Art Industry Veteran Catherine Edmonson Selected as Southern Miss Gallery Director

Wed, 09/16/2026 - 09:36am | By: Mike Lopinto

The University of Southern Mississippi School of Performing and Visual Arts has appointed Catherine Parker Edmonson as director of the Gallery of Art and Design. An art historian with more than two decades of international and local experience, Edmonson takes the helm of a space long celebrated as one of the Gulf South region’s premier art venues and best-kept cultural secrets.

Edmonson brings a dynamic background to the position. Her early career at Christie’s Auctions in New York City spanned every facet of the art trade, from cataloging fine silverware to managing complex logistics, such as shutting down Fifth Avenue to extract oversized masterpieces. She launched her teaching career in St-Cloud, France, at the American School of Paris, and holds a Master of Arts in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London.

Most recently, Edmonson served as program director at Prospect Gallery in downtown Hattiesburg, where she championed artists with Southern roots and spearheaded initiatives to bring art to underserved audiences. In 2025-26, she worked as a teaching artist in local schools under American Academy of Poets Laureate Fellow Jennifer Peterson. A deeply engaged civic leader, she serves on the advisory board of the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art (HAPA), where she recruits nationally recognized muralists, and the Board of Trustees for the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. Her community leadership earned her and her husband the 2025 Jay Slaughter Catalyst Award for Civic Engagement.

“I look forward to increasing visibility for the arts at USM’s School of Performing and Visual Arts and strengthening ties between the university and Hattiesburg,” Edmonson said.

A passionate advocate for art literacy, she frequently notes that everyone deserves a well-balanced visual diet.

Since moving into its new facility in 2014, the Gallery of Art and Design has built upon a rich artistic tradition. The gallery presents a wide range of regional to national and historical to contemporary exhibitions. Beyond visual displays, it serves as a crucial educational forum, offering lectures, workshops and symposia led by prominent artists, critics, curators and historians. Through ongoing collaborations, the space bridges campus scholarship and community enrichment.

“Catherine combines high-level international market experience with an absolute devotion to our local community,” said Dr. Colin McKenzie, interim director of the School of Performing and Visual Arts. “Her vision will elevate our gallery’s profile, enrich our students' education, and expand the creative footprint of USM across the region.”

For more information, visit the Gallery of Art and Design website.

School of Performing and Visual Arts
The School of Performing and Visual Arts at The University of Southern Mississippi brings together Art and Design, Dance and Theatre in a vibrant community of artists, performers, designers, scholars and educators. Part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the school is home to nationally recognized programs. Its distinguished faculty are professionals whose work extends across the country and around the world, bringing that expertise into the classroom and giving students opportunities to grow creatively. Through productions, performances, exhibitions, studio practice and collaborative projects, students develop their artistic voices and prepare for careers in the arts. The school’s theatres, studios, galleries and Museum of Art provide spaces for students and faculty to perform, exhibit and share their work with the Southern Miss community and beyond.