Mississippi Native: Lawson King

"As far as how Mississippi has affected my life’s path—I think about how crazy it would be to tell third grade Lawson, who dressed up as an artist for career day, that it happened."

Lawson King with his sculpture “Hold On/ Let Go.” Photo by Rory Doyle.

Where are you from?

The Delta 

How long have you lived in Mississippi?

My whole life, save for a few years spent apprenticing with sculptor Ray Katz in metro Detroit. My mother’s family relocated to Greenville from Hong Kong to operate a grocery store on Nelson Street, and my father’s family relocated from Miami to Greenville for a research position at USDA. My parents wed as teenagers and I was born at King’s Daughters Hospital in Greenville, MS. (Fun Fact: the same hospital where Jim Henson was born.)

What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition?

Home feels more like a state of mind than a physical place to me. Where everything feels at peace, and I know I have people in my corner. I can feel at home most places but there’s something about the big open skies and far reaching flat of the Delta that offers me space and time to breathe.

This sculpture by Lawson titled “Looper" is currently on view at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.

How have you cultivated community in Mississippi? Who are the people who have made you feel rooted here?

I actually don’t feel like I’ve done much active community building. It feels more like luck or the natural path. Like one day I just looked up and I was surrounded by all these wonderfully caring and wonderfully different people. And all these folks make me feel supported and valued and the feeling is mutual. There’s no real rhyme or reason when it comes to each individual relationship we build cause they’re all unique, but I’ve learned that in Mississippi, small gestures and just being an authentic, kind person casts a wide net. 

The amount of people who showed up when my son Camille was born last summer really made that feeling of being rooted concrete. People messaged, called, brought groceries and food. But there are folks that make me feel rooted specifically in Mississippi. Like the lady Rosie who works at Andy’s Convenience Store who is always smiling, ready to ask about the baby when I walk in. I’m grateful to Mississippi for the relationships I’ve made here that enrich my life intellectually, emotionally, and creatively.

Left: Cleveland's first mural, painted by Lawson and designed by Tasha Huerta. Right: A mural designed and painted by Lawson in Clarksdale.