Catherine Jones

Catherine Jones is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at Mississippi State University's College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD). Born in Starkville, MS in 1973, she grew up in Mississippi before pursuing her artistic education. Jones holds an MFA in Studio Art from Brooklyn College (2021) and a BFA with concentration in painting from Birmingham-Southern College (1996). Prior to her fine art career, she worked for nearly 20 years as a graphic designer and art director, which influenced her preference for tactile materials over digital media.

Her educational background includes:

• Brooklyn College | MFA Studio Art | Brooklyn, NY | 2021
• Birmingham-Southern College | Bachelor of Fine Arts, painting | Birmingham, AL | 1996
• Parsons | Continuing Education courses | Screen Printing under Marie Dormuth | New York, NY

Jones creates interdisciplinary visual art using earth pigments gathered from her home state of Mississippi. Her work explores the complex relationship between place, history, and healing, particularly focusing on Mississippi's violent and oppressive history alongside its capacity for regeneration. Through a meticulous process of grinding, sifting, and embedding soil pigments into fabric and canvas, she creates meditative spaces that address environmental sustainability, reproductive rights, and social justice. Her practice bridges geological time with contemporary social issues, using materials like Selma chalk from the Late Cretaceous period and iron-rich red clay pigments to create subtle tonal gradations that evoke natural light phenomena.

Her recent works demonstrate a strong thematic focus on reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, with installations like "One in Sixteen" addressing sexual violence statistics and "Healing Henge" creating spaces for processing abortion-related stigma. These works combine artistic expression with sociological research, creating powerful visual commentaries on contemporary issues. Her exhibitions consistently explore the intersection of materiality, place, and social justice, with a particular emphasis on Mississippi's landscape and cultural history.

Jones has received several notable awards and recognitions:

• Sanctuary Slimane Artist Residency, Marrakech, Morocco (2023)
• Ravenal Travel Grant, Brooklyn College (2019)
• Trestle Art Space Residency program (2017-2018)

As an educator, Jones has taught Basic Design, Drawing, and Color at Brooklyn College through a Graduate Teaching Fellowship (Fall 2020-Spring 2021) and currently teaches Foundations Courses at Mississippi State University. Her teaching practice integrates her sustainable art methods and interdisciplinary approach, connecting students with local materials and social issues. While specific grant information isn't detailed in the provided text, her residency awards and travel grants suggest active engagement with funding opportunities for artistic development.

Jones maintains strong connections with art communities in both Mississippi and New York, participating in residencies, group exhibitions, and community-focused art projects. Her work with earth pigments creates a direct physical connection to her home state while addressing universal themes of healing and regeneration.