JTC 25: Forging Confidence Through Sculpture

Pressure, fire and force don’t just describe the grueling welding process Rory Randle mastered as she constructed an 11-foot-tall steel house for her thesis project.

They are a perfect description of the Olive Branch student’s four-year journey at the University of Mississippi. She did not quite see the sparks of her talent until the second semester of her freshman year.

“My peers in my drawing classes were amazing, and I hadn’t really had formal art classes in high school,” Randle said. “I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’ but I took a 3D sculpture class with Stacey Rathert, instructional associate professor of art in sculpture, and it changed everything.”

Grinding, casting and working in the woodshop unlocked something pencils and paintbrushes seemingly couldn’t.

“It just it felt right,” Randle said. “There’s this synthesis of self and art with sculpture where I'm really pouring myself into the work that I make.

“I've got the bruises and the stitches and the scars to prove it.”

Once an uncertain freshman considering a new path, she found her footing near the heat of the foundry furnace and has completed a degree in art with an emphasis in sculpture and minor in museum studies.

Randle is heading to Commencement with lasting memories of late nights in Meek Hall, sometimes until dawn, immersed in the creative process alongside classmates who became friends.

“We were all in the trenches together,” said Randle, the 2025 winner of the UM Outstanding Studio Art Student Award, 2024 David Rorie Award for outstanding spirit and studio artwork, and awards from the university’s Student Art Association. “Whenever I think of the best of times, I think of those delirious nights painting and laughing until my stomach hurt with my friends.”

The emotions expressed in Randle’s work go far beyond laughter.

Inspired by Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Beloved,” and her own reflections on generational trauma, she explored how grief, memory and inherited pain ripple through families in her senior thesis exhibition, "Epigenetic."

Centered around traditional “Southern belle” objects, Randle’s installation included the steel house she welded, her most ambitious work yet, a clothesline and other wooden items she used a laser cutter to construct to invite viewers to connect with their personal experiences.

“I’m very proud of Rory, but she should be proud of all she’s accomplished,” Rathert said. “What I really appreciate about Rory’s work is that because it was so deeply personal, it becomes more universal because we have a lot more in common than we realize.

“She pushed herself, even in this last semester. That big house? It was very ambitious – and she upped its scale.”

Rathert noticed Randle’s reserved energy during that introductory design class four years earlier and has marveled at her growth. The student’s insatiable curiosity about art, attention to detail and work ethic is a foundation for continued success, she said.

“She’s also got this this energy that makes her a natural magnet and leader,” Rathert said. “Rory brings energy into our studio spaces and her curiosity and ability to take theory and research and put it into practice is contagious.”

Nearly consumed by impostor syndrome after seeing the skills of other students during freshman year, Randle is preparing to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in studio art at the University of Arkansas. She plans to expand her skills, integrating technology into her work, and explore more printmaking.

Though she’s moving on from the Velvet Ditch, Randle has something far more permanent than steel. She’s leaving with a deeper sense of purpose.

“You really have to believe in yourself,” she said. “I’ve grown more confident in my skills and I’m really proud of the bodies of work I’ve created.

 “If you’re feeling impostor syndrome, work five times as hard, but give yourself grace at the same time because it’s probably not as bad as you think it is.”

Top: Rory Randle found her voice — and confidence — through sculpture at Ole Miss, culminating in an 11-foot-tall steel house and a thesis exploring generational trauma. The Olive Branch native leaves the university with top art honors and plans to pursue her MFA at the University of Arkansas. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

See more photos from Rory Randle's Journey to Commencement