Sabrina Campbell talks upcoming reception at Black Prairie Blues Museum
On Wednesday, February 1, the Black Prairie Blues Museum is hosting an art reception for local artist Sabrina Campbell as a way to celebrate Black History Month. The reception, lasting from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. that evening, will include cocktails, appetizers, music, and art to kick off the month. Campbell discussed the reception, along with the importance of Black History Month for the West Point community.
“Deborah Mansfield saw my work at the Starkville Area Arts Council at my solo exhibition there, and she asked if I would bring my art to the blues museum,” said Campbell. “I was asked if I wanted to do my art reception now or next month, and I chose February because I celebrate Black History Month every day.”
Campbell is known for highlighting diversity and incorporating a variety of media into her work. Campbell is planning on displaying a wide variety of her art during the show. Her work will include text art, pen and ink, pointillism, pastels, oil pastels, and many other media. Her work will also include a lot of variation in size, as one of her pieces incorporates a full-sized door into the art.
“There's one particular piece that I'm bringing in that focuses on mental health. Many African Americans run away from psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors,” Campbell said. “But I made this piece after losing my mom, my baby sister, and then recently my mother-in-law and my husband's identical twin brother. And it's called ‘Behind Closed Doors.'”
Campbell is also well known for her work in portraiture. For her Black History Month show at the Black Prairie Blues Museum, she will be displaying several portraits of blues artists, civil rights leaders, and other notable figures.
There will also be some familiar faces of local West Point people that Campbell admires included in the show. The artist expressed her excitement to have a show in the Black Prairie Blues Museum as a way for her hometown community to get to see her work.
“It's been phenomenal to bring my work into our community that has so much artistic richness,” said Campbell. “The posters are all over my school and in the community, and my students are getting to see them and to see me as a human. And anyone who comes into our community can see it.”
The Black Prairie Blues Museum also expressed its excitement to host an art reception for Sabrina Campbell and to display her work for the rest of February to celebrate Black History Month.
“We celebrate African American culture at the museum, not only for music, but for art, and for all the ways that African Americans contribute to our culture,” said Bob Brzuszek, one of the board members for the museum. “The Black Prairie Blues Museum is pleased to host and feature the art of Sabrina Campbell, and all of the notable figures she includes as part of it.”
The entire West Point and Clay County communities are invited to come to Campbell's reception on February 1. Campbell made it a point to emphasize that the reception is free and
tiqued, but we're not looking to critique. We just want to see some unusual pictures. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there.”
After the submission win
dow closes, winners will be selected and announced in the next few weeks. On Sunday, April 23, the photos will be exhibited at the Louise Campbell Center for the Arts starting at 2:00 p.m. Awards will be presented at 2:30 p.m.
“Once a month, there's an
art exhibit that often includes professional photographers and painters, but we want the public to come out and see the talent that we have in our town,” Alonso said. “People may not even know that they have the talents they have. But we want people to come out and support the mem
bers of our community… West Point is a small town in Mississippi, and we need to support the people who live in our town.”
For more information on the contest, including more extensive contest rules, you can visit www.wpccac.com and check the Events tab.