Although Hattiesburg is well-known for its various art displays – including its more than 50 murals and other public art – when Jacqueline Gonzalez Wooten and Hector Boldo attended exhibitions around the city, they noticed a lack of representation of Latin residents in the Hub City and their contributions in the art world.
To help remedy that measure, in summer 2023 the two created the MS Latinx Art Association, dedicated to supporting and promoting Latin arts, culture and events throughout the state of Mississippi, particularly in Hattiesburg.
“I kept thinking, ‘my gosh, surely we have a large population of Latinos in Hattiesburg,’” said Wooten, who serves as vice president of the organization. “Where are they? How come I don’t get to see their art as well?’
“So it was Hector that called me, and he felt the same way. He said, ‘how about starting an association or some kind of program? Let’s find the Latino artists, so that we can start to promote their work.’ So I said, ‘yes, let’s do it.’”
The MS Latinx Art Association provides a platform for Latin artists to showcase their artwork and connect with other art enthusiasts. It is aimed at building a community that celebrates the culture and talent of Latin artists in Mississippi.
Most recently, in late September association members partnered with the Hattiesburg Zoo to celebrate Hispanic heritage over a weekend that featured crafts, games, bilingual story time and encounters with South African animals. There was also Carnaval Brasileiro during Mardi Gras, which was hosted by the Fat Car in downtown Hattiesburg in February and offered a samba band, food, dancing and drinks.
“I think last Mardi Gras was probably my favorite,” said Tom Boldo, who serves as secretary and treasurer of the association. “It was kind of the beginning of when we were starting to do stuff.
“We were in the Krewe of St. Katherine parade, and we won Best Performance of the night, and we walked in the parade with an actual live samba band. It was a very energetic, fun weekend, and it was a great way to get our name out.”
On September 28, the association partnered with the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art to reveal the mural “Corazon de la Comunidad,” which translates to “Heart of the Community.” Painted by Hector, the mural is located in the North Main neighborhood on a once-abandoned silo on Jackson Street and is visible from the Longleaf Trace and the C.E. Roy Community Center.
Created in partnership with Chad and Catherine Edmonson, avid investors along North Main, the mural celebrates diversity and inclusion. Its design illustrates the importance of unity, featuring the history of the neighborhood while uplifting Hattiesburg’s growing Hispanic community.
In April, the MS Latinx Art Association opened the Nuestro Art Gallery at 100 West 4th Street in downtown Hattiesburg, at the corner of West Main and 4th streets, to further showcase artwork from Latin artists.
“Once we had the artists, it (became an issue) of where we are going to show the pieces, so then we had issues with being able to locate places where we could have exhibits and shows,” Wooten said. “That’s when we said, ‘okay, we need a space. We need our own space that we can continuously have something.’
“We can have not just a one-time thing; we can have exhibits all the time, and actually be a little bigger than that. It’s not just exhibits; we can do music, dancing or even food, so that’s how the art gallery came about.”
In addition to several pieces by various artist, the gallery offers several gift items such as masks, jewelry, textiles and pottery.
The gallery is open the first Saturday of each month, for special events and by appointment by calling (601) 522-7210 or emailing mslatinxart@gmail.com.
“We haven’t been open even a year, and it’s incredible what we have been able to do in such a short period of time and how the word has gotten out,” Wooten said. “The response that we have getting from the public – not just from artists but from non-artist people – has been incredible.
“Every event, every exhibit that we have done has been participated in fantastically not only by the artists, but also by people coming to view the events and the exhibits. So it’s just been amazing.”
Because Hector is from Mexico and Wooten is from Puerto Rico, those two countries are represented heavily in the organization, although all Latin countries are highlighted.
“We have been able to engage with other artists from Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, Brazil,” Wooten said. “We want to be able to engage and find artists from all of Latin America.”
For the future of the organization, Wooten and the Boldos hope to continue their mission of promoting the Latin arts.
“I see us continuing to grow,” Tom said. “I would hope that we can grow and get more known across the state, other than just in Hattiesburg. When people need Latin artists for an event or to try something different, (I would hope that they would) reach out to us.
“We actually had three different schools reach out to us this year about doing something with them for Hispanic Heritage Month, and that’s the kind of thing we would love to see more of.
“Right now there’s only three of us with limited funds, so we do what we can, but I would love to see it grow so we can continue to do more things with school and education. For me, it’s not just about promoting Latin arts and culture; it’s about creating a market for it, because if there’s not a market, there’s nobody promoting it.”
