Photography professors net MAC mini grants

Two Mississippi State University faculty members in the College of Architecture, Art and Design recently received grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission to expand their knowledge and passion for photography.

The university said in a press release that professor of photography Marita Gootee and associate professor of photography Dominic Lippillo each received $500 mini grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission this semester.

The grants are made possible by funding from the Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

MAC, established in 1968, is a state agency aimed at supporting programs to enhance communities; assisting artists and arts organizations; promoting the arts in education and celebrating Mississippi’s cultural heritage.

MAC Executive Director Malcolm White said the state is home to many famous artists and performers who have set high standards for artistic achievement in Mississippi.

“Mississippi artists tell the story of our state and contribute to its cultural richness,” White said. “The Mississippi Arts Commission is honored to support their outstanding work.”

Gootee has been teaching in MSU’s Department of Art for more than 30 years and used the funds from her MAC mini grant to attend a workshop in Denver, Colorado.

At the workshop, she learned about the instant photographic process known as “Wet Plate” under the tutelage of Quinn Jacobson, owner of Studio Q.

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(Courtesy photo) Using a $500 mini grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission, MSU professor of photography Marita Gootee attended a two-day workshop to learn about the instant photographic process called Wet Plate. During the workshop, she created this work, “Horse Mask.”