FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 16, 2011
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

Artwork by Gibson and Nawrocki accepted into Bi-State Art Competition

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mississippi University for Women art professors Robert Gibson and Thomas Nawrocki have had pieces accepted to the 38th Annual Bi-State Art Competition hosted by the Meridian Museum of Art.

One of Gibson’s mixed media pieces is titled “Seasons” and the other is a wooden sculpture/mixed media titled “Prayer House number 5.” Nawrocki’s work is titled “ZIG ZAG ZIG 71.”

Gibson’s interests in the visual arts are varied and his expertise is displayed in several mediums. From watercolor to jewelry design, his work is in many private collections.

He is a freelance illustrator and is a contributor to publications for Bush Brothers Corporation in Knoxville, Tenn., and The Cirlot Agency in Jackson.

His work also has been featured in several group and solo exhibitions throughout the southeast and has been represented in commercial galleries such as Blue Rhino Art Gallery in Fairhope, Ala., and Marie Hull and Brown Fine Arts galleries in Jackson.

Gibson has taught at MUW since 1989 and currently serves as chair of the Department of Art and Design.

Nawrocki’s “ZIG ZAG ZIG” prints are a continuing series of mixed-medium impressions produced in editions of three each.

His mixed media print compositions are unique to the printmaking process, and he describes himself as the “only printmaker in the world with curves.”

Nawrocki has taught at MUW since 1970. Currently, his work is on display across the nation and in other countries.

The Bi-State Art Competition is the oldest juried art competition in the region, featuring artists in Mississippi and Alabama. The competition offers more than $3,000 in awards and prizes, including the $1,000 Best of Show Award.

The competition runs through Saturday, Sept. 24 and ends with a reception and announcement of awards.