The Mississippi Museum of Art has invited four alumni and a faculty member from the University of Southern Mississippi to take part in the 2021 Mississippi Invitational exhibition. MMA selected 42 artists for the exhibition, which features recent works from contemporary visual artists living and working in Mississippi.

Guest curator Danielle Burns-Wilson, current chief curator at the Houston Public Library and adjunct professor of art history and art appreciation at Lone Star College-North Harris Campus, selected the works for the 2021 Mississippi Invitational. USM-affiliated artists in this year's cohort include alumni Karen Gilder of Florence; Spence Townsend of Greenwood; Gregory Walker of Jackson; and Whitson Ramsey of Hattiesburg.

Invitational artists will be eligible to apply for The Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship, which is a grant of up to $20,000 awarded to one artist. MMA will announce the recipient during an opening reception on August 13.

Throughout August, MMA will offer free admission to welcome visitors back after the pandemic. Weekly hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. General admission is $15 per person $13 for seniors and groups of 10 people or more, $10 per person for college students with a school ID and free for Museum members, children ages 5 and under and K-12 students on Thursdays. MMA requires that masks be worn at all times in the museum and has hand-sanitizing stations located throughout the building.

For more information on the 2021 Mississippi Invitational, visit msmuseumart.org.

JSU Announced 2021 Day of Giving

Jackson State University will host its 7th Annual Day of Giving, a 24-hour virtual event during which the university invites alumni, students and staff to contribute to any specific area of their choice, on Friday, Aug. 13.

JSU increased the financial goal for 2021 to $500,000 after the 2020 campaign exceeded the initial target of $400,000, raising a total of $671,097.57. Of the total raised, JSU used $287,384.43 toward student scholarships, a release from JSU says.

As part of the 2021 event, JSU will host a presentation called “THEE Show,” which Michelle Boyd, aka Chelle B of WJMI, will host. Boyd is also the marketing associate for University Communications at JSU.

Throughout the event, donors will be able to compete in challenges by joining their team of interest or class year. JSU is asking participants to spread awareness of the event online by using the hashtag #give2JSU.

For more information, visit jsums.edu.

MSU Offering New Online Master's Degree Programs

Mississippi State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is introducing new online master’s degrees in agribusiness management, agriculture with an animal and dairy sciences concentration and early intervention through the university’s Center for Distance Education.

CALS' previous online courses include a master’s in food science, nutrition and health promotion with a health promotion concentration and a bachelor’s in human development and family science with a child development concentration.

The Master of Agribusiness Management is a 30-hour interdisciplinary degree in CALS and the College of Business, administered through MSU’s Department of Agricultural Economics.

MSU's 31-hour Master of Agriculture degree in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences prepares students to advance in animal feeding, breeding and production.

The 30-hour Master of Science in Early Intervention, offered through MSU’s School of Human Sciences, is a comprehensive program designed to address the shortage of trained professionals with expertise in working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers with special needs and their families.

Enrollment is open for classes beginning in August. For more information on MSU's online degree programs, visit online.msstate.edu. For more information on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, visit cals.msstate.edu.