Eudora Welty Foundation 2022 News

Abstract

Eudora Welty Foundation 2022 News Jeanne Luckett The Eudora Welty Foundation, often working in collaboration with the Eudora Welty House & Garden, helped promote and produce an increased number of in-person activities in 2022 as the Coronavirus (COVID–19) abated to a degree. Although some virtual programming continued, many events were held outside on the lawn of the Welty House and in the Welty Garden. Some programs that had been postponed were finally held. A most significant occurrence for the Foundation in 2022 was its receipt of a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission to assist with the construction of an Education Center on the property immediately behind the Visitor Center which is next door to the Welty House. Mississippi Arts Commission Grant Facilitates Education Center Construction Plans for an Education Center to host larger audiences than the Welty Visitor Center can seat were greatly enhanced when the Eudora Welty Foundation received a $225,000 Building Fund for the Arts (BFA) grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC). MAC is a state agency that receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mississippi Legislature, and other resources. Of forty-six applicants, the Foundation was one of sixteen to receive a BFA grant. The Foundation had already begun fundraising and is continuing to raise the grant match and the balance needed. Maggie Bjorgum of Belinda Stewart Architects, PA, of Eupora, MS, has developed architectural plans, and site work is already underway. The Visitor Center garage where garden supplies and tools have been stored will be torn down. The Welty House garage has been repurposed as a garden shed, thanks to a grant from the Garden Club of Jackson and help from the Foundation. The Education Center will be completed within two years and will accommodate a variety of activities and events. The new building [End Page 181] will have, among other amenities, a large meeting room, a kitchen, and a covered back porch and will be donated by the Foundation to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History when completed. Welty At Home Virtual Book Club Held via Zoom Continues To Thrive Begun in 2020, the virtual Welty at Home Book Club was a success throughout 2022. With participation growing, Zoom capacity was increased to permit more than 100 participants. The Welty House staff manages the technical operations, and Welty Foundation scholar-in-residence Suzanne Marrs leads most discussions, with readers actively engaged in comments. Programs from January through March focused on William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury with guest lecturer Jay Watson, Howry Professor of Faulkner Studies at the University of Mississippi. Welty's The Wide Net and Other Stories was read and discussed May–July. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was the subject September–November. To sign up for the Book Club and receive the Zoom link, call 601–353–7762 or email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com. For a participant's view of Welty at Home, see University of Mississippi Jacob Agner's story about the Book Club in the Eudora Welty Review, Volume 14, 2022. Author Ron Rash Delivers Bettye Jolly Lecture at Welty Garden Acclaimed author Ron Rash presented the Bettye Jolly Lecture in the Welty Garden on September 22 to a large and enthusiastic audience. The lecture was delayed two years because of Covid. Rash discussed his appreciation of Welty's work and noted that he teaches "A Worn Path" in his classes at Western Carolina University. He read from "The Belt," a story from In the Valley. He also read one of his poems "3 a.m.: The Stars Were Out" and noted that he had become a better poet by writing fiction. The lecture may be viewed on the Welty Foundation website: eudorawelty.org. Search: Ron Rash Lecture. Rash is the author of seven novels, seven collections of short stories, six poetry collections, and a children's book. An endowed program of the Welty Foundation, the lecture honors the late Bettye Jolly, a volunteer and supporter of the Welty House & Garden. [End...