Little by Little, 欧美AV Alumna Lee Collier Harper is Capturing Mississippi鈥檚 Icons in Miniature
Wed, 01/24/2024 - 01:04pm | By: David Tisdale
The entry for Mississippi in Britannica.com notes that the Magnolia State鈥檚 鈥淓nduring sense of place and history has been in its commitment to the preservation of its historic landmarks, , and furnishings of the past.鈥
With a keen eye for detail and authentic passion for her subjects, artist Lee Collier Harper, a University of Southern Mississippi (欧美AV) alumna (B.A., 鈥92), shares that sense of place and commitment to preserving the memory of the icons dotting her home state鈥檚 landscape through her work as a miniaturist.
Her diminutive versions of Mississippi鈥檚 notable and deeply revered locales are of no small consequence to fans of Harper鈥檚 work. Some of the places she鈥檚 recreated as dioramas are alive and well, some lost to history - from such beloved venues as Jackson鈥檚 Mayflower Caf茅 to The Hoka in Oxford and the art deco edifices that are Jackson鈥檚 Standard Life Building and the Threefoot Building, the latter in her native Meridian - among many others.
Harper, an Oxford, Miss. area resident, says she鈥檚 鈥渁lways been a maker of things鈥 but never set out to create small scale models of Mississippi鈥檚 famous and infamous addresses. Her miniatures journey began when she combined her love of 鈥渕aking stuff, storytelling, research, and history.鈥
鈥淚t just sort of happened,鈥 she explained. 鈥淚t's really fascinating to create these little worlds that hold a lot of memories and emotions for so many people.鈥
A book featuring images of her replicas with accompanying text, Tiny Oxford, includes many old favorites among locals, many no longer around, including The Hoka, a popular movie house/caf茅.
鈥淭he first official model I made was of The Hoka, a long-gone and beloved spot for many folks who鈥檝e lived here or went to school at the University of Mississippi,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 made it on a whim, and the reaction was completely overwhelming. Folks were telling me about the wild times they'd had there, the films, their favorite dishes, the graffiti on the bathroom walls, stories of Ronzo (The Hoka鈥檚 late owner, Ron Shapiro). It was so much fun.
鈥淭he next thing I knew, people were asking for [recreations of] all kinds of places.鈥
Her productions result from such requests or her own interest in a project. 鈥淚 mainly work on commissions but do manage to sneak a few in that I just want to do. Everything from bars, restaurants, their grandparents鈥 old farmhouse, boats, you name it.鈥
Harper employs thin sheets of wood, hard cardstock, toothpicks, different types of textured papers, clay, and even found objects in the production of her models, 鈥渉onestly, anything I can get my hands on,鈥 she said.
鈥淚 paint, whittle, and sculpt all kinds of things,鈥 Harper continued. 鈥淎ll of my work is handmade, and I believe that gives it a more genuine feel, unlike mass-produced pieces. The sizes and scale of each piece differ a lot as well, so I just eyeball the individual elements until they feel right. I have a simple knife for cutting and carving, along with several small files to be able to sand in small areas. Gorilla Glue Gel is my absolute go-to, for speed and durability. I'm too impatient for regular glue and hot glue will 鈥榞ive up the ghost鈥 after a while, which I learned the hard way long ago.鈥
The exact scale of her miniatures depends on the scope of the commission request. 鈥淚f it's just the exterior of the spot, it can be really small, but if they want the interior done as well, it really does need to be a bit larger,鈥 she said.
Leaving no stone unturned in quest for details
For recreations of those structures long gone, Harper first seeks out images of the place, whether photos, drawings, or paintings, which sometimes proves challenging.
鈥淚've had to hunt down folks to look in their junk drawers for old photos of some spots, if they're not around anymore,鈥 she said. 鈥淥bviously, before we had cell phone cameras, we didn't just take pictures of everything all the time. You'd drop a film roll off at Eckerd's [drug store] and hope for the best. I also do a ton of research online, digging for photos, videos, and other visual details of the spot.鈥
While the scale of her projects is small, Harper never gives short shrift to their unique details. Intricacy is in full view with each, whether it be the canvases and paintbrushes in recreations of artist Walter Anderson鈥檚 Oldfield home and studio in Gautier, the Coca-Cola signage for Bentonia鈥檚 famed Blue Front Caf茅 juke joint, the Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer-branded lamp in the upstairs bar at Oxford鈥檚 City Grocery restaurant, or recaptures of the familiar, well-worn furnishings in Junior Kimbrough鈥檚 Blues Joint outside Holly Springs.
