Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-8-2025
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Journalism
First Advisor
Vanessa Gregory
Second Advisor
Summer Anne Hill-Vinson
Third Advisor
Kris Belden-Adams
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
This thesis is a collection of longform, narrative-style journalistic profiles on artists in Northeast Mississippi. These artists include Carol Roark from Enid and Hannah McCormick and Coulter Fussell from Water Valley. Each profile highlights an individual artist’s work, from her background, inspirations, process and distinctiveness as a creator. These profiles required studio visits and extensive interviews, as well as secondary interviews with clients, gallery owners and art curators. An overarching theme between the three artists is their ability to recognize artistic potential in their immediate surroundings; Roark paints landscapes from her own backyard, McCormick paints scenes from everyday life and Fussell quilts with materials donated by her community. They collectively have the instinctiveness to find a narrative anywhere, which makes them prominent contributors to Mississippi’s artistic scene. Overall, this thesis emphasizes the work of key female artists in Northeast Mississippi and how their work makes them outstanding.
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Jane E., "Art in Itself: The Vision of Three Female Mississippi Artists" (2025). Honors Theses. 3272.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3272
Included in
Art Practice Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Nonfiction Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Painting Commons