SHOW DESCRIPTION

Turner Martin has spent four years managing the Arts Center of Mississippi, the City of Jackson-owned building in downtown Jackson that houses tenants like Opera Mississippi, the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Art for All, and the International Museum of Muslim Cultures. A lifelong Jacksonian and Millsaps graduate, Turner talks about the education fellowship that pointed him toward gallery work instead of teaching, and the mentors who took a chance on him early in his career. He walks through the Spotlight Series, a monthly exhibition program he built from scratch in 2023 that's added dozens of new works to the City of Jackson's century-old permanent art collection. Turner also opens up about using that program to intentionally diversify whose art the city collects. The conversation closes with a look at the Arts Center's packed fall 2026 lineup, including new shows opening in September and December.

TRANSCRIPT

Note: Soul Sessions is produced as a podcast first and designed to be listened to. If you are able, we strongly encourage you to listen to the audio, which includes the emotion and inflection meant to be conveyed by human voice. Our transcripts are created using AI and human transcribers, but may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting.

INTRO

When Turner Martin strung a quilting exhibition from the ceiling of the Arts Center of Mississippi, under gallery lights he'd just replaced for the first time in fifteen years, the space finally felt like home. Four years in, he runs the nearly fifty-year-old building, home to groups from the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra to the International Museum of Muslim Cultures. Hey, it's Paul Wolf with the front row seat to conversations on culture from Jackson, Mississippi. We call our podcast Soul Sessions. It's the people, places, and events that make the City With Soul shine. On today's show, Turner explains how a monthly exhibition series he started from scratch in 2023 is quietly reshaping what belongs in Jackson's hundred-year-old permanent art collection. It's a path that started at Millsaps College under art historian Elise Smith and took shape when Deputy Director David Lewis took a chance on him.

What Does an Arts Center Manager Actually Do? Turner Martin on Running Jackson's Arts Center of Mississippi

Paul

So you are the manager, the Arts Center Manager for the Arts Center of Mississippi here in Jackson. And I guess my first question is what does that actually mean? Kind of a day-to-day sort of thing. Is it more about building operations or is it programming or is it relationships? Or maybe it's all three?

Turner

That's a wonderful question. And as far as day-to-day goes, I feel like I'm still figuring that out four years into it now, it seems.

Paul

Ha ha.

Turner

It's a very open-ended position. So we, as an art center, the Arts Center of Mississippi, are owned and operated by the City of Jackson. So I am a city employee, and for the majority of my time here, I've been pretty much the only employee here, especially full-time. And so that does leave basically an open-ended question of what all can fall to me and also what do I want to see the Arts Center doing for our community. As a city building, I always try and ground anything we do as something that can be utilized and enjoyed, especially for free, by the public. So there's a baseline, I would say the most basic need of my role is facility management and maintenance. That's a sort of difficult thing to capture because we are, you know, working with a relatively limited budget, but trying to make sure this building that is now almost fifty years old can still run, accept visitors, and, you know, of course, meet the needs of the nonprofit tenants that we also have here, because we're home to several nonprofits, including the International Museum of Muslim Cultures, the Art for All Disability Arts Group, Opera Mississippi, the Symphony Orchestra, a few others that I'm probably forgetting right now.

But in addition to that, as far as programming goes, it has been a real privilege of mine that I have been given the freedom and flexibility by all the directors I've worked under, the deputy directors I've worked with, and my coworkers here at the city to really reimagine what our arts programming can look like if we're being a little bit more active and dynamic as a city. And so at this point we now have a pretty robust schedule of exhibitions where we do about sixteen a year on average, here just at the Arts Center. And so that's all me. I put together a committee to help actually select those artists, so I'm not biased picking only friends or anything like that. And so other than the committee picking the artists, from there I work with each of our artists, or not nonprofits, academic institutions we partner with for these shows, and get up on the walls and make sure they look good, and try and work with these artists to also do programming or engaging opportunities with it. So yes, and all of the above.

