Vision includes traveling exhibitions, increase in acquisitions
OXFORD, Miss. – William Pittman Andrews is a frequent traveler into the world of art but to him it’s a two-way street.
The new director of the University of Mississippi Museum and
Historic Houses makes an annual pilgrimage to New York City to view the
works of the great Masters and rising contemporaries.
While he finds such sojourns to be personally rewarding, he also stops
along the way to encourage people to explore the valuable and renowned
collections found within the halls of his latest workplace, and he
invites noteworthy artists to visit and exhibit their work.
“Ole Miss is a cultural mecca; the museum and its collections
definitely drew me to accept the position here,” Andrews said. “The
museum’s Robinson Collection of Greco-Roman sculpture, the
Millington-Barnard Collection of Historic Scientific Instruments and
repository of Southern folk art were like a triple home run for me.”
Expressing his support for the new director, Morris Stocks, UM
provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said, “Mr. Andrews
has broad, extensive experience with museums, and he brings a breadth
of knowledge, energy and excitement. His wide-ranging expertise aligns
remarkably well with the strengths of our wonderful museum collections.
He will invigorate our museum and help lead us to the next level of
excellence.”
Besides attracting exhibitions and increased traffic to the
museum, Andrews stated two primary objectives. “I want us to regularly
send out quality exhibitions. The works of artists like Theora
Hamblett, Luster Willis and Sulton Rogers should all be traveling to
great exhibiting institutions beyond the South.
“I also want the museum to continue acquiring the very best
representations of various artists, genres, styles and periods for our
collections. Because acquisitions are a critical part of the museum
program, we need new additions to remain vibrant and vital.”
Acknowledging that both traveling exhibitions and acquisitions can be
costly, Andrews said he is encouraged by the enthusiasm and support by
museum and university staff as well as members of the Oxford-Lafayette
County community.
Everyone that I’ve met so far has been very passionate about what goes
on here, which is very attractive to me,” Andrews said. “Likewise, my
wife Stacie and I are excited about joining the local art community via
the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Oxford Artists Guild and other
organizations.”
Well known in the art community statewide and beyond, Andrews was named
the 2008 Mississippi Arts Commission Visual Arts Fellow. He has had
solo exhibitions in Ellisville, Greenville, Columbus, Laurel and
Meridian. He has also participated in group exhibitions in Atlanta,
Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Brooklyn and Little Rock.
“William is motivated by the power of the arts; he demonstrates vision
and imagination,” said Malcolm White, executive director of the
Mississippi Arts Council. “He is not bound by the limits of the status
quo and is an asset to the creative community of Mississippi.”
Andrews holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mississippi State
University.
Formerly, he was director of galleries for the College of
Architecture, Art and Design and served on the art faculty at MSU. He
also taught art at Starkville High School in the early 1990s. He
expressed hopes that his third and terminal degree will eventually be
earned during his UM tenure.
“The classical tradition at Ole Miss is so great, I’ve always wanted to earn a Ph.D. from Ole Miss,” he said.
Forging ahead with his plans for the museum’s growth and continued
success in his chosen career, Andrews exudes a calm confidence. He says
that by relying on his perspectives as an artist, he has more often
than not made decisions that have been rewarding in his personal and
professional life.
“That’s how I came to this amazing experience in Oxford and at Ole
Miss,” Andrews said. “So far, my instincts have never led me wrong.”
For more information about the University Museum, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/