The fastest growing population group in MS will have their own exhibit this Thursday during a special evening screening.
Using a unique combination of oral history and contemporary photography, the Mississippi Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity, presents “Nuestro Mississippi,” an exhibition documenting how Hispanic immigrants have made a home in the Magnolia State for decades.
The exhibit is open through October 13, but museum visitors will have a special opportunity to take a look this Thursday, August 15, from 5 to 9 p.m., as the museum invites guests to view the photography exhibit about the Latino community in Mississippi with a special highlight: a night at the museum.
“Guests can look forward to a celebration of our Hispanic communities here in Mississippi, featuring food, dancing, art and a panel discussion with community leaders about the challenges, joys and contributions of their people,” Jasmine Williams, assistant curator of public programs and community engagement at the Mississippi Museum of Art, said in a statement.
The project was launched by the Mississippi Humanities Council, which wanted to find a way to increase the visibility of the state’s Latino community, the state’s fastest-growing demographic, with numbers expected to double between 2020 and 2024.
They called the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity (IAJE) and selected Austin-based photographer Roj Rodriguez, who has made a name for himself documenting communities along the Texas-Mexico border. The two organizations brought Rodriguez to Mississippi for two multi-day tours of the state, where he was tasked with documenting Mississippi’s diverse Latino population.
“We have college professors. We have a rancher. We have people who work in the poultry industry. We have archivists. A really broad range of people,” said Stuart Rockoff, executive director of the Mississippi Humanities Council. “What I love is the richness of the stories that reflect both history and the present.”
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Rodriguez and IAJE interviewed various immigrants from Latin America in English and Spanish and documented their stories in an oral history series on YouTube.
At the museum, visitors can view Rodriguez’s paintings in person, Kaegan Sparks, assistant curator of the Mississippi Museum of Art, said in a statement. Each image will be linked to the person’s name, their current residence and their birthplace.
“We hope the exhibit will help visitors appreciate the diversity of our state and help them value and recognize a community whose stories have not always been included in Mississippi’s larger history,” Rockoff said.
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The After-Museum Experience is also an opportunity for visitors who don’t have time to visit the museum during the day to visit the galleries at night. Every third Thursday, the museum keeps its doors open late and offers live music, pop-up exhibits, an open bar, food trucks, and other activities not normally available during regular daytime hours.
Open Thursday evenings for a night of stunning portraits and live music, “Nuestro Mississippi” lives up to its name, bringing the community together inside and outside the frame.
“The title of the exhibit is very intentional, and our goal was to give these members of the Latino community the opportunity to show and share what their Mississippi is,” Rockoff said. “The title ‘Nuestro Mississippi’ means ‘our Mississippi.’ The people on these walls are part of Mississippi.”