How Turner Martin Keeps So Many Arts Organizations Running Under One Roof

Paul

Ha ha, you're managing so many different organizations and exhibitions under one space. Now, how do you keep everyone's schedules and identities from colliding with each other?

Turner

It's interesting. A lot of our tenants right now, like for instance, the opera doesn't really do many events in the building, so they're really easy to schedule, versus like the Museum of Muslim Cultures has a lot of wonderful, you know, workshops, gallery talks, exhibitions, galas, whatever. And so I now do have another full-time coworker. His name is Andy Burns, and he's been working with the city for 26, 27 years now. The majority of that time was spent being the event scheduler at Thalia Mara, and now he's our executive office coordinator for the cultural division. And so he handles, thankfully, now all of our calendar. So we have a process where all the tenants can reach out to schedule their events, where the public can reach out, where I'll put in my events. We have, you know, dance rehearsals that go on almost every day of the week. And so he helps me keep all of that straight, to make sure that all of us get as much opportunity as we can to utilize the space and get more members of our audience here and able to enjoy things. So, and then as far as identity, we really just let the tenants, of course, I mean, I am very loosely, I guess, a landlord, which I don't know how I feel about that, but it's for nonprofits,

Paul

Ha ha.

Turner

So that feels okay. And so as long as they feel that they're living into their mission and that our building can help them do that, that's really what's important, is that they represent themselves, because, you know, that's what matters in the work they do.

From Millsaps to the Arts Center: Turner Martin's Path Into Jackson's Arts Scene

Paul

There's so much to say about the Arts Center of Mississippi and downtown Jackson, but I'm gonna take us back a few minutes here. And I wanna know, Turner, how did you end up in this role? What's your story? What's the path that got you here?

Turner

Yeah. Well, I am a lifelong Jacksonian, which I am incredibly proud of. So I've lived here my entire life. I grew up, I went to St. Andrew's for, you know, elementary through high school, and then I went to Millsaps and studied art history and education. Going into college, I really thought that teaching, especially maybe in a history area, might be what interested me. But I got to study under a wonderful woman, Elise Smith, and then also several other wonderful women, including Dr. Sarah Williams and Dr. Stacy DeZutter at Millsaps, and they all really created this world for me in art history that felt so compelling and motivating and engaging. And being from Jackson and still living here through that time, it was hard for me not to ever think about, like, sure, we're studying all these other museums and other galleries and famous artists and whatever that might mean, but also, who are the artists here that we love? Like, I've grown up going to the Mississippi Museum of Art, and that's an incredible space. And, you know, how do we as a community look at our art scene? And so, graduating college, I was really lucky to work for the art museum for a year in an educational fellowship, which I always joke, I think fellowships, especially in the art world, are really great for also teaching you what you don't want to do. I loved my time at the art museum, and I loved the work I got to do in their education department, but it did show me that I do not want to be an educator in a museum space. I just like...

Paul

Ha ha.

Turner

It's such incredible, beautiful work that these people do. Like, Mary Barnes is one of their educators there, and I'm just in awe every day of what she's able to do and how she's able to engage with students and schools and the visitors at that space. But it's just not for me. I like working with the artists more. I like working with the gallery space physically more. And so I was looking for a bunch of different jobs when I finished that fellowship, and this happened to open up. And David Lewis was the deputy director at the time, and he and Mike Williams interviewed me and decided to take a chance on me despite not having a ton of experience, you know, going into this, and then trusted me when I got here to hit the ground running and really work with our artist community. And that's just been such a privilege, to then be in this space and get to, as a representative for the City of Jackson, the city I love, try and create space and opportunities for artists that maybe don't have it at the level that the art museum provides, or want to live somewhere for exhibiting their work that's maybe in between a commercial gallery or a museum, and really play with what they do. And I think that's something that's been a big focus for me since I've been here.

Growing Up in Jackson: What First Drew Turner Martin to the Arts

Paul

You mentioned so many instructors and people who took chances on you, like David and Mike. And I guess I want to know, was there an early moment, a show, a space, or a person that made you really want to work in the arts rather than just be an enjoyer of it?

