University Museum Opens Doors to Community Partnerships

The visitors, residents of Elison Assisted Living of Oxford, moved slowly from exhibit to exhibit, lingering, asking questions and connecting with the works and with one another. Guided by Kassidy Franz, the museum’s education curator, the visit marked more than a tour; it was the beginning of a partnership rooted in care, curiosity and community.

“By welcoming people into the museum and then visiting them for hands-on art activities, we create something more personal,” Franz said. “It becomes less about a single visit and more about building relationships.”

Franz handles outreach for the University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses and helps connect broader audiences with its collections through guided experiences and community partnerships. The collaboration with Elison Assisted Living reflects a broader shift in how the museum engages with the public, she said.

As part of the partnership, Elison residents toured the museum’s galleries before Franz visited the assisted living center to lead art-making activities inspired by what residents had seen. The tour and the exercise were focused on Mary Buie and Kate Skipwith, two Oxford sisters who were artists and collectors.

“The back-and-forth approach helps make art more accessible and meaningful,” Franz said.

Mandy Conklan, lifestyle director at Elison Assisted Living, was immediately interested when Franz proposed the partnership. The program aligns with the center’s emphasis on lifelong learning and creative engagement.

“When you work with seniors in assisted living, some spaces are very welcoming and others are not,” Conklan said. “When someone invites you in, that matters. This gives our residents a chance to get out, stretch their minds and learn something new.”

Elison residents regularly participate in arts programming, welcoming musicians, dancers and artists to their campus and showcasing creative work by residents.

“We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a diverse community of different artists and genres of art where people want to share their talents,” she said. “Oxford and the university give us access to the arts without having to leave town.”

For Virginia Bower, a Greenwood native and Elison resident, the museum visit offered both enjoyment and familiarity. A retired English teacher and librarian with a lifelong love of art, Bower has spent years visiting campus.

“It makes me feel powerful to be able to go to places like this,” Bower said. “Our director schedules so many cultural activities, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to see the museum.

“I’m curious about everything,” she said. “And this is a good place to be curious.”

During the visit, residents explored hyper-realistic works by Oxford artist Glennray Tutor, colorful landscapes by Hamblett – who rose to prominence later in life – and historic scientific instruments dating to the 1800s, among others. Franz guided the group at a relaxed pace, encouraging conversation and questions.

For Rick Hendrix, of West Helena, Arkansas, an Elison resident who attended graduate school at the university, the visit was especially meaningful. Coming from an Ole Miss family and with a father who loved painting, Hendrix said returning to the museum as an adult felt inspiring.

Though legally blind, he can see objects up close and was captivated by the colors in Hamblett’s paintings. He was also impressed by the museum’s Millington-Barnard Collection of Scientific Instruments.

“It’s incredible,” Hendrix said. “I’ve been to some wonderful museums, and this is beautifully curated and displayed.”

For Franz, experiences such as this underscore the evolving role of museums as community partners.

“There are so many opportunities to expand partnerships and create programs that meet people where they are,” she said. “Education doesn’t stop at the museum doors.

“It’s about extending our reach and making art something into which people feel welcomed.”