Open to Change: Evolution of a Painting
Open to Change, acrylic on wood, 20” x 30”, 2021.
Located 20 miles from Oxford, Mississippi, in nearby Yalobusha County, Water Valley (pop. 3325) got its start in the 1800’s as a railroad stop for the Illinois Central Railroad. In 1931, Water Valley hosted its very first Watermelon Carnival, which is still the biggest community event each year.
By 1982, the railroad was abandoned and the depot was transformed into the Casey Jones Railroad Museum. In the last decade, Water Valley has been home to one the first craft breweries in the state, Fat Possum Records, Violet Valley Bookstore (to date Mississippi’s only queer feminist bookstore), and Base Camp Coding, a free, non-profit software development academy for Mississippi high-school seniors.
The original photo plus my teeny tiny parents.
I give you my final painting of and about the Water Valley community. The large brick building houses the B.T.C. and the tiny white awning is the Violet Valley bookstore. This one is emblematic of how the community has continued to evolve over the decades, or at least according to the stories that I've heard.
My first trip to Water Valley in 2019 was to attend a local fundraiser for Kathryn York, who was running for Mississippi's 8th District. York is a Georgia native and a Teach for America alum (in Marks, ironically) who just never left the state. She and her husband Joe, an Alabama native, live in Water Valley with their kids and now she was running for office.
Naturally, I had a million questions and cornered this poor woman (and later her husband and pretty much everyone in attendance): Why? Why did they move to Mississippi? What was it about Water Valley that kept them there? Here's some of what folks told me:
Water Valley is changing, and is open to change. Remember, this community is/was home to one of the Mississippi's first craft breweries, its only LBGTQ bookstore, Base Camp Coding Academy, and to Fat Possum Records.
There's a sense that newcomers are respectful of, and listen to, long-time residents, which makes those folks more open to incremental change.
The low cost of living in small-town Mississippi (and I would image the community "openness") encourages folks to try new ventures and not be totally terrified of failure.
Watch a process video of Open to Change, an original contemporary landscape painting of Main Street Water Valley, Mississippi by Jennifer Drinkwater.
Like what you see? Invest in a painting, limited-edition print, or tiny print of Water Valley, Mississippi.
Want to visit Water Valley? Check out A Quick 48 Hours in Water Valley for a weekend itinerary.
