Amelia Presents and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council will host the ninth annual “One Night Stand Art Show at the Ole Miss Motel” this Saturday.
The “One Night Stand” selects 11 artists to show their work at the Ole Miss Motel. This year the artists include: Amy C. Evans, Kate Roebuck, Britt Bass Turner, Chad Mars, Pati D’Amico and Bill Warren, Adrienne Brown-David, Lamar Sorrento, Jonathan Kent Adams, Lauren Banquer, Harry Underwood and Bradley Gordon.
Each artist will have their own room and will get to be their own curator for their motel room gallery.
“I curate who goes into the show, but they then become their own curator,” said Erin Austen Abbott, owner of Amelia Presents. “I am not telling them what work to have in the show or where to hang it. They really have control over their gallery space, which is unusual for an art show.”
The “One Night Stand” will showcase multiple current and former Ole Miss students. Jonathan Kent Adams, a senior BFA painting major from Yazoo City, will be showing his work for the first time on Saturday. Although Abbott knew Adams, she found his work through Instagram.
“His work struck me as something unique and different. I think that people who attend the show will really like his work for that reason,” Abbott said. “I think they will really love the colors that he uses and his subject matter. His whole palette is fantastic.”
“I am really interested in how text that we read and conversations that we have form our identities,” Adams said. “So a lot of my work involves creating the human form by layering text and different marks to make a person.”
Adams is very grateful for Abbott extending an invitation for him to participate in this year’s show.
“I feel like she is giving my art a voice,” Adams said.
Abbott started the art show nine years ago in order to give up-and-coming artists an outlet to show their work. However, the show exhibits artists at all levels.
This year, Abbott will also have many nationally known artists. These artists include: Britt Bass Turner, Lamar Sorrento, Amy C. Evans and Kate Roebuck. Abbott believes that the talent and skill of the participating artists increase every year.
“The caliber of artists that are showing is tremendous,” Abbott said. “Like years past, the artists have been wonderful, but the popularity of the artists coming this year is pretty remarkable.”
With each artist’s room, Abbott creates a flowing feeling, causing the viewer to keep moving to each space to see what else unfolds.
“The ‘One Night Stand’ is an intimate setting,” senior painting major Alice Connolly, said. “Walking into each room is like walking into someone’s creative process. It is always interesting to see the different works of art people show.”
Abbott credits the support of the community as to why the show is always a night of fun.
“I think the word-of-mouth has reached that level where everyone knows it will be a great night,” Abbott said.
