Artist in residence at MSU helps mark nation’s semiquincentennial through Craft in America celebration
Contact: Christie McNeal
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State is one of 10 universities nationwide selected to host a one-week artist residency as part of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026.
Timed with America’s semiquincentennial year, Craft in America’s initiative aims to showcase the evolving field of craft and its vital role throughout history and in contemporary art.
Coulter Fussell, a visual artist who lives and works in Water Valley, is spending this week in residency at MSU, engaging with students and the community with lectures, critiques and workshops.
“We are honored to be selected to participate in Craft in America’s nationwide celebration of craft and the handmade during America’s 250th year,” said MSU Professor Critz Campbell. “The Department of Art is also proud to introduce our students to Coulter’s incredible textile practice.”
An exhibition of Fussell’s work is on display through Sept.11 in the Old Main Academic Building Art Gallery, Room 1070. A gallery talk and reception will be held on Sept. 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the gallery. Viewing hours this week are 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and Thursday, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
A full-time studio artist, Fussell’s practice spans quilting, upholstery and mixed media works that are a culmination of photography and sculpting. In 2024, she received funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts Exhibition Support Grant, and her work was featured in an art-book publication, New Women’s Work: Reimagining “Feminist” Craft in Contemporary Art and Art in America. Fussell’s work at The Armory Show with Sheet Cake Gallery was named “Best of” by ArtNews, and her recent solo show at The Mississippi Museum of Art was highlighted by The New York Times as a “What to See This Spring at Museums Across the Country.”
“We have been thrilled to work with Craft in America and Coulter Fussell for the past several months to create her solo exhibition, student interactions and her residency at Mississippi State,” said Dixie Boswell, Department of Art exhibit coordinator. “The Department of Art has a consistent history of strong programming to bring in world-class artists and scholars to enrich the educational experience of our students and the community at large, and we strive to support our young artists with every opportunity for exposure, growth and critique possible.”
See the full Handwork schedule at https://www.handwork2026.org/. Learn more about Fussell at https://www.coulterfussell.com/.
Housed within MSU’s College of Architecture, Art and Design, visit www.caad.msstate.edu/art for more information on MSU’s Department of Art.
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