STARKVILLE — When A.J. Meadows was growing up in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, he never really thought of himself as an artist.
He was better at math than he was at painting and drawing. Even when Meadows moved to south Mississippi in 2000, he never considered a career in the arts.
That all changed when Meadows graduated from Meridian High School in 2002 and came to Mississippi State University. He began his schooling as a civil engineering major, but decided he didn”t want to work on roads for the rest of his life. Then he switched to architecture because he thought he might want to design bridges, but that didn”t suit him, either. Meadows even switched to graphic design, but his disdain for computers left him searching for another career path.
It was only after Meadows took a sculpture class in 2005 at Mississippi State when he found his calling: He wanted to become an artist.
“It made me feel good,” Meadows said of his first venture into sculpture. “It made me feel accomplished.”
Fast-forward five years and Meadows, now 25, has graduated from Mississippi State with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture and is applying to graduate schools all over the U.S., and in Scotland. He says his life is in a “transitional period” as he creates art, but also works at Restaurant Tyler to make ends meet. Eventually, he wants to teach art in a university setting.
His work — a mix of sculpture and performance pieces — will be on display Friday evening at Cre8tive Warehouse, located at the corner of Lampkin and Washington streets in Starkville. The show begins at 5 p.m. and will run into the night.
Meadows admits it”s difficult to describe his art. His main goal is to get a reaction out of viewers, whether it”s positive or negative.
Many of his sculptures consist of existing wooden pieces, which he alters to fit his artistic vision. He has built everything from boats to animals to guitars. Some of the pieces are controversial.
While at Mississippi State, Meadows built a boat, which he sank on Good Friday and raised on Easter Sunday. The move drew a negative reaction from some department heads, Meadows said, because a rumor was circulating that he planned to set the boat on fire.
Meadows” show Friday at Cre8tive Warehouse also has religious overtones. He wrapped up most of his possessions in Sunday comic pages, which he set up around a Christmas tree this week at the Warehouse. He plans to give his possessions away as gifts to people who attend the show Friday evening.
“It”s a social commentary,” he said. “It seems like, back in the day, we all grew up with the idea that Sunday was the day of rest. Like, we were going to go worship, we were going to go do this. It”s become funny to us. The funny pages, they only come out on Sundays. Why do they only come out on Sundays? Why don”t they come out on Tuesday? I”m playing off that idea, and the idea that Christmas … is about the birth of our savior, but it”s come completely away from that. We”re pulling away from the edges. It”s no longer about that. It”s about what”s inside that little package.”
Meadows wouldn”t dislcose what kinds of items he wrapped in newspaper.
“You”ll have to come to the show find out,” he said with a wry smile.
The show also has mature elements. In one of his pieces, Meadows urinated in 70 Christmas tree ornaments and hung them from a spring attached to the Cre8tive Warehouse ceiling.
“I like pushing people”s boundaries,” he said.
While Meadows” show begins 5 p.m. Friday at the Cre8tive Warehouse, other events will be taking place throughout downtown as part of the First Fridays celebration.
Restaurant Tyler, located at the corner of Main Street and Washington Street, will have specials on wine, as well as artwork by Paul Buckley on display. The Sundial, located at 106 E. Main St., also will have artwork on display, as well as clothing and accessories.
The State Theatre, at 217 E. Main St., will have local artwork on display and live music, while Dandy Doodlez, located at 222 E. Main St., will allow patrons to design their own ceramic pieces.
Live music also is planned on the sidewalks throughout downtown.
For more information on Meadows, visit www.ajmeadows.com.
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