MacGown Art at the Prairie Arts Festival - 2 September 2017

This Saturday, 2 September 2017 from 9 AM to 4 PM, Joseph and Joe will once again have a booth full of art at the Prairie Arts Festival in West Point, Mississippi.  This will be our third consecutive year to participate in the show!  Come see us. We will be set up in the grassy area near the water fountain. We will be the jokers with the weird to semi weird art. Some originals and plenty of affordable prints. Thanks again to our friends at Chalet Arts for their wonderful framing and printing!! 

A 2 x 4 ft triptych on wood I have been working on! 

There is so much going on with the arts in our area lately! Awesome!! The Greater Starkville Development Partnership has a "Night Market" planned for this coming Friday evening, 1 September from 7 to 9 PM at the Fire Station Park on Russell Street. A $20 ticket will get you free food and beer samples, a few artsy vendors with be present, some local retailers, etc. Last year they had music, though it's unclear if they will this year. It a pregame sort of get-together, and lots of MSU Bulldog apparel clad fans are sure to be present. That same night, at Mary Holmes College in West Point will be the 22nd annual Black Prairie Blues Festival starting at 5:30 PM! You don't want to miss this wonderful event!!! On the same day as the arts festival in West Point there will be an art walk in Meridian, which we obviously can't do. On Thursday, 14 September, from 5:30-7 PM, the Starkville Area Arts Council will have a reception for the Abstract Show at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership Gallery at 200 Main Street in Starkville! Both Joseph and I will have 3 abstract pieces in this show for sale. The following day, Friday, 15 September, the Bulldog Bash will be happening in downtown Starkville with art, food, and other vendors present from 2 to 6 PM, then free music that evening!! We are planning on having some of our MacGown art there for that. The next Sunday Funday in the Cotton District is slated for 17 September from 12 to 6 PM. On Thursday, 28 September from 5 to 7 PM, we will be participating in the Columbus Artwalk. Thanks to our  friends at Books & Boards on Main Street for inviting us to set up in their Store. The following Saturday, 7 October, we will be back in Meridian for the art walk downtown from about 10 AM to 2 PM. Following the art walk, we will head a couple blocks over to the Meridian Museum of Art for their annual BiState Competition reception. I had two pieces accepted into that show. October and November look to be equally busy! 

"Here 4 you//Interdimensional larval caveman" by Joseph MacGown 

A few pieces on wood in progress by Joe MacGown

Talking about art to college kids...

Well, about a week or so ago, I talked to a couple of Landscape Design classes from Mississippi State University at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership Gallery in downtown Starkville. One of the professors, Bob Bruzak, had attended the opening for our abstract show and thought it would be cool for me to talk to the students about nature in art, abstract design, artistic process, putting yourself out there as an artist, and other things. I thought it went pretty well and I even had a few questions afterward. 

This week, yet another talk to art students. I traveled over to East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, MS at the request of Terry Cherry, an awesome art instructor over there, to talk to some drawing I and II students, as well as an art appreciation class. I showed them about 10 of my works and described my random process of creation. I tried to emphasize that uniqueness is important and everyone has something in them that makes them different. Harness that, and, well, that's the ticket. Of course, skill is important and fundamentals don't hurt. Look at the world in your own way and try to express your visions artistically! Anyway, another nice group of kids! Also, it was good to see Austin Miles over there in the art appreciation class. Austin used to run for me when I coached XC at Starkville Academy. And, its always a pleasure to hang out with Terry Cherry and Lisa Spinks! 

From Bugs to the Bizarre, Art Exhibition by Joe MacGown at Giles Gallery, Mississippi State University

My exhibition at Giles Gallery in the Architecture Dept. on the Mississippi State University campus is now up and will remain until October 17th.  There will be an opening reception on Monday, October 1st at 5 pm at the Gallery. Some refreshments will be provided by the folks hosting the show. I will be at the opening to talk about the works and will be glad to answer any and all questions.

I was featured on the front page of the Starkville Daily News today for this exhibition. Read the wonderful article by Matt Crane with photos by Leilani Salter online at: http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/11414

In other news, I am almost finished with a pretty cool colored ink and pen piece done on primed birch plywood that I started long ago! Soon. The end is in sight. Maybe. Also, I started a collaborative drawing with Elle Gottzi, a crazy cool, semi-blue haired, tattooed and well-pierced, Ukranian hippie art chic now living in Newfoundland (http://ellegottzi.deviantart.com/). Also about to start another one with Sander Jansen (http://www.sanderjansen.net/ ). Of course, each of them are working on a piece for me to finish up as well. So, looks like I have some stuff to do.  

MacGown Solo Art Exhibit coming up at MSU

I will be having a smallish one man show at the Giles Gallery in the Architecture Dept at Mississippi State University from 28 Sept to 17 Oct. 2012. Opening reception will be at 5 pm on Oct. 1st. Will have some bug drawings and some weird stuff. Come on out and see the bridge between scientific illustration and chaotic weirdness.

Also note the great lineup of guest lecturers and other exhibiters for the fall semester!