In 1918, Annette McConnell Anderson purchased twenty-four acres of seaside property in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. She established an art colony there and named it Fairhaven. Years later that same property was renamed Shearwater, a landmark of flourishing creative economy that has been operated by the extended Anderson family for more than 90 years. At a time when women were not even allowed to vote, Annette had a vision and established a lineage of artists. Due to her efforts and influence, Ocean Springs was transformed from a sleepy fishing village into a thriving arts community.

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The Soul to Dare marks the first of a dedicated series of exhibitions celebrating the creative vision of remarkable women. The title of the exhibition takes its name from Annette McConnell Anderson’s inscription in her Newcomb College yearbook: “The will to do, the soul to dare.” This exhibition features work by twelve members of the South Mississippi Arts League – all of whom happen to be women. The Soul to Dare recognizes the contributions of these artists to contemporary art in Mississippi.

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The South Mississippi Arts League is an artist collective that was established in 2015 with the goal of creating traveling exhibitions and providing outlets for Mississippi Gulf Coast-based professional artists to promote and display their work. 

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Includes work by: Pat Abernathy, Carolyn Busenlener, Paulette Dove, Kat Fitzpatrick, Sandra Halat, Carmen Lugo, Ann Madden, George Ann McCullough, Patt Odom, Cissy Quinn, and Norma Seward.

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The exhibition is a testament to the support that groups of women artists lend to each other and their work. The women in this exhibition explore art through unflinchingly female lenses – depicting emotion, pushing against stereotypes, and claiming their places within the landscape of contemporary art.