To quote William Shakespeare in his work “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The object of Art is to give life a shape.”
Little did Shakespeare know that 400 years after writing this line, his life would inspire high school students in Starkville to give shape to works of art.
Through February at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership at 200 E. Main St. in downtown Starkville, the work and era of Shakespeare will be celebrated in art. A public reception is set for Monday, Jan. 28, from 5-6 p.m.
The Starkville Area Arts Council’s Art in Public Places (AIPP) Committee is currently hosting a show of artwork by local high school students inspired by Shakespeare. This show is held in conjunction with several events organized by the Mississippi State University Institute for the Humanities “Shakespeare: From Page to Stage” project.
This past fall, the AIPP Committee was approached by Dr. Donna Clevinger, MSU professor of communication and event organizer for “Shakespeare: From Page to Stage.” According to Lori Neuenfeldt, chair of the AIPP Committee, “We were very excited about the opportunity for the city arts council to collaborate with local schools and the university, bringing together some of the important artistic generators in the city for one event.”
Neuenfeldt said, “After reaching out to the area high school art programs we were blown away by the response and enthusiasm shown by Robin Pigg, the art instructor, and the students at Starkville Academy who volunteered to participate in the show.”
Monday’s reception is hosted by the Development Partnership and the Starkville Area Arts Council. Representatives from the AIPP Committee and Starkville Academy will be present, along with cast members from MSU’s upcoming production of “Love Letters from Shakespeare: A Night of Music, Dance and Sonnets,” and organizers of the “Shakespeare from Page to Stage” project. Visitors may see guests dressed in costumes from Shakespeare’s time.
The exhibit is open to the public Mondays through Fridays, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
The show is made possible by the Starkville Area Arts Council’s Art in Public Places Committee, Starkville Academy, Robin Pigg, Barb Adkins, Dr. Donna Clevinger and the MSU Institute for the Humanities’ ” Shakespeare: From Page to Stage” project.
Related events
Other scheduled events include high school workshops in Starkville and Columbus with actors from the American Shakespeare Center on Feb. 21, and a college workshop Feb. 22, which lead up to the main event — the American Shakespeare Center’s performance of “Twelfth Night” Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall. All workshops are open to the public, space permitting.
For more information about the art show, call Neuenfeldt, 662-325-2973, or email [email protected]. For more information about the “Shakespeare: From Page to Stage” project, email Dr. Donna Clevinger at [email protected] or call 662-325-4034.
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