How do you paint a life?

A *tiny* piece of Staterstrom's What Became of Dr. Smith

I had the opportunity to scoot by the Mississippi Museum of Art recently to see their most recent temporary exhibit, and it was such a unique experience.

What Became of Dr. Smith is a giant mural, made up of 183 separate canvases that stretch 122 feet. This collection, by Mississippi-raised artist Noah Staterstrom, is an attempt to visualize the life of his great-grandfather. Dr. Smith was a traveling optometrist who disappeared in 1924. Staterstrom spent years researching what became of his ancestor, discovering that Smith struggled with mental health issues and spent the last 40 years of his life at the Mississippi State Insane Hospital. 

It's an inventive (and often surprising) collection of work, exploring not only the artist's family history but also the history of a complicated place like Mississippi. I loved the smart tech integration in this exhibit, because you got to hear directly from the artist (who was trained in Glasgow, of all places; small world!) about his thoughts and feelings. Companion interactive screens also provided more historical details if you wanted to dig deeper. 

(The other thing that made the tech element of the exhibit interesting is the evolution of this work via the social media platform Instagram. Many of the small canvases can be found on the artist's Instagram feed, and he's sold many versions of them on this platform.) 

It's such a beautiful, interesting, and meaningful work, with such a strong connection to my home. The exhibit will remain open until September 24, and I highly recommend a visit!