Yokna Sculpture Trail Unveiled Thursday at Lamar Park

Photo by Amelia Camurati

Featuring a rotating exhibit of 18 large-scale sculptures by locally, regionally and nationally renowned exhibiting artists, The Yokna Sculpture Trail is the first outdoor sculpture program of its kind in North Mississippi. Nine sculptures are located at Lamar Park on Country Club Drive; four pieces are featured at the Powerhouse Sculpture Garden on University Avenue; and five sculptures are located at Rebel Sculpture Park in front of Meek Hall on The University of Mississippi campus, home to the department of art and art history.

Photo by Amelia Camurati

On Thursday, April 23, the Yokna Sculpture Trail will be unveiled with a ribbon cutting and reception at Lamar Park. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. with light refreshments, followed by an optional guided tour of the trail aboard the Double Decker bus.

The trail is a collaboration between the city of Oxford, The University of Mississippi and The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council.

“By working together, the city, the university and the Arts Council have helped make this dream a reality for the people of Oxford and Lafayette County,” says Earl Dismuke, a local sculptor who worked closely with Durant Thompson, associate professor of art at The University of Mississippi, and Wayne Andrews, executive director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, to create the trail.

“The trail will add to the quality of life in our community,” Dismuke says. “Public art like this levels the viewing field of art. Someone who would not feel comfortable going to an art gallery or a museum can view art in a location where they do feel comfortable.”

Photo by Amelia Camurati

“There’s nothing like this anywhere else in our part of the state,” Andrews says. “This is sure to become yet another reason people choose Oxford to live, work and visit.”

At the reception, guests can join the Friends of the Yokna Sculpture Trail with a donation. Contributions will help bring new sculptures to the trail every year to sustain and expand this one-of-a-kind public art exhibit in Oxford and Lafayette County. Contributions also can be made at www.yoknasculpturetrail.com.

A guide to the trail, including a map and information about each sculpture and artist, will be available at the reception as well as at Visit Oxford, The Chamber of Commerce, The Powerhouse and other locations around the community.

The reception is organized by Team Inspiren of the 2015 Leadership Lafayette class. The team also created the trail guide and The Friends of The Yokna Sculpture Trail campaign. Team members include Janice Carr of The University of Mississippi Office of Information Technology, Robert Clark of Community Trust Bank, Earl Dismuke of FNC Inc., Jennifer Eastland of Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi, Dr. Jody Holland of The University of Mississippi’s Department of Public Policy Leadership, Katie Kaiser of Visit Oxford, and Meridith Wulff of The Lafayette County Literacy Council. Leadership Lafayette is a program of the Oxford-Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.

Members of the Rebel Sculpture Society at The University of Mississippi helped install the sculptures under the direction of Thompson.

“Having The University of Mississippi’s art students assist the artists with their installations and speak firsthand with them about the mechanics of survival in the professional field provides those students with invaluable knowledge that is hard to recreate within the classroom,” Thompson says.

For more information about the Yokna Sculpture Trail, visit the website, follow the trail on Facebook, call (662) 236-6429 or email yacdirector@gmail.com.