downtown Jackson, the Museum is committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion. The Mississippi Museum of Art and its programs are sponsored in part by the City of Jackson and Visit Jackson. Support is also provided in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.