• Apply
  • Archives
  • NewsWatch
  • Classifieds
  • Multimedia
    • Ole Miss in Puerto Rico
    • Campus Protests
    • The Queen of Marks
    • Meet Aubrey Armstrong, a Real Champion and Local Celebrity
    • Mississippi voters passed Initiative 65. What’s next?
    • One year later: COVID-19 at Ole Miss
Monday, April 19, 2021
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
  • News
    UM vaccinates its student workers, employees

    MSDH reports 157 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

    State Senate finalizes alcohol delivery bill

    Mental Health Week spreads suicide prevention awareness on campus

    Alumni Association hosts discussion on social media impact

    Alumni Association hosts discussion on social media impact

    New Miss clothing brand seeks to change university’s perception

    New Miss clothing brand seeks to change university’s perception

    A talk with the chancellor: Reflecting on Boyce’s relationship with Ole Miss, his consulting money and his future at UM

  • Sports

    Ole Miss drops series to Mississippi State

    Track and field look forward to Tom Jones Classic

    Column: Baseball can’t miss taking on Mississippi State

    Ole Miss baseball wins midweek matchup against Austin Peay

    Softball prepares for weekend series versus Texas A&M

    Ole Miss soccer’s Ramsey Davis earns SEC Freshman of the Week

  • Arts & Culture

    Gallery: Food Truck Festival draws hundreds to the Grove

    How Will Cook transformed his art gallery during the pandemic

    Local band plays for late keyboard player

    Local band plays for late keyboard player

    ‘Thank God for the time’: the story of Brother Thomas’s quarantine album

    ‘Thank God for the time’: the story of Brother Thomas’s quarantine album

  • Opinion

    Opinion: A farewell from a cynical editor

    Opinion: MLB is wrong to move the All-Star game out of Atlanta

    Opinion: Where the pandemic leaves the current freshman class

    Opinion: What UM should learn from Lil Nas X

  • Print Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact
  • News
    UM vaccinates its student workers, employees

    MSDH reports 157 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

    State Senate finalizes alcohol delivery bill

    Mental Health Week spreads suicide prevention awareness on campus

    Alumni Association hosts discussion on social media impact

    Alumni Association hosts discussion on social media impact

    New Miss clothing brand seeks to change university’s perception

    New Miss clothing brand seeks to change university’s perception

    A talk with the chancellor: Reflecting on Boyce’s relationship with Ole Miss, his consulting money and his future at UM

  • Sports

    Ole Miss drops series to Mississippi State

    Track and field look forward to Tom Jones Classic

    Column: Baseball can’t miss taking on Mississippi State

    Ole Miss baseball wins midweek matchup against Austin Peay

    Softball prepares for weekend series versus Texas A&M

    Ole Miss soccer’s Ramsey Davis earns SEC Freshman of the Week

  • Arts & Culture

    Gallery: Food Truck Festival draws hundreds to the Grove

    How Will Cook transformed his art gallery during the pandemic

    Local band plays for late keyboard player

    Local band plays for late keyboard player

    ‘Thank God for the time’: the story of Brother Thomas’s quarantine album

    ‘Thank God for the time’: the story of Brother Thomas’s quarantine album

  • Opinion

    Opinion: A farewell from a cynical editor

    Opinion: MLB is wrong to move the All-Star game out of Atlanta

    Opinion: Where the pandemic leaves the current freshman class

    Opinion: What UM should learn from Lil Nas X

  • Print Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
No Result
View All Result

Arts council unveils statue of Ron ‘Ronzo’ Shapiro

Kate KimberlinbyKate Kimberlin
February 24, 2021
2 min read
Photo by Kate Kimberlin.

A new bronze statue of the late local art pioneer Ron Shapiro, better known as Ronzo, was unveiled at the Powerhouse Community Center on Tuesday. The event, titled “Mardi-Ron,” celebrated with a local trumpet musician playing New Oreleans style jazz and tables adorned with colored beads and rubber bracelets. 

“This is the start. This is not the finish,” said Mike Mitchell, who came up with the idea for the statue. “Certainly, this is about the spirit of Ron Shapiro.”

Since Shapiro’s death in 2019, the community has continued to find ways to honor the legacy he left behind. This statue, framed near the entrance of the Powerhouse Community Center, is meant for anyone to touch and take pictures with to honor his memory. 

“It’s more about the spirit of love and inclusion, and having it at the Powerhouse makes a lot of sense,” Mitchell said. 

After wanting to find a way to celebrate Shapiro’s memory in a way that felt less like a memorial, Mitchell gathered Bill Beckwith, a sculptor from Taylor known for his statue of William Faulker on the Square, and Bruce Newman, a local photographer, and put the idea in motion. 

