Church Goin' Mule

With Mississippi celebrating the 200th anniversary of its statehood this year, there’s been no shortage of artistic tributes to the state’s history. While most of these have focused on the most famous events, Lafayette artist Marshall Blevins has been creating a series of artworks focusing on smaller highlights from the state’s two centuries, like the birth of acclaimed muppeteer Jim Henson and the sad story of Douglas, the Civil War Camel, killed by a Yankee sharpshooter at Vicksburg.

Asked why she chose to focus on the history of Mississippi, Blevins said, “Mississippi means many different things to many different folks. To me, it is a strange and beautiful place where Faulkner's Southern gothic meets the blues. This project began as a way to force me to practice art-making but evolved into a deeper exploration of Mississippi. I'm most interested in highlighting the names and faces that fall into the shadows behind authors, Civil War generals, etc. Mississippi most often makes the news for things the state may not be proud of, and I hope to show that it is a more diverse and interesting state than one automatically assumes. We just visited the Delta, and in one day met a tintype photographer, a bluesman, a horse grazing free in a soybean field, and a Catholic pastor at Parchman [a state penitentiary].”

Follow Blevins’ work on her Instagram page @churchgoinmule, and visit her Etsy shop under the same handle.