7 FALL 2024 Organized by the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, the exhibit draws from the museum’s permanent collection and that of the Estate of Walter Anderson. “Walter Anderson was a wholly unique and prodigious creator who does not fit neatly into any one category of art,” said Julian Rankin, executive director of the Anderson museum. “He was as talented in watercolor as he was in printmaking, as deft an illustrator as he was a muralist.” MAX President and CEO Penny Kemp said, “We couldn’t be more excited to host this prestigious exhibit. We are equally excited to partner with various arts organizations locally and around the state to offer unique programming surrounding this exhibit. We also look forward to welcoming school field trips from around the state.” The MAX will offer various exhibit-related programs, such as: On opening day, John G. Anderson, son of the artist, will talk about his new book, The Bicycle Logs of Walter Anderson. The presentation, on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 11 am in the Alexander Family Church Gallery, will include book collaborator Anthony Thaxton of the Institute for Southern Storytelling at Mississippi College. Anderson and Thaxton will be available for signing books. Visitors that day are encouraged to take part in a bicycle “ride in” recalling the artist’s epic cycling adventures. The award-winning documentary film Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander, created and produced by Thaxton and Robert St. John, will also be screened in the church gallery. Former longtime Mississippi State art professor Brent Funderburk will share his expertise twice. He will guide an exhibit tour, “Ecstasy: Walter Anderson’s Transcendent Moment,” at 5:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 12, and deliver a lecture, “Inside Nature: Chasing the Path of Light Through Watercolor,” in the multipurpose room at 5:30 pm Thursday, Oct. 3. Collaborating on both is the Meridian Museum of Art, which has a Funderburk exhibit Oct. 4-Nov. 30. A reading of Robinson: The Pleasant History of an Unusual Cat will highlight a children’s program on Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 am-noon. The book, written and illustrated by Walter Anderson, will be read at 10:30 am. The program, in the Hall of Fame, also offers a piano performance and a musical instrument “petting zoo.” The Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library and Meridian Symphony Association are collaborating with The MAX.
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