The Institute for the Arts will spotlight faculty and student talent during the Medal for the Arts awards show – a showcase of the arts encompassing music, film, art, theater, and creative writing.

The third annual Medal for the Arts awards show will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts in Oxford, Mississippi.

Designed along the lines of the Kennedy Center Honors, the Medal for the Arts is the highest honor bestowed by the state’s flagship institution honoring lifetime artistic achievements.

This year’s recipient is arts advocate and university art alumna Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

The evening will spotlight students and faculty from many creative departments campus-wide.

Before the ceremony, an art exhibit featuring an array of student works, curated by Brooke P. Alexander, Instructional Assistant Professor of Art, will be on view in the lobby of the Gertrude Ford Center.

Artists Ellis Barber, Victoria Ellis, Peyton Lawler, Jon Tae McCall, Angel Morgan, Denzel Foster, Claire Baskin, and Nicolette Boyd will be in attendance and eager to answer questions and discuss their work.

University of Mississippi Opera Theater invites visitors to the lobby adjacent Ford Center Studio A for a preview of The Turn of the Screw’s set, cast, and characters.

In the spirit of Double Decker, a festival in which Tannehill was a founding member, Medal for the Arts will showcase established talent and introduce new artists. The night will feature an array of performances beginning with a group at the inaugural Double Decker, the Steel Drum Ensemble directed by Ricky Burkhead.

Other feature performers include Noreen Campo, poet and graduate student in English, Benton Donahue, collaborative pianist and undergraduate student in Music/Women’s Council/Living Music Resource, Fred Hadley, trombonist and graduate student in Music, Adrienne Park, collaborative pianist and Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano, John Carden, Assistant professor of Musical Theatre, and Annalise Caudle, Instructional Assistant Professor of Lighting Design.

In addition to performances, visual art will be integral to the evening’s experience as the work of the Department of Art faculty will be showcased.

The evening will also showcase emerging songstress Izzy Arthurs, English major, Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College student, and Stamps Recipient. In the qualifier round of TN Songwriters Week, Izzy secured a top spot in Memphis. During the week 1,200 songwriters performed in 50 venues across the state. Izzy and six other finalists will go on to perform at the historic Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, where music legends like Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, and Taylor Swift all got their start.

Tickets are only $5 for university students, faculty, and staff and $20 for the public.

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