A colorful collection.

Kenneth Quinn is finally ready to settle into a retirement filled with long days spent creating in his backyard art studio. While Quinn has looked forward to the change of pace, this artist--a junior high school art teacher in the Jackson Public Schools for 30 years and a Mississippi College instructor since 1994--views the rest of his life as a third act. "I see myself as being artist more and teacher less."

Many teachers retire with the admiration of their students for profound lessons taught, but the first two acts of Quinn's life have also given Mississippi College in Clinton and the entire community another remarkable gift: the Kenneth M. Quinn Mississippi Regional Art Collection. The collection, which Quinn donated to the school in May, is the product of his dream to assemble a tribute to great artists from Mississippi and the surrounding region. And as Quinn gets to work in his studio--which was built for him as a gift from one of his former junior high art students--his collection moves from this spot in his backyard to its new home, a specially designed gallery in Mississippi College's new art facility.

This valuable collection of several hundred pieces by some 200 regional artists proves what 25 years of persistence and a determination to bring glory to God can accomplish. As an educator, Quinn often mentioned his desire for such a collection of original works by Southern artists, especially Mississippians. But until 1981, his dream was a vague hope waiting for a final igniting motivation.

Quinn owned a few works by artist friends, including Samuel Gore, the now-retired chair of the Mississippi College Department of Art who is well-known for his bust of Jesus with the crown of thorns and other sculptures. Gore encouraged Quinn to contact artists and explain his vision. Many of the artists were willing to give of their time and talent to provide a piece for Quinn's collection, and the remainder of the pieces were purchased.

Besides their individual pieces of art, Quinn prepared a file on each artist and met with most of them personally. "I found this experience to be most gratifying and inspirational," Quinn says. "These files, which represent a considerable investment and hard work, will be a part of the gift to Mississippi College."

Quinn says he hopes the collection will eventually "become a source of inspiration and information to encourage the aesthetically Christian mind of the young and old while providing a premise for love and thanksgiving in an effort to show forth the grace of God and His power in our lives." The long list of artists whose work will be on display as part of the collection in the new gallery includes names such as Walter Anderson, William Dunlap, Marie Hull, George Orr, Anne Robin Luckett, Wyatt Waters, Sam Gore, and Stephen and Ruth Glaze, both current Mississippi College professors.

The college is in the process of raising $1.1 million for the new art gallery. With gifts and pledges to cover 90 percent of the cost, construction is projected to begin in 2006. The new gallery will add to the Southern charm of the campus, which today unites the historic Provine Chapel with the comparatively modern "piazza" and fountain outside the sandwich shop. Connecting to the existing Leland Speed Library, the new facility will include a student exhibition space and seminar room, a sculpture garden, and the space designed to accommodate Quinn's collection.

"The impressive collection undergirds our permanent collection and will make such an important contribution to the art program, the university, and the Clinton community," says MC President Lee Royce. "The collection represents a lifetime of thoughtful acquisition, and we deeply appreciate this investment in the mission of Mississippi College."

For more information on the collection and gallery project, call 601/925-3239 or visit www.mc.edu.