Have Art, Will Travel

Double Decker regulars share their thoughts on being part of the bigger arts festival circuit.

Written by Leslie Criss | Contributed Photos

Numbers suggested by members of arts commissions across the United States tell us each year there are well over 1,000 arts festivals in the country. Mississippi, with its 82 counties, boasts more than 100, with new festivals popping up all the time.

Oxford’s Double Decker Arts Festival, among the biggest in the state, is an arts festival about which artists offer rave reviews. And they — along with a crowd of 60,000 — continue to return year after year. This year’s Double Decker starts April 25. Many of its artists consider themselves to be part of the arts festival circuit. That means Double Decker is not the only festival in which these artists take part each year.

Starting Out

Ashley Benton of Jackson doesn’t need more than two hands to count the festivals she attends each year, but she considers herself “on the circuit.” In layman’s terms, that means she chooses the arts festivals in Mississippi and beyond where she will travel with her art to share with festivalgoers.

Her first Double Decker festival was in 2023; this will be her third in which to participate as an artist, but she bought her first piece of art at Double Decker when she was in college. She’s also shown and sold her art at festivals in Fairhope, Alabama. And she participates in a lot of pop-up festivals in the Jackson area where she shares her work with art lovers.

“I do oil paint, landscapes, mostly skies and sunsets with a sliver of land,” said Benton, who received her degree in art at Ole Miss. “I knew I wanted to pursue an art career, but I also have a job I love.”

She is a display artist at Anthropologie in Ridgeland. She did her first art show when she was in third grade and sold her first painting in the sixth grade. She sometimes paints with acrylic and uses watercolor to paint houses for people, but she prefers oil.

“I mainly paint skies,” she said. “There are so many layers of clouds, and with oil I can add layers and layers when it’s still wet.”

Benton had primarily positive things to say about traveling to arts festivals but offered one concern.

“There’s certainly a liability when traveling with all your art in one car,” she said. “Other than that, I have a good support system; there are always kind people to help set up my tent and booth. Mostly, I love talking with people all day long. I’m an extrovert, so the more I talk the more energy I have.”

Perhaps the biggest plus is the people — those who come to appreciate art and add to their own collections and the other artists who bring their own art for display.

“You get this great community of artists who root for you when you apply to festivals,” Benton said.

On the Road Again

Blake Gore is on the road a lot. He pulls his 5x8 art-filled trailer to 25 to 30 festivals a year. His first arts festival was in 2019; it was Double Decker.

“I had no idea what I was doing,” Gore said. “I didn’t know if anyone would be interested in my art, but I decided to give it a shot. It went great.”

Gore is known for his miniature artwork using pen and ink, silverpoint and mixed media on minimalist canvas.

In 2021, he began doing his art full time. He travels mostly by himself, but on occasion his four children — ages 12, 14, 16 and 18 — and his wife go along.

A Mississippi native, Gore now lives in Virginia and was clicking off miles and hours driving home from festivals in Florida as we talked. Though tired, he still found only good things to say about traveling the arts festival circuit.

“I love being able to introduce my work in person,” he said. “And it’s nice to know your work brings some joy and wonder to people. It’s good to be able to share that with them. And for the artists, we’ve grown into a community, those of us on the circuit. There are not a lot of us, but we cross paths so much, it’s inspirational to have a support network. It’s good to see a friendly face.”

There are also challenges.

“It’s hard to maintain a healthy routine,” he said. “Imagine a normal 9 to 5 workday; now flip it upside down, and that’s my life. There’s a lot of driving, and it’s tempting to eat junk food and not exercise. It’s important to maintain that foundation.”

Gore has met some interesting people in his travels. For the past couple of years, Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” fame, has invited Gore to Waco, Texas, to her Silobration.

“I didn’t know she was a fan of little stuff,” he said. “She used a couple of my pieces on the napkins for Chip’s birthday party.”

Hi Y’all!

Catherine Ann Herrington Davis has loved art since she was a little girl. She majored in art at Ole Miss, and she’s still doing it today. Davis has multiple artistic projects in her wheelhouse. There’s print making, mixed media painting and an apparel line — Hi Yall! Made in the South. Inspiration for her art comes from the wondrous people in her life and memories of the Southern sayings she’s heard forever.

Davis is a regular fixture at Double Decker. She has shown her art at the festival for 13 of its 28 years.

“I love Double Decker,” she said. “I’m excited to be back for another year. It is a pretty special festival.”

Davis also frequently travels to other festivals with her art. She’s done the Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs since 2012, and as a native of New Albany, she doesn’t miss the Tallahatchie River Fest, and she’s experienced the mid-summer heat of the Neshoba County Fair.

The Ole Miss graduate married a Mississippi State guy, and they made their home in Starkville with 8-year-old son John Parker, who has been attending arts festivals with his mama since he was 6 months old.

“It was easier when he was younger,” Davis said. “He already has an appreciation for art. In fact, last year at Double Decker, I left my booth with my husband while John Parker and I went to look at other art. He bought his first piece of art.”

Davis agrees with Gore and Benton a community has been created among artist at various festivals.

“I am so thankful for the art com-munity,” she said. “Especially at Double Decker. Every year we get excited to learn who’s in and where their booth is.”

And they all know the work the others have put in to get there. Gore elaborates:

“Art is part time; logistics are full time. In the days leading up to a festival, there is a frame day; a pack day for clothes, food and art; and a travel day. There’s usually a two-day show and then a travel day to get back home. And at some point, you have to squeeze in doing the art.”