Deborah Freeland

Southside Gallery will host an artist's reception, Friday, July 30 from 6:30 - 8:30pm featuring photographs and works on paper by local artist Deborah J. Freeland.

The exhibit, titled Retro Photography and Other Works on Paper, features twenty-three photographs made by Freeland from 1975 - the late 1980s. Most of the photographs were made in Oxford, but some were taken in neighboring Marshall County and the Mississippi Delta. The exhibit also features some drawings and illustrations by Freeland, along with a rendering of the Oxford Square titled The Square: Oxford, Mississippi, The First 100 Years, which documents businesses that occupied buildings located on the square from 1836 - 1936.

"This is a must see exhibit for those interested in the history of Oxford and Lafayette County," said Southside Gallery's Wil Cook. "The photographs are wonderful because not only are they excellent documentary photographs, but they are also artistic pictures. Anyone familiar with Deborah's work knows that she has a profound aesthetic sensibility and is a meticulous artist. The time she devoted to this exhibit is evident the moment one walks in the gallery."

Freeland first moved to Oxford in 1975 to pursue an MA in Art at The University of Mississippi. She grew up in Houston, TX, and had attended Northern Illinois University before moving to Mississippi. Oxford captivated Freeland, so she began to document everything she saw around her.

The photographs Freeland made of Oxford are indicative of a newcomer consumed with discovering the essence of her current home. They are photographs only a newcomer could have made, as they document people and places that would otherwise go unnoticed by a native of the town. Like an anthropologist, Freeland immediately discerned the peculiarities that made her new home unique. Naturally, as any artist would, she sought to capture her experiences through the camera lens and on paper.

While many of the photographs are of buildings and landmarks that are still recognizable, some are of places that are now gone. Photographs of Isaiah's Busy Bee Café and The Skipwith House, which was once located where The Mary Buie Museum on the Ole Miss campus is today, are featured in the exhibit. Many of the stores that were once located on the Oxford square but have since closed or moved to other locations are documented as well.

Just as Oxford has changed since Freeland arrived in 1975, so too has the artist. Freeland has now been a part of the community for thirty-five years, and is a fixture on campus, where she works as a graphic designer, and in town, where she is a prominent member of the arts community. This exhibit could be interpreted as a celebration of the union between an artist and her place.

For more information, please contact Southside Gallery, 662.234.9090.

Smitty's, photograph




Barbershop, watercolor




Square Afternoon, photograph






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