Oxford kicked off the 10-year anniversary of Sarahfest yesterday in partnership with the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies. This year’s Sarahfest, which is a celebration of arts, music, literature and more, will last until Nov. 8.
Over the next three weeks, there will be speakers, an artist-in-residence, film screenings, concerts and art galleries.
Theresa Starkey, associate director and instructional professor at the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies, is one of the many who helped organize this year’s Sarahfest.
“(Sarahfest) means thinking about the opportunities that we can create when we do these kinds of things for students that create a unique experience for them,” Starkey said. “It has always been sort of student-centered, working collaboratively with people at the university and on our campus and then the broader community.”
Throughout the week, Jon Langford, this year’s artist-in-residence, will provide opportunities for students to learn from an active artist. Sarahfest cohort members, a group of 12 students and faculty who applied and were chosen to be mentored by this year’s artist-in-residence, will have the opportunity to schedule individual and group sessions with Langford.
“We think about the residency as an immersive experience where people get to work with working artists, and the residency lasts five days but it’s intense,” Starkey said.
Tuesday
The week of events will kick off today with Jim Sherraden, a master printmaker from Nashville, in conversation with Langford about their artistic collaborations.
“What’s interesting here is you have Jon, who’s a visual artist and a musician, right?” Starkey said. “But they’re coming together and talking about what came from their experience and then also modeling this collaborative experience.”
Wednesday
On Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m., there will be a “listening session” at the End of All Music to hear Langford talk about his musical influences such as album art.
Later that evening at 7 p.m., there will be a screening of “Revenge of the Mekons” at The Lyric Oxford, hosted by the End of All Music.
Thursday
On Thursday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m., University of Mississippi alumna Izzy Arthurs will return to Proud Larry’s. UM student band The Golden Teacher Society will open for Arthurs. Doors open at 7 p.m., and tickets will be required.
Friday
On Friday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m., Jon Langford will take the stage at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for a Living Music Resource Live session.
“It is like this magical moment of all these different people,” Starkey said. “All these different ingredients coming together to make something magical happen.”
Saturday
On Saturday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m., the week of festivities will conclude with a concert at the Gertrude C. Ford Center. Langford, Arthurs and Kelly Hogan will perform together to combine their artistic abilities.
“Kelly Hogan, Jon Langford and Izzy coming together, it’s a night of music and magic, but it’s also about them coming together as artists and imagining the lineup of the show,” Starkey said. “That’s a really exciting thing to see what they are going to come up with.”
Week two (Oct. 27-31)
The following week, Oct. 27-31, there will be an archival exhibit celebrating 10 years of Sarahfest. It will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the J.D. Williams Library.
Week three (Nov. 3-6)
From Nov. 3-6, the 10th anniversary of Sarahfest will feature a curated art show organized by UM instructional assistant professor of art education and studio art Lance Yates, showcasing work from select artists from past Sarahfest events and new pieces by this year’s residency cohort and artist-in-residence Langford.
“I think there’s something that people could discover that they can take away with them that can be enriching and transformative and educational at the same time,” Starkey said.
