Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, in partnership with Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, will present the Katrina Quilt Project exhibit November 3 through December 8 at the Jackson County Campus Fine Arts Gallery in Gautier.

The exhibit features quilts created from children’s artwork following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, offering a moving look at how young people experienced one of the most devastating events in Mississippi Gulf Coast history. The exhibit will also highlight Fabric of Our Future, a project that invites a new generation of children to envision the future of Mississippi and America.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center was closed for eight months. During that time, the museum’s Expressions outreach program brought art into Gulf Coast schools, providing children with opportunities to share their experiences, express their emotions and imagine a brighter future. Their artwork became the Katrina Story Quilts, preserving their perspectives on the storm and its aftermath.

More than 20 years later, the museum’s Fabric of Our Future project, created in connection with America’s 250th anniversary, continues that tradition by encouraging children to imagine what life in Mississippi and across the nation might look like over the next 250 years.

“These quilts represent something much more powerful than artwork,” said Curtis Houston, gallery director at MGCCC’s Jackson County Campus. “They preserve the voices of children who experienced Hurricane Katrina and remind us of the resilience of our Gulf Coast communities. By bringing these works together with the hopes and dreams of a new generation, we have an opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. We’re honored to partner with Lynn Meadows Discovery Center to share these important stories.”

According to Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, preserving children’s perspectives has long been central to the museum’s mission.

“At Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, we have always believed that children’s voices deserve to be heard and their stories preserved,” said Cindy DeFrancis, executive director of the center. “Displayed together, they tell a remarkable story of our past, present, and future, reminding us that children’s perspectives are an important part of our shared history and that their hopes and dreams will help shape the generations to come.”

The exhibit will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., November 3 through December 8, at the Jackson County Campus Fine Arts Gallery, located in the Fine Arts Building at 2300 U.S. 90 in Gautier.

A gallery opening for the event is planned for November 3 at noon with a small reception beforehand.

For more information, contact Houston at 228-497-7819 or curtis.houston@mgccc.edu.