Made in Midtown: Artists tout district
The work of artists who have helped reinvent Jackson’s Midtown district transition from underground artist community into full-blown scene will be on display Saturday during the community’s annual holiday studio tours.
From 3-8 p.m., the district’s 12 studio spaces will host visitors with live music, food, a hay ride and car show to help artists on Small Business Saturday and allow citizens to get an early jump on Christmas shopping.
Jackson’s Midtown district, which runs from Keener Avenue south to McTyere Avenue, has long been the city’s hub for artists. It's been anchored by Pearl River Glass Studio for more than 40 years.
The neighborhood capitalized its artistic reputation with the founding of the Business Association of Midtown in 2011. Artist Adrienne Domnick moved to Midtown about eight months before its founding.
“It’s really taken off since I first came down here,” said Domnick, who now serves as BAM’s president. “BAM has opened up the world to Midtown and for artists to come and open up other buildings and studios.”
Artist Clay Hardwick participated in the first two Midtown Artist Studio Tours as a guest artists. He helped open TurnUp Studios in 2013, which celebrates its two-year anniversary at this year’s event.
Hardwick, an abstract artist, will use the studio tours to show off his own work as well as a curated exhibit. In 2007, Hardwick, still in high school, founded Mixed Core, a group of 25 to 30 artists in the Jackson area under the age of 21.
Hardwick will display the work of original members Andrew McIntyre, Kate Freeman, Morgan Welch and Peter Hammond.
“The holiday season primarily is our best time of year… This is when I can make the most money,” Hardwick said. “Being earlier in the holiday season, it’s nice that people can come out and get started on their shopping.”
Midtown’s incubator The Hatch will feature its newest resident, Kamies Kreations, and Storied Salvage will show the Egg Bowl to allow shoppers to keep up to date on Mississippi State and Ole Miss. N.U.T.S. Good Samaritan Center will offer its items at 50 percent off.
Offbeat will offer discounts on its merchandise and host chef Tom Ramsey’s pop-up restaurant Stäge, serving Korean barbecue.
“It’s about collaboration and expansion among the businesses and residents,” Domnick said.
According to Domnick, Midtown’s district is home to at least 15 working individual artists, in addition, studios like DTA, NMAC and 133 have created an environment conducive to artist freedom.
“If I never would’ve never come down here, I can say that I never would’ve opened my mind or try to turn this into a business,” said Domnick, who went to Midtown in search of a photography studio and discovered a talent for pop art.
In addition to Saturday’s tours, the community also has May’s Midfest to put work on display. Hardwick said the weekend has been the talk of the community for recent weeks.
“It gives everyone in the neighborhood a nice motivation to work towards,” Hardwick said. “They all know this time of year people will be coming into their studio to see their space, for a lot of artists around here, that might be a strange thing. It’s fun.”
Contact Jacob Threadgill at (601) 961-7192 or jthreadgil@gannett.com. Follow @JacoboLaSombra on Twitter.