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19-20 Year in Review

MESSAGES    LEADERSHIP    EVENTS     EMERGING ARTISTS    PARTNERS  

 

Letters from the Leadership Desk:

A Message from the Dean, Dr. Chris Winstead

Dr. Chris WinsteadThe Arts community at Southern Miss remains engaged during this unprecedented time. Through artistic creativity and use of digital resources, our faculty continue to work with students to enhance their skill and encourage their passion for the Arts. Although our plans for spring events were altered, we hope that a look back at this past year will send a bit of the Southern Miss spirit from our homes to yours. We kicked-off the year with the USM Symphony Orchestra’s year-long Centennial celebration with an event the Hattiesburg area won’t soon forget—the Partners for the Arts “Casablanca Gala.” The Gala, made possible thanks to the generosity of our community, commemorated the Symphony’s impact in the Gulf South region while raising funds to provide vital support to the Arts programs at Southern Miss. We are deeply appreciative of the time and effort that so many of our Partners invested in making the Gala a resounding success.

Each academic year the Arts at Southern Miss host over 300 exhibitions, concerts, and performances and bring world-class artists to our community to share their expertise. A few of the many highlights from this past year include:

  • A masterclass with multi-award-winning recording, mixing, and mastering engineer, José Diogo Neves;
  • The 43rd Season of Southern Arena Theatre with two plays based on Shakespearean masterpieces: I Hate Hamlet and Speak the Speech!;
  • The Visiting Writers Series featuring Stanford University’s 2018-19 Wallace Stegner Fellow in Fiction, Jamel Brinkley;
  • A dance residency with instructor of Countertechnique, Rosanna Tavarez;
  • The Southern Invitational Choral Conference featuring students and teachers from across the region;
  • The 2019 National Painting Juried Exhibition featuring works by artists from across the country, juried by renowned painter, Bill Scott;
  • The USM Symphony Orchestra’s Centennial season featuring performances by many of our alumni and friends from past generations.

Thank you for your gift to the Arts at Southern Miss through your Partners for the Arts membership. The remainder of the semester represented a different kind of experience for all of us. However, our commitment to the Arts is unwavering and we will continue to work towards enhancing the quality of life for our students and arts patrons. 

Southern Miss to the Top!

 A Message from the Chair, Ron Hancock 

Ron Hancock

Partners issues you a passport to mesmerizing art when underwriting art projects and student initiatives—taking us to places we can only imagine. By filling the pages, you get to see the world while enriching students’ lives and honing the next generation of dedicated arts leaders. We appreciate your participation, generosity, and unparalleled commitment as you continue to journey with us. Stay close and go far with Partners for the Arts.

Ron Hancock, Chairman 2018-2020

 

 

Board

Partners for the Arts is a community alliance, and as such, the support and time commitment of our community leaders is vital to our mission of providing career-altering experiences to our Arts students at USM. 

 

Top (left to right): Dr. Matthew Casey, Dr. Angela Ball, Leigh Ann Underwood, Amy Hinton, Ron Hancock, Lisa Conn, Dr. Mike Lopinto, Dr. Chris Winstead, Dr. Robert Heath. 

Bottom (left to right): Russ Willis, Cory Ferraez, Carolle Marshall, Nancy Leader, Dennis Baum, and Dr. Kimberley Davis. (Note: Some Governing Board members are not featured in picture, all recognized below.)

  

 

Leadership

Executive Committee

 

Dr. Chris Winstead  

Chris Winstead

Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

 

Ron Hancock 

Ron Hancock

Chairman

 

 Russ Willis 

Russ Willis

Immediate Past Chairman

 

Kimberly Joy Miri 

KJ Miri

1st Vice Chair

 

Stacy Ahua 

Stacy Ahua

2nd Vice Chair

 

 Sinclair Lundy  

Sinclair Lundy

Ex. Secretary/Treasurer

 

Leigh Ann Underwood

Leigh Ann Underwood

Event Chair

 

Mike Lopinto

Mike Lopinto

Event Creative Director

 

 

 

 

Arts Leaders

 

Dr. Jay Dean, Director

Dr. Jay Dean

School of Music

 

Stacy Reischman Fletcher, Director

Stacy Reischman Fletcher

School of Performing and Visual Arts

 

Dr. Adam Clay, Director

Dr. Adam Clay

Center for Writers

 

Jacob Cotton

Jacob Cotton

School of Performing and Visual Arts

 

Dr. Jon Pluskota 

Dr. Jon Pluskota

School of Communication

 

Dr. Luis Iglesias 

Dr. Luis Iglesias

School of Humanities

 

Governing Board

 

Dr. Angela Ball

Dr. Angela Ball

Kelsey Barrett  (NEW MEMBER)  

Kelsey Barrett

Sarah Williams (NEW MEMBER)

Sarah Williams

Dennis Baum (NEW MEMBER)

Dennis Baum

Lisa Conn

Lisa conn

Dr. Kimberley Davis

Dr. Kim Davis

Charles Dawe

Charles Dawe

Jim Dukes, Jr.

Jim Dukes, Jr.

Cory Ferraez

Cory Ferraez

David Gustafson

David Gustafson

Dr. Robert Heath (NEW MEMBER)

Dr. Robert Heath

Amy Hinton

Amy Hinton

Althea Jerome

Althea Jerome

Emily Keith

Emily Keith

Nancy Leader (NEW MEMBER)

Nancy Leader

Carole Marshall

Carolle Marshall

Michael McPhail

Michael McPhail

Anna Rush​ (NEW MEMBER)

Anna Rush

 Kate Smith (NEW MEMBER)

Photo of Kate Smith

Millie Swan

Millie Swan

 

 

 

 

Advisory Board

 

 

School of Performing and Visual Arts

  • ​Sarah Bass​
  • George Bassi​
  • Jim Dukes, Jr.

 

Center for Writers

  • Dr. Matthew Casey
  • Dr. Luis Iglesias​
  • Dr. Angela Ball
  • Dr. Joshua Bernstein​
  • Dr. Olivia Clare

Music

  • Dennis Baum​
  • Dr. Robert Heath​
  • Althea Jerome​
  • Nancy Leader
  • Donna Bush​
  • Victoria Johnson​
  • Amanda Powell​
  • Charles Thomas

 

 

USM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION MARKS RETURN OF ART GALA

Casablanca  

Casablanca at a Glance

A historic celebration set amid the enchanting wonders of Morocco, the Gala “Casablanca,” was an affair as memorable as the one between the characters in the legendary film. The fundraising event brought vital support to the Arts programs at Southern Miss, all thanks to the collective support of our community members.

+35Community Sponsors
287Tickets Sold
+ 17K Fundraised

 

Take a look back at the Gala

 

 

 

2019-20 Partners