Staff Creative Residency Cohort Completes Summer Projects
Twelve selected to pursue passion projects, public showcase set for Sept. 10
OXFORD, Miss. – Twelve University of Mississippi staff members are fostering creativity this week through projects outside of their formal careers as part of the university's Staff Creative Residency Program.
Created in 2022 by the Mississippi Lab and funded by the Office of the Provost, the program provides each recipient a $500 stipend and five days of creative time, compensated at their regular rate of pay, to pursue their projects. This year's cohort was selected from a pool of about 40 applicants.
"There's this wealth of creative people here at our university who are the custodial workers of our university, who are the accountants of our university, who are the counselors of our university (and) who have a creative life beyond the bounds of the work they do here at the university," said John T. Edge, director of the Mississippi Lab. "We want to support that work."
Trent Bloodworth, a network analyst in the Telecommunications Center, shows off a 1960s refrigerator that he transformed into a cocktail cabinet for his staff creative residency. Submitted photo
The 2024-25 residency recipients and projects are:
- Rebekah Allen, counselor at the University Counseling Center; used dance techniques to develop creative movements that enhance mental well-being
- Trent Bloodworth, network analyst in the Telecommunications Center; explored new uses for vintage items by repurposing a 1960s refrigerator into a cocktail cabinet
- Laura Cavett, guest service agent at The Inn at Ole Miss; created a series of paintings combining a narrative with iconic images in cartoon format
- Andrea Drummond, program coordinator in the Department of Music; learned the art of glassblowing
- Amy Evans, graphic web designer in University Marketing and Communications; created a series of large oil paintings on canvas
- Tess Graham, library specialist in access services at J.D. Williams Library; researched and developed an equine therapy program with Monkey, a horse
- Cassandra Hawkins, associate director of data and quality management at the Institute of Child Nutrition; pursued a film photography project that invokes a sense of family and introspection about the past and present
- Merrill Magruder, special assistant to the chancellor; researched and applied traditional canning techniques
- Cayce Reed, data analyst in the Office of Financial Aid; learned the process of finishing a stitched needlework canvas into a final product
- Dakota Robertson, academic adviser in the FASTrack Learning Community; learned the art of canning fresh produce as an act of homesteading
- Andy Smith, systems analyst in the student housing office; learned to grow and use mushrooms to make vegan leather
- William Teer, assistant director of community engagement in the Center for Community Engagement; researched and wrote the story of the late West Sanford "Sam" Forsythe, owner of Sam's Drive-in in Ripley, Tennessee.
Dakota Robertson, academic adviser in the FASTrack Learning Community, stirs a batch of jam she made during her staff creative residency. Submitted photo
The public is invited to join Noel Wilkin, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Steven Holley, vice chancellor for administration and finance, to learn more about the cohort's projects at a public event scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 10 in the Banquet Room at Johnson Commons. Grit will provide refreshments.
Each summer residency recipient is eligible to also apply for a three-day winter residency, which includes a $300 stipend.
Top: Amy Evans, a graphic web designer in University Marketing and Communications, works on a painting in her home studio. Evans is among 12 Ole Miss staff members granted staff creative residencies to pursue creative projects outside their campus responsibilities. Submitted photo