"The Wellspring"
OXFORD, Miss. – Painter Hamlett Dobbins’ exhibition, “The Wellspring,” a collection of works that draw from a diverse set of experiences with Dobbins’ two children, will be featured at the University of Mississippi Museum through Feb. 22, 2014.
The exhibit opens Tuesday (Nov. 12), and the museum hosts an opening reception for the exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 14). Dobbins, who is spending this year at the American Academy of Art in Rome as the Rome Prize fellow, will deliver an artist’s lecture at noon Dec. 18 at the museum. All events, including the exhibition, are free and open to the public.
Museum Director Robert Saarnio is also a former Rome Prize fellow and knows what a unique opportunity the fellowship provides for both the artist and the museum community. The Rome Prize is meant to provide inspiration for scholars and artists to engage with the context of the city of Rome and the nation of Italy.
“The Rome experience is a transformative one for the prize-winning fellows,” Saarnio said. “For our audience, it means that we get to hear from a nationally-recognized painter about his body of work on current exhibition.
“These painting are all created in honor of, and are inspired by, Dobbins’ two children. Though they are abstract works, the stories they tell reflect a father’s pride in, and inspiration derived from, his own children.”
A Tennessee native, Dobbins spent most of his life in Memphis. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis in 1993 and went on to receive his Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa.
After completing his graduate studies, Dobbins moved to Memphis, where he worked as a curator for Delta Axis @ Marshall Arts while teaching at University of Memphis, Ole Miss and Memphis College of Art. Since 2001, Dobbins has worked as an instructor at Rhodes College and as director of the Clough-Hanson Gallery, where he has curated shows exhibiting the works of Thomas Nozkowski, Roe Ethridge, Jon Haddock, Radcliffe Bailey and Nikki S Lee.
The University Museum is at the intersection of University Avenue and Fifth Street. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. To book a tour, contact Emily Dean at esdean@olemiss.edu. For more information, visit http://museum.olemiss.edu or call 662-915-7073.
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