With physical recreation of each venue, Harper says the hardest part of the particularly difficult projects involving more intricate details is the engineering of support systems/framing of the structure and constructing walls that swing open for access, as examples.
But for Harper, the more details that are included, the better.
鈥淭hose are what make each special and, hopefully, prompt memories for folks to share of their stories of the spot.鈥
And share they have. Harper says responses come via in-person exchanges, phone or letters and email to include how one person鈥檚 parents went out on a date in high school at a certain caf茅 or restaurant she recreated. Another model of a renowned eatery brought back a flood of memories for one of its customers who often took lunch there with his dad; another recounted her mom waiting tables at the same diner, while the reproduction of another locale triggered memories of its legendarily creepy restroom.
鈥淚 love it when people tell me their tales of each place,鈥 she continued. 鈥淭hese stories never get old to me.鈥
More state landmarks on artist鈥檚 replica radar
Harper鈥檚 bucket list includes several more spots around Mississippi to meet her goal of having a well-rounded collection to publish a 鈥淭iny Mississippi鈥 book. 鈥淚 have loads of Oxford spots, hence the Tiny Oxford book, as well as Jackson, Meridian, and a few from the coast, but I need more to reach the whole state,鈥 she said.
With no letup in her schedule, Harper is on course to meet that goal, with news productions of dioramas depicting Mississippi鈥檚 treasured landmarks. In 2023, she was asked by the staff of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs to create a miniature of the famed Gulf Coast artist鈥檚 1940s Oldfields residence and studio in nearby Gautier, the centerpiece of a well-received exhibit at the museum last summer.
Harper describes the Oldfields assignment as 鈥渁n absolute dream job, the project of a lifetime,鈥 but not without its challenges.
鈥淥ne of the problems was that while there are photos of the exterior of the home, there are only three of the interior and they're all of the attic space he worked in,鈥 Harper explained. 鈥淢y job was to figure out the rest of the rooms in the house. So, I researched everything I could on the home, including his (Walter Anderson) wife Sissy's journals, books, and interviewed his children to mine their memories for more details. The project even included researching early 20th-century furniture, radios, gramophones, and the like, which I adore doing.
鈥淚f you visit the museum, they've got a hot spot kiosk where you can see and listen to lots of stories and memories that go with items in the rooms of the home. Nothing is in the house randomly; each little detail has a story behind it.鈥
Mattie Codling, deputy director and chief curator for the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, said that before working with Harper on the project, she had followed the artist鈥檚 work on social media.
鈥淚 was enthralled with her creations that were a dedication to history as well as creativity,鈥 Codling said. 鈥淚n 2022 we launched the exhibition, 鈥楻eturn to Oldfields鈥, featuring the 1845 house that was heavily damaged in Hurricane Katrina. With this exhibition we knew we wouldn't be able to take people into the physical building, but wanted to give them some idea of the structure and how the Andersons lived in the home in the 1940s. That's where Lee came in.鈥
Codling noted that with the support of a grant through the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, the museum was able to commission Harper to create a miniature of the house as it would have looked circa 1945 as Anderson was creating his large-scale linoleum blocks in the attic of Oldfields.
鈥淟ee is meticulous in her research, attention to detail, and humanization of places,鈥 Codling continued. 鈥淢ost of the interior of the Oldfields Miniature had to be created based on oral history accounts and research of domestic furnishings from the period. She created a magical space for us to see what had been living in our heads this whole time - she allowed people to enter into the story of Walter Anderson through a completely new angle. I cannot say enough about how incredible I find her work to be.鈥
Codling also emphasized the significance of Harper鈥檚 project with respect to the current condition of the Oldfields home, and threats to its very existence from Mother Nature.
鈥淭his project is also incredibly important for the preservation of a unique story and piece of history on the Gulf Coast,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he Oldfields structure is not in a state that it can be visited by the public. There is also the imminent threat of violent hurricanes and storms to the region.
鈥淲e know that Oldfields will not last forever and a valuable piece of Mississippi history will be lost when the old home goes. But thankfully, through Lee鈥檚 work, Oldfields and many other structures like it are preserved along with their stories.鈥
Harper recently completed work on a recreation of notable Mississippi blues musician Junior Kimbrough's juke joint, 鈥淛unior鈥檚 Place,鈥 located near Chulahoma (outside Holly Springs). The project will be the focus of a show set for Feb. 15 at Meridian鈥檚 The MAX Arts and Entertainment Center, when Harper will be interviewed by Mississippi blues music photographer Bill Steber about her recreation of the popular nightclub.
