Samuel Marshall Gore Galleries' Legacy at MC
Dr. Samuel Marshall Gore used his energy and talent toward serving college students and in establishing a legacy of teaching art from a Christ-centered perspective.
Located on Monroe Street next to the Leland Speed Library on Mississippi College’s campus, are the Gore Galleries. The gallery was established as a tribute to Dr. Samuel Marshall Gore, who was a faithful steward of energy and talent. He used these toward serving college students and to establish a legacy of teaching art from a Christ-centered perspective.
The gallery has approximately 1500 art pieces that are rotated between different sections every three to four months. “There are plenty of artists who come and want to show their work here at the Gore Gallery,” Dr. Randy Jolly, professor of Art and the Director of the Gore Galleries, said. He has worked at the galleries for approximately 15 years. “We host showcases pretty often, and it is a great opportunity for people from Clinton to enjoy art.”
Even though the gallery shows work from guest artists, that are not at all related to Mississippi College, it is still an educational gallery with the goal of giving art students the experience of seeing a variety of art pieces. These artists have the option to display their art pieces, sets, or even a whole collection, for sale. “We have a section of the gallery which is a student environment concept…they have the chance to decide for how long they want us to show it,” Jolly said.
The Gore Gallery’s facility has broad spacing, which makes it look aesthetic and clean- and allows Jolly and other gallery workers to play around with the setting of the art pieces. From a visual aspect, it is easy to focus on each piece and observe the little details, because there is a balance between paintings, pictures and sculptures. Although it remains classy, it still shows modern concepts. “You feel this sense of peace, since it is a really quiet place, and there is plenty of natural light inside the building. I really loved most of the art pieces that are showed off all around the gallery. They worked as inspiration for my own projects,” Maria Paula Rodriguez, an Interior Design major, said.
That sense of peace brings students that are not enrolled in art classes to study there. The Gore Gallery has a patio with a few art pieces, accommodated with tables, and is a perfect study environment for all MC students. “Weekends are usually the busiest days at the gallery since we host most of the shows on Saturdays. I really like when students come during the week, because it makes it feel alive,” Whitney Lewis, a worker at the galleries, said.