On Sunday, March 4, the opening of ,the Retrospective of Mary Anne Ross, in the Wright Art Center Gallery on Delta State campus will be held along with a public reception from 4-6 p.m. Mary Anne Ross, is a longtime faculty member of the Delta State Art Department. The exhibit, will hold work from her family, her patrons and friends, and will feature a look at the length and breadth of the artist’s career with paintings, collages and drawings from the 1950s forward.
A number of large-scale single and multi-panel paintings representing the arc of her professional career as a faculty member and the small and more intimate delicate collages make up the posthumous exhibit. The artist was particularly proud of a collaborative effort with colleague Terry Everett, retired professor from Delta State Languages and Literature Division, resulting in a published book of poetry and art entitled The Work of Two Hands in 1992 as well as a second book Windows: After Matisse in 1996. Several of Ross’s preliminary sketches and notations from her sketchbooks will be displayed as an interesting peek into the artist’s thinking process. In the sketches and the completed works, one will find a consistent influence of Greek architecture, Native-American art, and the art of Botticelli, Van Gogh, Matisse, Walter Anderson, and Marie Hull.
A graduate of the University of Alabama (BFA, 1951), she was mentored by artist and professor Alvin Sella during her student years. Ross was a dedicated participant over the years in art colonies at Allison’s Wells, Stafford Springs and The Red Apple Inn where artists would gather for rejuvenation and quiet time to explore and work as a community among themselves. Her career took off after the last of her four daughters started school and she returned to teaching. She taught at Auburn University from 1951-1952, then subsequently set up a private studio in downtown Indianola from 1959-1969. When Malcolm Norwood, chair of the Delta State Art Department, asked her to join the faculty he was putting together she agreed and developed foundational design courses which educated generations of young artists from 1969-2000.
In the 1970’s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, the work poured out of her home studio. Ross developed solo and group exhibitions in Dallas and New Orleans and throughout the Southeast and Southwest. The Delta and its flora and fauna were beloved subjects for painting. She frequently spent summers in the Southwest during those years, absorbing and reflecting her love for the colors, patterns, and icons in that region. These, too, are evident in thematic series over the years.
Former colleagues of Ross expressed their pleasure at knowing and working with the artist during her 31 years as a member of the Art Department. Current chair Ron Koehler mentioned having taught with Mary Anne for 19 years and in that time, saw how deeply she felt about sharing her passion for art with her students. “She was extremely proud of her students and their accomplishments. When former students come by for a visit, they always asked about Mary Anne. We all miss her,” stated Koehler.
Sammy Britt and Mary Anne Ross taught together for many years. “Our classrooms were next to each other so it was easy for me to see what a great teacher she was,” said Britt. “Her knowledge of design was a valuable and sustaining element in the development of a student’s career in art. She had the unique ability to combine her design knowledge, poetry, and her feelings. I always looked forward to seeing her new work in the annual faculty show. Mary Anne’s paintings are as beautiful and individual as she was.”
Another friend, fellow student at the University of Alabama and Delta State colleague, was art historian Terry Simmons. Simmons was awed at the work Ross was able to produce and her command over her media. She mentioned that this was all the more impressive given that she raised four daughters, drove from Indianola daily for years, and was always perfectly dressed and groomed. Her art reflected “moderation, calm and serenity and the spiritual side of Nature”. The latter was amplified as she found her soul in Santa Fe, New Mexico during annual visits there. Her beloved husband Dr. William R. “Bill” Ross said about her teaching and art that “ She enjoyed teaching; she was a perfectionist”. Hundreds of former Delta State students, many of whom now have art careers of their own, would testify to that truth.
The community is invited to join in celebrating the life and art of Mary Anne Ross and renew acquaintance with her family and friends at the reception in the gallery. The exhibit will remain on view from March 4 through 30, closed on weekends and holidays. For further information, contact the DSU Fielding Wright Art Center at 662-846-4720.
