Selling art to buy a home

The year 1848 was significant for costume design instructor Andi Bedsworth.

It was the year her place of employment, the University of Mississippi, was founded. 

But 1848 was also the year Oxford brickmaker Dave Kennedy built her dream house.

“When I first saw it, I was on the double decker tour bus about a year ago,” Bedsworth said. “The grounds were overgrown then, but I saw a house that had so much potential, and even better, it was for sale.”

Bedsworth learned that the home, a two story Greek revival plantation home on East Jackson Avenue, was well out of her price range, on the market at $8.5 million. 

Despite the barrier, Bedsworth remained interested.

“When the realtor asked me what I would do with it, I told her I would open up a (bed and breakfast),” Bedsworth said. “The lady said that it may not be zoned to open a B&B.”

Bedsworth said someone must have switched her decaffeinated coffee for the caffeinated stuff because she went to city hall to find out about the zoning.

“They looked it up and said it could be, if I was granted special permission,” Bedsworth said.

Since last year, the 5.5-acre property’s listed price has gone down $2 million. 

While still well out of her price range, she created a collage about the house for the Powerhouse Community Arts Center’s August “Oxford Architecture” theme.

“Most people were going to do pieces on the Square, or the Courthouse, but I wanted to do something overlooked that was just as beautiful,” Bedsworth said. 

“I have letters written to the house in the piece. For example, I wrote what I would plant in the garden, how I would fix up this area and things like that.”

Her asking price for the collage? $8.5 million.

“I don’t think anyone would pay that much for it,” Bedsworth said, laughing. 

“I was trying to poke fun at the Oxford real estate market — I think they have an inflated sense of what things are worth.”

Ultimately, though, she would like to see the house fixed up, even if it were not by her.

“I think it would be neat if they set the house up for tours like they do in Natchez or Columbus,” Bedsworth said. 

“Oxford is a great town with a lot of great places to visit, but it doesn’t have much of that type of thing. I think Oxford could support something like that.”

If the house could be fixed up, Bedsworth said it would bring a lot back to Oxford. 

She added that she wanted to see the house open and not closed up like it is.

She got into old houses through her art, which started during graduate school when she was forced to draw for classes. 

Later, she ended up doing a collage on an old station in Holly Springs.

“I wanted to memorialize it, so I took several pictures and created a collage,” Bedsworth said. “I feel sad for old buildings. They still have a lot they could offer.”