Mississippi Expat: Andrew Blanchard
"Mississippi has become a muse, something bigger than where I am from or where I was schooled."
What does it mean to call Mississippi home? Why do people choose to leave or live in this weird, wonderful, and sometimes infuriating place? Today we hear from artist Andrew Blanchard who now lives in South Carolina, but whose work is deeply tied to his Mississippi roots.
Where are you from?
I am from Waveland, MS.
When did you move to Spartanburg, SC and why did you move there?
I moved to Spartanburg in the fall of 2005 after having graduated from the MFA program at Ole Miss the winter before (and a short transitional stint in Chicago during the winter/spring). I landed a professorship at Converse College teaching printmaking and photography.
What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition?
Home is where I make it, and to be more specific, I think home can be a metaphilosophical place just as much as a physical one. The notion of home is strained for me, as family ties are painfully complicated. I lean into a more esoteric sense of place…an alternate reality that happened, and as much as I visit it or try to dredge it up, I have to “add-to” and “take-away” from my definition of home. The three dwellings I lived in on the Gulf Coast growing up were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina and I am not close to my parents in the traditional sense. Now Mississippi has become a muse, something bigger than where I am from or where I was schooled. No longer a native, I get to experience it from the outside-in.
What do you miss most about Mississippi?
Quite a bit! I just lost my aunt-godmother, who lived in Bay St. Louis, last year. I miss her company and companionship, her house and yard… Those absences are dearly missed. The fresh seafood from the Gulf Coast. The ability to go soft shell crabbing and fishing at the drop of a hat. The smell, which seems to change when driving southbound from mid-state towards the Gulf Coast…“the Salt Line,” as they say. I miss the moss and the grandiose trees. In the upper part of the state, the energy of Oxford as well—such a special place full of great folks and special circumstances and occasions.
Now Mississippi has become a muse, something bigger than where I am from or where I was schooled. No longer a native, I get to experience it from the outside-in.
How have you cultivated community in Spartanburg?
By being a tradition-bearer! My wife and I bring back pounds of shrimp from each visit to Mississippi back to South Carolina. We share those natural treasures with our SC friends. By having house parties full of food, drinks, desserts, and tunes from MS. We make red beans and rice on Mondays during the cooler months and bake king cakes after the twelfth night up to Fat Tuesday. We also have made friends with other MS expats as much as possible.
Do you still feel rooted to Mississippi?
I feel quite rooted, still. I’m represented by Southside Gallery in Oxford, MS, so I show there every two years. I make quite a number of annual pilgrimages in order to document imagery to use for my screen-printed paintings. Many to nearly most of my major art patrons commission me, so rather than ship the work, I hand-deliver it! My brother and his family reside close to Jackson, so I visit them. I have some wonderful “breauxs” who invite me to fish, camp and see music in various parts of the state, so I continually make new experiences for future memories.
What’s the weirdest question or assumption you’ve encountered about Mississippi (or about you as a Mississippian) by someone who’s never been there?
Maybe I have blocked out these types of experiences, but nothing overtly judgmental seems to come to mind. A little while back, a newer work colleague from the North asked where I was from. I stated, “Mississippi'' and he replied, “I’m sorry.” Naw bruh, you shouldn’t be. Strangely enough, I encountered more assumptions and judgment when I moved to northern MS from the Gulf Coast. I had never heard the witticism “Coast Trash” until I moved to Oxford. And to be honest, when I lived in Hattiesburg, even Jackson college-aged folks were quite a snooty class unto themselves. I could care less where in the state you are from, I’m just an overall fan of MS in general. As I’ve aged, I’ve become close to a good deal of folks from areas in Mississippi I never lived in.
A little while back, a newer work colleague from the North asked where I was from. I stated, “Mississippi'' and he replied, “I’m sorry.” Naw bruh, you shouldn’t be.
How has being from Mississippi affected your identity and your life’s path?
