ADORN Wearable Art Show to Open Coast Episocpal Schools’ Gail Keenan Art Center’s 2025-26 Season

A unique opportunity for Mississippi art lovers awaits when ADORN, a show of wearable art, opens on Friday, September 12 at the Gail Keenan Art Center on the campus of Coast Episcopal School in Long Beach. The show, which opens with a complimentary reception from 5 – 7 pm, will feature the exquisite works – from scarves to dresses, jewelry and handbags – of six noted artists from Alabama and Mississippi.

Doug Baulos, an Alabama artist/mender who uses different print processes and natural dyes to enhance upcycled pieces, will be showing several fantastic jackets.

Pinky Bass, also an Alabama artist, has an exquisite installation that combines photography and dresses.

Sandy Maggio, a Bay St. Louis-based artist, who is an incredible metalsmith and is the Smith of the former Smith & Lens, will be offering jewelry, accessories and art mostly from silver and stones.

Sabrina Stallworth, a Biloxi-based artist will show her creations of leather and other upcycled materials including exquisite handbags and accessories.

Waveland artist Amanda Bush, whose jewelry transforms polymer clay into convincing illusions of metal, stone, and shell, is presenting a collection that dives into a nautical world, with handmade abalone shells, glowing faux pearls, and treasure-like pieces set in faux metal frames. Each piece feels like a small discovery from the shore, carrying the mystery and beauty of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Created with a unique form of printing she invented using silk, teabags and other materials, Kerr Grabowski’s beautiful scarves and wraps are the very definition of one-or-a-kind, wearable art.

Adorn is the first of three professional shows being curated by Bay St. Louis artist and photographer Ann Madden through May 2026.  Ann, whose own photographs and mixed media pieces have been shown at galleries all over the United States, will be a live model through the Friday night reception, showcasing several of the works of art available for purchase.

Adorn will run through October 16 and will be available, by appointment, for viewing on weekdays that Coast Episcopal School is open.  Individuals wishing to see the show are asked to contact the school at 228-452-9442 to schedule a day and time.   A complimentary closing reception will be held from 4 – 6 pm on Thursday, October 16.

The other Ann Madden curated shows include: ORGANICA, Friday, January 23 – Friday, March 6 and STARDUST/Paper Fools, Friday,  March 27 – Friday, May 8, 2026.

The Gail Keenan Art Gallery furthers the mission of Coast Episcopal School: fostering a lifelong love of learning while enhancing our longstanding emphasis on both academic excellence and the arts. The mission of the art gallery is to accompany and enhance arts education at CES and its connection to the development of the whole child.

The gallery provides a visual space for the students to nurture and express their artistic talents and “experience” themselves as creative contributors to our world. It serves as a teaching resource to enable students to make connections between art and life, while expanding learning opportunities through the robust visiting artists program. Through exhibiting works of regional artists, the gallery serves the community at large and increases awareness of the broad education offered at Coast Episcopal School.

The Gail Keenan Art Center was dedicated in February 2011 to the memory of the recognized ceramic artist and printmaker who was born in 1940 in New Orleans and passed away in February 2005.  Ms. Keenan’s ties to the MS Gulf Coast were strong throughout her lifetime, during which she had works exhibited in Santa Cruz, CA; New Orleans, LA; Chicago, IL; Kansas City, KA; Ocean Springs, MS; Camden, ME; and Boston, MA, Ms. Keenan’s love for the arts continues to be honored in the works created and exhibited in the Coast Episcopal School signature art center.

Coast Episcopal School has been dedicated to a life-long love of learning by developing the whole child – mind, body and spirit – and providing a joyful, unique, and nurturing Judeo-Christian community that inspires its students to imagine and create a better world.   Founded in 1950, CES is a member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS).  For additional information:  Coast Episcopal School, 5065 Espy Avenue, Long Beach MS  39560.   228-452-9442  coastepiscopalschool.org