Artist Towns? (Meridian, Tupelo, Columbus: how much, home, theatre)

[stormweary]

Hi,
Read in another thread here that Meridian has some "arts friendly" plans in the furture. I was wondering if there were any other town/cities that support the arts. I am looking for an affordable place where I can do my painting full time. I've been researching New Mexico but being from New Orleans and having family still there I"d like to see if there were any places closer to home. I'm in Fl. at the moment.
thanks in advance

[jetjockey75]

Originally Posted by stormweary

Hi,
I was wondering if there were any other town/cities that support the arts. I am looking for an affordable place where I can do my painting full time.

There were some on the coast, but I can't tell you what's going on down there at the moment. There is a little town just outside Oxford (home of Ole Miss) called Taylor. It is a tiny little crossroads but supposedly is home to quite a number of artists. There is a small grocery/restaurant there that has some pretty good live music on the weekends. It's been several years since I've been to Taylor so I don't really know if it has caught on, but its proximity to Oxford, Tupelo and Memphis might make it attractive for an artist.

Columbus has a nice arts center and a number of resident artists, but people there haven't quite caught the art fever yet.

If you are willing to consider west Alabama, Tuscaloosa has quite a few artists and some really nice galleries. Northport, just outside Tuscaloosa, is home to the yearly (October) Kentuck Festival, which showcases folk art from all over the country, and is becoming quite a popular attraction (I think the 2-day festival usually draws about 40,000 people).

[stormweary]

thanks,
the coast, as far as i know, is still recovering and well, I want to be away from it so that i wouldn't have to leave every time a storm comes by. Will look into the Oxford area. Lived in Ala and would rather not go back there.... too close to my ex

[traveller7113]

Oxford would be my suggestion for the northern part of the state. There's lots of free or "for a small donation" entertainment there. All businesses are smoke free and there's been an effort there to keep the partying students under control, so visiting there during the school year is more pleasant than it may have been in the past. Although, I have never had anything less than a good visit in the town before all this went into effect.

Pre-Katrina, Bay St. Louis, Ocean Springs and other small towns would have gotten my vote for the southern part of the state. These small towns went through a setback from the hurricane, but are coming back and are always worth a weekend trip.

[MrMeisterMan]

If you must consider MISSISSIPPI, then Oxford may be your beast bet...but even for a college town, it's parochial to say the least.

Have you looked into SW Florida ?? All of the arts flourish in cities such as Sarasota, Manatee County all the way down to Naples. Try contacting The John Ringling School of Art !...fantastic, intelligent resource and they may have insight about, er....Mississippi (if you must....yuk)

[stormweary]

Thanks mr. but as my name says I am tired of the hurricanes and that part of Fl. is esp. expensive!
I am looking for an affordable place I can do my art full time. I have cousins and my mom in the Baton Rouge/ Metaire area so that is why I was asking about Miss.

[traveller7113]

Last time I was eating out on the square in Oxford I heard some professors at the University say that it was getting too expensive for new teachers to come to Oxford to live. Prices in town have gone through the roof, but the good news is that there are places right out of town (such as Taylor that was mentioned before) that are reasonable and the area has a Bohemian feel with some hillbillies thrown in the mix!

As far as music goes, the genre of choice seems to be bluegrass and primitive blues. For instance, there is the Taylor Grocery Band that used to play every Sunday night at (where else?) Taylor Grocery. Other bands I've heard there are The North Mississippi Allstars, Old Crow Medicine Show and Junior Kimbrough (sic?). I think that some of them record on the local Fat Possum label.

http://www.fatpossum.com/

I go through Mississippi often and talk to others that have relocated, and the complaints are that the people are very closed to outsiders and clique-ish. I'm not a group participation kind of person so that's not a drawback for me. I'd have to say that you would not have to look far or dig too deep to find plenty of snobbery from the alumni, sorority girls and frat boys, but it would be just as easy to overlook them and enjoy the environment. I have never had a really bad time there!

The drawbacks? Other than the overbearing arrogance of the returning alumni that want to show how much money they made after college there aren't many negatives.

The traffic and maneuvering the very narrow one way streets in the older parts of town make walking an attractive option. Lack of parking makes this tricky, but walking in Oxford is a great way to spend part of any day.

I don't think I'd want to live there full time, but it's one of my favorite places to visit. Sorry I couldn't give you an opinion from a local's point of view, but maybe I've helped some. Hope so!

[jetjockey75]

Originally Posted by stormweary

I am looking for an affordable place I can do my art full time.

If you make it to Taylor, be careful not to blink as you're driving through town, or you'll miss it. As I recall, there is a potter living very near the general store, and at least a couple other studio/galleries open to the public; if you stop in one of those places, they will probably be very helpful.

[bad_as_dana]

I would like to invite you to visit Corinth. We have a population of 14.5K in the city and abt 35K county wide. We have an artist's guild and Gallery. Many of the local retail stores carry various local artists work. 1 potter has a studio downtown. Another artist has his studio set up in a quaint retail space. We have woodworkers, potters, painters. Music on the square every Thursday evening from 7pm until...During inclement weather, the group moves inside to the Historic Coliseum-Civic Center. We have a vibrant little theatre and also our own professional symphony.

[stormweary]

thanks, I'll have to put Corinth on my list. I've been "talking" to some people on the New Mexico thread about artist towns. i'd like to be close enough to family so that is why I am debating there and some place closer like Miss. New Mexico is a bit far from southern La and New orleans and i don't know anyone in N.M.. Still, it seems affordable away from Santa Fe area.