Turner

Yeah. Well, you know, it's not something that I feel like I thought of professionally until I was in college, even. Like I said, I even went to college not thinking about working in museums at all. I didn't even know what that would mean. But as I've come into this world and sort of working in it, looking back and growing up, even just here in Jackson, everyone in my family likes art, but we weren't like a huge avid art family. None of my family members are artists at all, except my grandmother on one side, but still, it's just not something I really grew up around other than going to things like the art museum. And I remember when it was in this building, the Arts Center of Mississippi, and I was coming here.

Paul

That's right.

Turner

And so I've always enjoyed being in those spaces, like growing up and coming to this building, and then the art museum when it moved to its current space. Like, I remember seeing, you know, some of the stereotypical shows that didn't initially inspire me because of the art, but being in the space felt so cool, like a Picasso show or a Van Gogh show or whatever that the art museums always love to bring back every few years. And, like, seeing the bright colors on the walls around the art, and the way the galleries are lit, feel just like these big grand spaces. And so, like, then growing up, anytime my family would be able to travel, being able to then go to art museums anywhere, whether it's like in New York, or my aunt and uncle live in San Francisco now, so every time I'm there I make sure I visit every museum I can. And so, once I realized, getting into college, like I said, I mentioned some of these people that inspired me, including Elise Smith, taking even just one or two classes with these people who do know more, obviously, about this world that I now work in, really opened my eyes to it's not just a space that the public can go and enjoy. Like, there are people that make this work happen, which isn't something you get to think about as much. And then being able to see all the different facets of that very quickly since going to college has been really inspiring. So I just feel very lucky now that I get to do the work at the level that I do, because normally you have to wait a lot longer than I have to operate a space like this.

A Quilting Exhibition That Made the Arts Center of Mississippi Feel Like Home

Paul

Right, for sure. Is there a moment in that building, maybe a performance or rehearsal or something that's really stuck with you?

Turner

I would say that there's been two exhibitions that I feel like have really stuck with me the most. And I feel bad saying that considering how many we've done. So if any artists are listening, I've loved truly every single show I've been able to work with.

Paul

Ha ha.

Turner

But the first time that I put up a show here and was like, wow, this space just feels different than I've ever seen it, was last year. We collaborated with the Briarwood Arts Center and their quilting group, led by Stephanie Brown, and they had their quilting circle exhibition here. And we were able to hang quilts from the ceiling. We were able to take up whole walls with these fabrics that just are so recognizable and feel like home to anyone that would be in Jackson or the South. And I had just bought new light bulbs for the space, which was the first time that had happened, I think, in this building in like 15 years. Like, so they're actually gallery quality bulbs, which makes just such a big difference. And getting to see her quilting group be in this space, and then celebrate their two-year anniversary, and seeing all these demographics come and enjoy such a deeply southern art form in a space that I also feel that I've worked so hard in, just felt so culminating of the work I've done both at the art museum and here, and the people I've gotten to know. And so that felt very just like being at home, which is a cool feeling to have in a public space.

Paul

And I think it coincided too with the quilting exhibition that was going on over at the art museum at the same time, right?

Turner

We were just after that. So they had "Of Salt and Spirit," which was a lovely review of Southeastern quilters, and so it was really fun. I feel we've, every now and then, had this synergy without any intention between our two buildings. I don't even know if the art museum noticed, and I wouldn't blame them if they haven't, but it's been really funny that every now and then we have these moments like that, where the art museum does what it does so beautifully and so well, and then usually on sort of a broader scale than maybe we can manage. And then we have something that feels sort of like almost like a little sister to it, of this very local and personal thing, where they're able to, with their resources, sort of go more regional or national or even international. And seeing the ways that those different kinds of installations and receptions can go, I think it's just really neat, because it shows that we have so much room, even in the Jackson community, for different ways of telling even similar stories and having different perspectives be shown.

