During the month of October, Northwest Mississippi Community College's Art Gallery will host the works of William Hollingsworth, one of Mississippi's most significant artists. "William Hollingsworth: The Road Back Home," organized by the Mississippi Museum of Arts (MMA), will open at Northwest on Oct. 1,and run through the month of October.

The exhibition is taken from a collection of 287 of Hollingsworth's works that are part of the Permanent Collection of the MMA.

Hollingsworth, who was born in Jackson in 1910, suffered from depression and loneliness. Although he achieved local notoriety as an artist, he tragically ended his own life in 1944 at the age of 34. Years later, his wife generously donated a great deal of his collection to the museum.

"Hollingsworth significantly elevated the artistic climate in Mississippi, not only through his art, but through his endeavors in the art community. During his lifetime he helped strengthen the Mississippi Arts Association, the parent organization of the MMA. Hollingsworth also helped establish the fine arts department at Millsaps College in Jackson, later serving as an instructor in the department," said Betsy Bradley, executive director of the MMA.

During his high school years in Jackson, Hollingsworth showed promise as an artist, drawing caricatures of local townsmen. He attended the University of Mississippi for two years and then enrolled in the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. While there he met his wife Celia Jane Oakley, a fellow student. After completing their studies in 1934, the couple moved back to Jackson, residing with his father, William Hollingsworth, Sr., and their son, Billy.

He immediately received recognition for his work including first prize at the Mississippi State Fair, and a silver ribbon from the Mississippi Art Association. By 1935, he was receiving wider acclaim, with one of his works being selected by the Cincinnati Art Museum for an annual exhibition of American art.

Hollingsworth was one of the state's most prolific artists during the late 1930s and early 1940s. He is sometimes referred to as the "Faulkner of visual arts" because of the accuracy of his regional art. He is recognized for his ability to interpret regional genre through his paintings, sketches and watercolors. He has painted poignant representations of people experiencing the effects of the Great Depression and World War II eras, sensitive family portraits, and scenes from everyday life in the black community during that time.

"Being asked by the Mississippi Museum of Art to become an affiliate gallery for their traveling exhibitions is a great honor. We are very excited about this new relationship and are equally excited to host in the Northwest Art Gallery the 'William Hollingsworth, The Back Road Home' watercolors this coming October. We cordially invite everyone to attend," said Lawayne House, Art Department chairman at Northwest.

The gallery, which is located on the Senatobia campus, is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, except for school holidays. For more information, contact House at 562-3399 or e-mail lhouse@northwestms.edu.