The Lucile Parker Gallery is located in the Asbury Academic Building on the Hattiesburg campus of William Carey University. The gallery, which opened in 1990 and was originally located in Thomas Fine Arts Center, was named for Miss Lucile Parker, a Mississippi artist known for her botanical drawings, paintings and portrait work. Miss Parker organized the art department at William Carey and served as chairperson from 1974 until 1983. The gallery stands as a testimonial to the legacy of Miss Parker as a teacher who instilled in her students a love of beauty and inspired them to go beyond the possible.
A native of Sumrall, Mississippi, Lucile Parker earned the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in drawing and art and a Master of Arts degree in art, painting and drawing from the University of Alabama. She also studied at the Pietro Venucci Academy of Art in Perugia, Italy. Miss Parker was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from William Carey College in 1981. Her paintings hang in private and public collections throughout the United States. Her book, Mississippi Wildflowers, is widely acclaimed.
The Lucile Parker Gallery houses four collections: the Lucile Parker Collection, the William Carey University Collection, the Larry H. Day Collection, and the Brian Blair Collection.
Exhibitions of local, state, and nationally known artists are scheduled August through May. Usually six to seven exhibits are held with the permanent collections on display during the summer.
The Lucile Parker Collection consists of 142 artworks by Lucile Parker, with the exception of a group of 17 by Marie Hull, which were donated to the university by Miss Parker from her private collection. Many works were given to the university by Lucile’s family after her death in 1988. Works in the collection include paintings and drawings of flowers, portraits, and landscapes, all beautifully done in watercolor, mixed media, etching, pencil, graphite, oils, and acrylic.
"Blue Vase and Flowers" by Marie Hull
The Brian Blair Collection contains 15 drawings and watercolors by Lucile Parker of the Blair children and family members and other works.
"Blair Children (Blue and Red)" by Lucile Parker
The Larry H. Day Collection consists of 190 wildlife pieces and stamps, prints by Dr. Allen Hughes, and limited edition floral prints by Jeanne Holgate.
"Syringa Oregon - Grape in Pacific Ordodendron" by Jeanne Holgate
The William Carey University Collection consists of 159 artworks by a variety of artists. Portraits of presidents and benefactors of the university are contained in this collection. Also, works donated to or purchased by the university are part of the collection.
“Feeding Frenzy” by Charles Price
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