Walter Anderson Museum of Art

LOVE this museum… This was my second experience here and it only got better.
Spacious, with lots of natural light. Open, Airy space. Great layout and presentation of his works. The first time I was here over 10 years ago and it was a pleasant experience. Kind of cramped and dark I thought though at the time.
Great Local, Southern artist that has some beautiful water colors depicting southern life and the Natural beauty of it’s Creatures.

This artist is amazing. He became «one» with nature and his surroundings. Very informative signs all around the museum and a video which follows walter Anderson around on his island trips– all making for a personal look inside this interesting mans life.

When you walk in, hanging up high — just beyond and above the absolutely rad lobby — are a worn out skiff and an antique bike. The bike Anderson rode from Mississippi to New York. And the boat he rode out into the Gulf to soak up its colors and rhythms so that he could transfer them to canvas and wall.
This was quite a man. His art is vibrant. A kinetic melding of tribal Incan angles and cheerful Main Street colors — mostly used to portray people plowing — through air, a moment, water, anything. I’ve never seen such interesting use of wakes. From boats. And from the human soul.
And the fellow once did something splendid that crystallizes him and his spirit… a moment of poetry caught in a simple deed. The poor man was a tad nuts, apparently, but also very willful, and after a stint in a mental facility, he’d decided he’d had enough and knit blankets together so that he could escape out a window. Now, that in and of itself is not so unusual. Kind of a garden variety prison break. But what he did next was the grace note: as he rappelled down, he stopped all along the way and sketched farewell murals of free birds on the prison walls as he descended. Beautiful moment.
In truth, it’s now one of my favorite collections of art. This guy Anderson is a champ. And wait until you see the community center he did. I won’t explain. You just have to go there.
The whole museum is being reinvigorated by the skilled museum Director, Rosemary. You want a dosage of grace and charm? Visit her.
PS — in addition to charm and skill, Rosemary possesses moxie and business savvy. After my visit, Rosemary met me in the gift shop and shared a bit more of her passion for the museum and the mechanics of supporting it – e.g. how much of the proceeds from the gift shop go toward the museum, etc. I left the museum with memories and visions… and an expensive necklace.

Every time I visit my grandfolk near the Back Bay in Gulfport/​Biloxi, I try to explore the area a little more and learn about my family’s lives and experiences in the area. A couple of visits ago, my mom showed me some of her favorite old haunts in Ocean Springs for the first time.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Walter was truly an interesting man, a real «outsider artist.» There is a truly unique vibrancy to his paintings, showcasing his very absorbing and fresh perspective on the world around him. His drawings and renderings of various local wildlife (particularly from Horn Island) encouraged me to drag my family out to one of the barrier islands… we finally agreed on West Ship Island… and it was amazing to see the black dolphins (or were they porpoises? heh?) and large hermit crabs… that completely recalled his artwork.
My visit to this museum was truly fascinating and enlivened my cultural experience on that trip to the Gulf Coast… I’ve since returned to the Museum while in the South visiting my grandfolk. Highly recommended.