Artist Walter Anderson subject of next Hoka Series

David Hendrixkson
dm Staff writer

Eccentricity seems to be drawn to water, at least in Mississippi. Clayton Bass, director of theWalter Anderson Museum of Art (WAMA), is coming to Oxford on Monday to tell how Anderson put this eccentricity to use as an Ocean Springs artist.

Bass will show a movie devoted to Anderson and his mediums that range from pottery to animal drawings, but he will also lecture on what the WAMA can do for Mississippi.

"Walter Anderson has had a profound effect on Mississippi," Bass said. "Not just through art, but according to a USM (University of Southern Mississippi) study, The WAMA brought a $1 million revenue into the state throughout the year of 1999."

Anderson's life was immersed in art. Born in New Orleans in 1903, Anderson first learned about art from his mother. As years went by he would study at the Parsons Institute of Design in New York, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and spent some time in Europe. When he returned to the United States, he began working at Shearwater Pottery, in Ocean Springs, which was started by his brother Peter Anderson.

During the 1930s, Anderson would succumb to schizophrenia and spend the next three years in and out of hospitals. Even during his recuperation, Anderson found time for art and created thousands of pieces.

Seventeen years later, a dramatic change took place in Anderson's life. With the consent and understanding of his family, he left his house and began a reclusive life; dividing his time between a small cottage, the grounds of Shearwater Pottery and also on Horn Island, an uninhabited barrier island, 12 miles off the coast. His trips to Horn Island have inspired people and legends, since he would row a small skiff the distance, carrying only minimal supplies and his art equipment. Often, he stayed for weeks on the island with only his skiff as shelter from the bugs, sun and rain.

Only after he died of lung cancer in 1965 were many of his works found. In appreciation for his contributions as an artist, the Walter Anderson Museum of Art was created in 1991 to share the creative talents and vision of Walter Anderson, and various other artists with the public.

Bass will present the film and talk starting at 6 p.m. Monday in the auditorium in the Lafayette County public library as part of The Spirit of the Hoka series. Admission is free.