MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2022 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Horhn, Jordan, Simmons (13th), Barnett, Butler (38th), Jackson (11th), Thomas
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE RECOGNITION OF THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE TO MYRNA COLLEY-LEE AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2022 GOVERNOR'S ARTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN COSTUME DESIGN AND ARTS PATRON.
WHEREAS, the Governor's Arts Awards Program has announced its 2022 recipients, which include Myrna Colley-Lee for Excellence in Costume Design and Arts Patron; and
WHEREAS, established in 1988, Governor's Arts Awards are given to individuals and organizations to recognize outstanding work in the artistic disciplines, as well as arts-based community development and arts patronage in Mississippi. The awards are presented in partnership with the Governor's Office and signify the important relationship between government and the arts; and
WHEREAS, Myrna Colley-Lee is an internationally known Costume Designer as well as a Philanthropist, Arts Advocate and Patron. Credited as one of the foremost costume designers in the Black Theatre Movement, she started her career in the late 1960s and remains active as a designer today; and
WHEREAS, a native of North Carolina, Colley-Lee received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of North Carolina and an Master of Fine Arts in Scenic and Costume Design from Temple University. Since the late 1960s, she has worked in the theatre world where she has been credited in dozens of plays as an Art Director, Set Designer and Costume Designer. Myrna's stage work has taken her across the United States, including theatres in St. Louis, Milwaukee, New York City, Seattle, and her home state of Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, Myrna has also served as a Costume Designer, Art Director, and Set Designer for film productions. She has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Costume Design from the National Black Theatre Festival and the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Lifetime Achievement Award, among others. A permanent collection of her clothing and costumes is held by the Mississippi State University Library; and
WHEREAS, a longtime resident of Charleston, Mississippi, Myrna Colley-Lee has proudly called Tallahatchie County her home even though the in-demand Costume Designer has plied her trade on stages and sets around the country; and
WHEREAS, Myrna's costume design work has been featured at prestigious exhibitions in San Antonio, Detroit, and at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson. She was inducted as a Foundation Member of Phi Beta Kappa at Mississippi State University, where she received an Honorary Doctorate of Creative Arts Degree; and
WHEREAS, Myrna was also a founding member of Son-Edna, an organization that highlighted African-American writers, the Rock River Foundation, and the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort in her hometown. She was a long-standing member of the Board of the Mississippi Arts Commission; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Colley-Lee's most recent board appointments include the Mississippi Museum of Art and the National Board for the Center for Art and Public Exchange. After nearly six decades in theatre, she continues to work as a Costume Designer, through her company Gladrags Designs; and
WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we pay tribute and express appreciation for the talent of a World-Class Mississippi Costume Designer and Arts Patron who has made Mississippi a better place and exemplifies the artistic traditions of our great state:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby extend the recognition of the Mississippi Legislature to Myrna Colley-Lee, the recipient of the 2022 Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in Costume Design and Arts Patron, and extend our congratulations to this international designer on this auspicious occasion.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Myrna Colley-Lee as part of the Governor's Arts Awards presentation and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.