“Leaving Mississippi” art exhibit shows African-American perspective

Kenya Johnson
Staff Writer

“I want people to connect and be inspired by my pieces. I want them to understand where we have come from and where we are now,” said Najee Dorsey while reflecting over his art exhibit “Leaving Mississippi: Reflections on Heroes and Folklore.”

On Jan. 29, Dorsey presented his pieces at Gallery1 located at Jackson State University. The pieces focus on black culture, African-American history, and legacy.

“’Leaving Mississippi’” is a show that came from the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Ga. It chronicles a lot of historical narratives going all the way to the times of Bass Reeves and Robert Charles pertaining to black culture and the black experience,” said Dorsey.

Dorsey’s eye for color and gift of telling stories in his paintings are like no other. His work will grab your attention, make you stop for a second, and really think about what he is trying to say. One can only admire the amount of time, effort, and thought put into each and every one of the pieces presented.

Some of his pieces included “Dear Dangerfield”, “Bass Reebes” , and “Conjur Woman” which was inspired by a healer/ medicine woman who could cast spells. One of the unique things about Dorsey’s art was his incorporation of everyday objects such as cloth, metal, newspaper articles, aluminum foil and etc.

Dorsey stated that he always picks up lost pieces along the road as he walks and incorporates them into his artwork.

“”Leaving Mississippi’ is about migration, leaving, and pursuing, you know, something better, something bigger. Having dreams and aspirations and leaving particular mindsets behind. I’m originally from Mississippi County, Arkansas so I use Mississippi as a metaphor,” said Dorsey.

Tyler Harden understands the meaning behind Dorsey’s exhibit.

“It represents a lot of what I have been saying since I have been growing up. I was always talking about getting away from Mississippi and exploring new things. It’s inspiring to see how these people took what they learned from Mississippi and made beautiful things out of tragedy, ” said the freshman accounting major said.

Dorsey states that he was inspired a lot by Rubie Bond. Bond played a tremendous role in the development of the Bicentennial Oral History project, which described the lives of African American in the south and their transition north.

“This is powerful art!,” said Ricky Hill, Interim Chair of the Department of Political Science at JSU, while viewing one of Dorsey’s pieces. “It exhibits historical content and depth. It is storytelling and quite profound; Real. It is beautiful art!”

The exhibit will be showing in Galley1 until April.  Dorsey urges students as well as faculty to come out and view his work.