鈥淛unior鈥檚 Place burned down in 2000, so I had to use tons of his photos of the place for reference,鈥 she said.
欧美AV provided foundations for artistic inspirations
Harper majored in art at 欧美AV while also taking courses in the humanities as part of a wide range of interdisciplinary study she says continues informing her work today.
鈥淚 started there as an art student, but branched out into English and philosophy as well,鈥 she recalls. 鈥淗onestly, I think the combination of all those areas, as well as some history and cultural anthropology classes, shaped what I'm doing today. I loved the English department and was thrilled I had a class with the Faulkner scholar, Dr. Noel Polk.
鈥淣ot until I combined making things with my love of history and storytelling and all I learned at 欧美AV did I find my niche. It鈥檚 taken a while, but I've finally found my sweet spot.鈥
Harper was also a student worker in 欧美AV鈥檚 internationally renowned de Grummond Children鈥檚 Literature Collection, which features original materials associated with some of the genre鈥檚 most celebrated names, including Ezra Jack Keats, Randolph Caldecott, John Newbery, Kate Greenaway, H.A. and Margret Rey, among many others. Scholars and educators from across the United States and around the world regularly visit the collection to conduct research and reflect on the work of the authors and illustrators housed there.
鈥淪ome of my most treasured time at 欧美AV was working in the deGrummond Collection,鈥 Harper said. 鈥淚 didn't realize it at the time, but it made quite an impression on me. Seeing all the original pieces from illustrators, their rough drafts, notes, and mock-ups let me know this kind of thing [career in the arts] was possible. It鈥檚 an incredible collection, and I feel really fortunate to have worked there.鈥
Harper鈥檚 primary job at de Grummond was managing the travelling Ezra Jack Keats collection, a task she recalls fondly.
鈥淚t (travelling collection) included several of his original collages used to print published books,鈥 she recounted. 鈥淚 repaired frames, packed and unpacked the pieces, and generally made sure the collection went out to schools on time. I鈥檓 still a huge Keats fan to this day, and so proud to say I worked there. I think most people don't realize what an incredible collection it really is.鈥
Dee Jones, former curator for the de Grummond Collection, remembers Harper as the
ideal student worker who 鈥渃hecked every box鈥 for who was needed to complete the job鈥檚
required tasks.
鈥淒uring my 30 years as curator of the collection, I hired and supervised more than
100 student workers, and Lee Collier was one I鈥檝e always fondly remembered,鈥 Jones
said. 鈥淭he position she applied for required a serious, yet enthusiastic person with
a wide range of skills and characteristics - creativity, a mature respect for the
fragility and irreplaceable nature of the original art pieces with which they would
work and, most importantly, an eye for detail - all necessary to successfully complete
the job鈥檚 varied assignments.
鈥淣ot required, but certainly welcome, was her bubbly personality. Fortunately, Lee remained employed with us until her graduation.鈥
Jones said that while working with the original collages of Keats鈥 work, Harper received
an 鈥渦nofficial education鈥 with an insider鈥檚 view of a professional artist鈥檚 process,
from the first idea to the completed project.
鈥淚t comes as no surprise to me that Lee has combined that experience at the de Grummond
Collection with her creativity and keen sense of historical authenticity to become
an outstanding miniaturist,鈥 Jones said. 鈥淥xford and Mississippi culture are richer
for her continuing contributions as a visual artist. She鈥檚 a welcome addition to the
growing cadre of notable Mississippi creatives.鈥
A not-so-small reputation for Mississippi in miniature gains notice
Harper鈥檚 miniatures have earned wide attention, having been featured in Southern Living, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, Delta Magazine, Garden and Gun Magazine and MississippiFolkLife.org, among other media outlets spotlighting her art. And while she鈥檚 still got a long to-do list of replicas likely to earn her more acclaim and coverage upon their completion, a handful already in the books stand out in an already flush inventory.
鈥淚 believe the Threefoot Building was the hardest to tackle because of the insane number of windows in it,鈥 she said. 鈥淚'm most proud of the Oldfields project because of all the research and memories that went into it, and the Mayflower Caf茅 is simply a personal favorite.鈥
Asked what she鈥檇 like her artistic legacy to be, Harper says she鈥檒l be happy if her work is considered a worthy contribution 鈥 in its own small way - to Mississippi鈥檚 preservation tradition.
鈥淚'm not especially interested in just making miniatures for miniatures' sake, but using the models and their details to tell stories that offer a remembrance of the place, especially those no longer standing,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t's just the greatest feeling to be a part of that.鈥
Learn more about Lee Collier Harper鈥檚 work on Instagram: @leeharperoxford.