A Tale of Two Collections

A 1964 New York Post headline announced, “In Jackson, Mississippi, art is a matter of black and white. Whites won’t come to the Negro art gallery and Negroes aren’t allowed in the white museum”. The sentiment was penned from a distance, but showcased the thick racial divide of Mississippi as recently as fifty five years ago. Yet, two institutions—the Mississippi Museum of Art and Tougaloo College—on either side of the social divide, were developing complementary art collections, and in some cases works from the same artists. A Tale of Two Collections offers one chapter in the visual story of Mississippi racial relations from an art perspective, by showcasing works from eight artists held in both collections. On display at the Mississippi Museum of Art through June 16. msmuseumart.org.