Inside the Spotlight Series: Turner Martin's Monthly Exhibition Program for Mississippi Artists

Paul

We were both a part of a meeting not too long ago, and I had a conversation with you, and I said, "You're killing it right now." I mean, it just, it feels...

Turner

Yeah.

Paul

...like the calendar has been packed all summer long. Roadside just open, "The Blues Is Still All Right" ran before that, and then "i see yøu" is coming out next month in September. Is that a new pace, or is that a normal season for you all?

Turner

This is actually a normal season for us. So I started in fall of 2022, and one of the first things I came to David with, at the time the Municipal Art Gallery on State Street was in a little bit better condition than it is now, but we also just had a little bit more staffing to be able to, through sheer force of will, keep it open, and we're hoping to get it back open again soon. But that space wasn't really being utilized at the time. It had been a few years since the gallery manager had been there. It had been shut down for COVID, et cetera. And I was thinking about, we don't have a space in Jackson, in my perspective, where it is affordable for an up-and-coming artist to get in the space and also to quickly show an idea that maybe they've been working on for a long time, or not. And how could we do that? And somehow I decided to be insane and try monthly exhibitions. And so these started back in 2023. You'll see me look up every now and then, because I keep about 30 posters at a time up on the wall above my desk, so I can see what we've been doing, and so I can see all the way back to our first calendar that we did for that. And I scheduled a year of twelve shows. And, you know, that first year I think one or two had to switch around or cancel, or we swapped in an artist.

But since then, since 2023, we have essentially had a show every single month, whether at the Municipal gallery, or now we've moved the program here, because, just for not only building needs but also for the artist needs, a solo artist filling that whole gallery was a little challenging, and so we can divvy it up a little bit better here. But we've actually been doing these monthly shows since then, and I can definitely feel a change over the past year. You know, we had Monica Hill work with us over last year, and she was our gallery manager and did a lot of our marketing and graphic design, and I think she really got us off the ground and running, having a little bit more, at least, social media presence and access, and I've been very lucky to continue on in that. And I can feel that people, I think, are seeing this more, are seeing the artist coming up, and just feeling that excitement. And so, yeah, this is a usual pace for us. And I think we have applications out now, actually, if this is out during August, we have applications out now, but every February and August we can accept them for the first half of 2027. And so we're hoping to keep up this pace through next year, and then we might slow down a little and make them like every two months.

Paul

Ha ha.

Turner

But this has also been an effort, one thing people might not know is this series, which I've called the Spotlight Series. They're these monthly shows with local or Mississippi artists. It is open to the whole state. And while we don't currently offer a stipend, we do have a lot of space in city buildings, and so that's the need I was trying to meet here, and it seems artists have been receptive to that. And then, just as a thank you for using the space, each of these artists donates back a work into the city's permanent collection,

Paul

Wow.

Turner

That's sort of what inspired all this, is looking through a lot of the documents and records of how the Municipal Art Gallery would show shows, a lot relied on the gallery manager and their sort of relationship with local artists, which I wanted to avoid as much, which is why I've mentioned that each year, each calendar year, we have a different committee of Jackson and Mississippi arts advocates, I like to call them, whether they're entrepreneurs, artists, people that have exhibited with us before, work at an arts institution, maybe they're a teacher at JPS, whatever. They come together for me each year, and they pick these shows. That way they're really reviewing all these open applications and picking just six at a time, so that we can not only pick who's going to be in the galleries, but also how the collection of the City of Jackson is growing. The City of Jackson does have a permanent collection, for anyone that doesn't know. It's only about 180 works, but it's been ours since 1926. It's 100 years old this year. Some of it's actually on view until the end of the month. But I was trying to look at, if we have this collection and we want it to grow, because it seems like it, on and off, has been, how do we do that in a way that better reflects our city as a whole, our artist community as a whole, our state as a whole? Because I think that's our responsibility, being the capital city, is to try and collect work that means something, not just to any one person that's in this role, but to hopefully our larger community. And so these monthly spotlights do acquire works each month. And so, that's one reason we might slow this down, so we don't overwhelm our vault space. But I wanted...