I have a definitive underdog mentality that began while in public high school. I had two teachers that really affected my future path. At the time, it was painful commentary. One told me that I wouldn’t live to see the age of 25 and the other one told me that I would work at Burger King the rest of my life. Both were self-righteous and creepily judgmental. One had kids who played team sports and the other was a teetotaler…that didn’t jive with the artist/skateboarder type that I was and still am. Those comments lit the fire within me to prove them wrong. I’m within a few years of being twice that age now. I’m a well-traveled college professor…so I reckon their comments didn’t come to fruition.
What is something that you’ve come to understand about Mississippi by living elsewhere?
When you leave Mississippi for a career or schooling for quite some time, you realize just how bad it is and just how great it is all in one stomach pang. And in turn, just how much more awesome it could be. And, like instances that I’ve read with Willie Morris and Jesmyn Ward while they were elsewhere, only WE can say these things, not folks from outside of our state.
When you leave Mississippi for a career or schooling for quite some time, you realize just how bad it is and just how great it is all in one stomach pang.
Have you ever thought about moving back? What would need to happen in order for you to move back to Mississippi?
I think about moving back to Mississippi all the time. But I can barely afford to rent an AirBnB in Bay St. Louis or Ocean Springs, much less purchase a home. I would either need far more patrons purchasing paintings or a full-time teaching gig that paid a living wage with formidable healthcare and retirement.
What do you wish the rest of the country understood about Mississippi?
That it is the birthplace to so many of the delectables and desirables the rest of the world can’t get enough of! That Mississippi’s food, its music/literature/visual arts, the DIY and get-it-done ethic of its people, its naturally diverse landscape and its progressive will to exist far outnumbers its backwoods thinkers and archaic, stubborn bigots.
Mississippi’s food, its music/literature/visual arts, the DIY and get-it-done ethic of its people, its naturally diverse landscape and its progressive will to exist far outnumbers its backwoods thinkers and archaic, stubborn bigots.
Do you have a favorite Mississippi writer, artist, or musician who you think everyone needs to know about?
I’m most inspired by the MS literati! Beaucoup favorites! Most folks know of Barry Hannah, my favorite writer from MS…but right behind him are Jesmyn Ward, Michael Farris Smith, Ace Atkins, Mary Miller, and Lewis Nordan. I’m also quite enamored with the essays of W. Ralph Eubanks and John T. Edge. Most of what I listen to is in the broader category of Southern music in a plethora of genres, but many of those artists are from other parts of the South… MS wise, Big K.R.I.T. is somewhere on my shelf and the newest album by Bass Drum of Death, as is R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and T-Model Ford. Initially though, I come from a long line of artists; my father and recently deceased aunt-godmother had quite a hand in shaping my creative ethos. Them and Walter Anderson, whose woodcuts inspired me as a young boy.
If you had one billion dollars to invest in Mississippi, how would you spend your money?
I would spread equal parts to education, the arts, and better infrastructure. I would hire a staff of the highest moral standings to oversee budgetary distribution and financial management so funds don’t go towards private interests or to the upper echelon of the income and wealth bracket. There is no reason for the current state of MS other than greed, ignorance, and red-faced frat boy throwbacks who act out of apathy rather than empathy, tribalism rather than community, and ill-gotten gain rather than civility.
What or who do you want to shamelessly promote? (It can absolutely be a project you’re working on, or something you are involved in.)
I am very excited to mention the just-released publication that I am included in! American Landscapes: Art and Literature in a Changing World by University Press. Many thanks to the maestro of Mississippi Bill Dunlap, his partner in crime Linda Burgess and Ann Abadie for including me in this collection of some of Mississippi’s most talented visual artists and writers. I want to promote Southside Gallery, too! Wil (and Vickie) Cook has been a longtime friend and art dealer that I very much appreciate. I also want to give very thorough shout-outs to William Baggett and the late Sheri Rieth, two art school mentors to whom I owe so much gratitude. Their insight and selfless devotion to arts education is worth every penny of my massive student loan debt! And my Mississippi art peers…Charlie Buckley, William Goodman, and Coulter Fussell. Last but not least, I'd like to thank David McDowell for introducing me to ROOTED!