Newman took the photo that the sculpture was based on, and he was also a friend of Shapiro since meeting him on the Square years ago. Beckwith said that the photo of Shapiro in a jester’s hat is something that fit him well.  

Bill Beckwith and Bruce Newman unveil a new bronze sculpture of late local art pioneer Ron Shapiro at the Powerhouse. Photo by Kate Kimberlin.

“He was walking out in front of Something Southern with this getup on, so I got out and took his picture, and sent it to Bill,” Newman said.

Shapiro was known for his heavy involvement in the Oxford art community. He owned The Hoka Theatre, a theater and coffee shop hybrid from 1975-1996, which fostered a community for filmmakers and art lovers. 

“Theater has its comedy and tragedy, but we will have a Ronzo exclusive to us,” Beckwith said. 

According to Wayne Andrews, director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, the statue will stay at the Powerhouse on a long term lease, so others can see and interact with the work. While this is not the only way Shapiro is remembered throughout the community, Andrews said the statue is intended to keep his spirit alive. 

“It is intended to stay as part of the Powerhouse to create an interactive space for those who remember Ron to visit him, interact with him and introduce new people to the spirit of Ron,” Andrews said. 

The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council will be announcing an art series in August to further celebrate Shapiro and his memory through art installations, music and conversation around the community.  

In Case You Missed It

Ole Miss drops series to Mississippi State

17 hours ago
UM vaccinates its student workers, employees

MSDH reports 157 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

17 hours ago

State Senate finalizes alcohol delivery bill

17 hours ago

Track and field look forward to Tom Jones Classic

4 days ago

Mental Health Week spreads suicide prevention awareness on campus

4 days ago

Column: Baseball can’t miss taking on Mississippi State

5 days ago

Arts council unveils statue of Ron ‘Ronzo’ Shapiro

Kate KimberlinbyKate Kimberlin
February 24, 2021
2 min read
Photo by Kate Kimberlin.

A new bronze statue of the late local art pioneer Ron Shapiro, better known as Ronzo, was unveiled at the Powerhouse Community Center on Tuesday. The event, titled “Mardi-Ron,” celebrated with a local trumpet musician playing New Oreleans style jazz and tables adorned with colored beads and rubber bracelets. 

“This is the start. This is not the finish,” said Mike Mitchell, who came up with the idea for the statue. “Certainly, this is about the spirit of Ron Shapiro.”

Since Shapiro’s death in 2019, the community has continued to find ways to honor the legacy he left behind. This statue, framed near the entrance of the Powerhouse Community Center, is meant for anyone to touch and take pictures with to honor his memory. 

“It’s more about the spirit of love and inclusion, and having it at the Powerhouse makes a lot of sense,” Mitchell said. 

After wanting to find a way to celebrate Shapiro’s memory in a way that felt less like a memorial, Mitchell gathered Bill Beckwith, a sculptor from Taylor known for his statue of William Faulker on the Square, and Bruce Newman, a local photographer, and put the idea in motion. 

Newman took the photo that the sculpture was based on, and he was also a friend of Shapiro since meeting him on the Square years ago. Beckwith said that the photo of Shapiro in a jester’s hat is something that fit him well.  

Bill Beckwith and Bruce Newman unveil a new bronze sculpture of late local art pioneer Ron Shapiro at the Powerhouse. Photo by Kate Kimberlin.

“He was walking out in front of Something Southern with this getup on, so I got out and took his picture, and sent it to Bill,” Newman said.

Shapiro was known for his heavy involvement in the Oxford art community. He owned The Hoka Theatre, a theater and coffee shop hybrid from 1975-1996, which fostered a community for filmmakers and art lovers. 

“Theater has its comedy and tragedy, but we will have a Ronzo exclusive to us,” Beckwith said. 

According to Wayne Andrews, director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, the statue will stay at the Powerhouse on a long term lease, so others can see and interact with the work. While this is not the only way Shapiro is remembered throughout the community, Andrews said the statue is intended to keep his spirit alive. 

“It is intended to stay as part of the Powerhouse to create an interactive space for those who remember Ron to visit him, interact with him and introduce new people to the spirit of Ron,” Andrews said. 

The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council will be announcing an art series in August to further celebrate Shapiro and his memory through art installations, music and conversation around the community.  

In Case You Missed It

Ole Miss drops series to Mississippi State

17 hours ago
UM vaccinates its student workers, employees

MSDH reports 157 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

17 hours ago

State Senate finalizes alcohol delivery bill

17 hours ago

Track and field look forward to Tom Jones Classic

4 days ago

Mental Health Week spreads suicide prevention awareness on campus

4 days ago

Column: Baseball can’t miss taking on Mississippi State

5 days ago

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
Mississippi Press Association

Sign up for The Morning Briefing, our newsletter with the top news of the day.

SUBSCRIBE

  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Print Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Print Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In