Paul

Right.

Turner

...looking back at our collection, it showed a lot of talented artists, but also a lot of just sort of northeast white Jackson. And that's not the whole of Jackson, Mississippi, by any stretch. And so how do we better find these artists, and better show the talent that exists all over our city and all over our state, was a huge goal for me.

Why the Arts Center of Mississippi Matters for Downtown Jackson

Paul

What do you think the Arts Center of Mississippi means for downtown specifically? And why does it matter that it's in downtown Jackson?

Turner

I think it's a very important space for downtown Jackson. I think it is the first time that we saw, because this building was built in '78, a real dedication by both our fundraisers in the community, but also by the city, who became the owner and operator of this space, to create a permanent structure dedicated to not just visual art, but also dance and music and everything. Truly all arts. That's why we're not like the art museum of Jackson or anything like that. We are the Arts Plural Center. And so still, even today, getting to see the number of children that come in and get to learn how to dance, or the number of people in our community that come in for Art for All because they might have a disability or not have the access to art making of any kind and get to do painting and ceramics every single week, learning about incredibly valuable cultural institutions that might not be able to exist otherwise, like the International Museum of Muslim Cultures. Like, we truly are a common ground of all different sorts of cultural and art forms, and a space that is open to any new forms of that as well. And so I think this being situated pretty centrally in downtown just shows that not only is there a space for the arts, but it's something that our city supports, which is really important to me. And it's something that, as far as I'm concerned, will continue to be open and available to anyone in Jackson. I think being in downtown, does as best as we can in the city, put us in the center of everything. And I mean that sort of geographically more than I even mean in terms of what's happening and where, which means that we're hopefully at sort of equal access to everyone. And that's something I really love about this space.

What's Next at the Arts Center of Mississippi This Fall

Paul

What's something coming up at the Arts Center that you're really excited about?

Turner

We have a really big fall. We have a permanent collection show up right now, and you mentioned Roadside, Grace Ann Elinski's black and white photography exhibition, and our Spotlight Series. But in September this year, basically these shows will be up through the rest of the year, we're gonna have a group show featuring Justin Ransburg and Brendan Davis called "One by One: The Infinite Loop." That's gonna open on September 12th. We also will be having a Wolf Studios staff exhibition celebrating their 80th anniversary. It will be open on the 19th, with a reception. And that's in addition to J Buck's exhibition, "i see yøu," which opens the first Friday of the month, as do all of our Spotlight shows. So, very excited for that, kicking off our fall lineup for the rest of the year, as well as Art for All will have their holiday show this December, which is something I'm really excited for. I'm just always looking forward to see what other events and exhibitions we might have coming up.

OUTRO

That's Turner Martin, whose story is about why representation matters more than recognition. Since 2023, his Spotlight Series has brought a different Mississippi artist into the Arts Center of Mississippi almost every month, and each one donates a piece back into the city's permanent collection, a collection that's been growing for 100 years. Turner noticed that collection skewed heavily toward one corner of Jackson, and he's spent the past few years working quietly, one show and one committee at a time, to make sure it actually reflects the whole city. The Arts Center has a packed fall ahead: J Buck's "i see yøu" opens this month, then "One by One: The Infinite Loop" from Justin Ransburg and Brendan Davis in September, followed by the Wolf Studios staff show marking their eightieth anniversary. We'll have links to those, and to the Arts Center of Mississippi, in our show notes at visitjackson.com/soulsessions.

Soul Sessions comes to you from Visit Jackson, the destination organization for Jackson, Mississippi, the City With Soul. Our executive producers are Jonathan Pettus and Dr. Rickey Thigpen, and I'm Paul Wolf, managing editor and your host for these conversations. Everything Jackson, events, stories, places to go, lives at visitjackson.com. If you know someone we should be talking to, drop us a line at pwolf@visitjackson.com.

Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you again soon.

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