MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2016 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Senator(s) Horhn, Norwood, Frazier, Barnett, Burton, Chassaniol, Fillingane, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd)

Senate Concurrent Resolution 540

(As Adopted by Senate and House)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING RENOWNED CLAY CRAFTSMAN CLAUDIA CARTEE UPON HER RECEIPT OF THE 2016 GOVERNOR'S ARTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN VISUAL ARTS.

     WHEREAS, Claudia Cartee has worked as a professional Studio Potter since 1973; and

     WHEREAS, she was born into a family of artists.  Her mother was a Visual Artist and her father was a Musician and Master Mold Maker.  He was the one to set Claudia on her journey in clay by purchasing a potter's wheel for her.  She began her formal college-level studies in pottery and received her degree at California State University; and

     WHEREAS, in 1978, she was asked to join the Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi.  She was one of only a few female artists who worked with clay on a wheel.  She has been a Guild Fellow since 1987.  Ms. Cartee has served as President of the Guild and on the Board of Directors and has shown her work for decades at the popular Chimneyville Crafts Festival; and

     WHEREAS, Ms. Cartee received a scholarship to study at The Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, which she credits as a turning point in her career.  A year after studying at Penland, she was awarded the Mississippi Arts Commission's Artist Fellowship Award.  She received the honor again in 2012; and

     WHEREAS, among her clay sculptures and wall pieces, Ms. Cartee's usable pottery and functional works are very popular with collectors.  She signs her work "Ka", which means the part of the spirit that lives on after death; and

     WHEREAS, she has received numerous awards from juried shows and festivals throughout Mississippi and the region.  Her gallery and museum exhibitions range from the Meridian Museum of Art to the Attic Gallery in Vicksburg, the University of Southern Mississippi's Museum of Art, and the Mississippi Museum of Art, among many others.  Her work resides in permanent collections throughout Mississippi; and

     WHEREAS, Ms. Cartee's exceptional success as a Potter from rural Mississippi has cultivated arts tourism in Seminary, Mississippi, where her studio and sales gallery are located; and

     WHEREAS, Claudia Cartee has shared her love of creating pottery by teaching throughout her career, mentoring clay artists and conducting countless workshops to help the next generation of potters; and it is with great pride that we recognize a Mississippi artist whose record of achievement has brought honor to her community and to the State of Mississippi:

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate renowned Clay Craftsman Claudia Cartee upon her receipt of the 2016 Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in Visual Arts, and extend our best wishes to Claudia on this high honor.

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Claudia Cartee, forwarded to the Mississippi Arts Commission, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.