Mississippi State University Art Professor Emeritus Brent Funderburk will guide an exhibit tour, “Ecstasy: Walter Anderson’s Transcendent Moment,” Sept. 12 and will deliver a lecture, “Inside Nature: Chasing the Path of Light Through Watercolor,” Oct. 3 as part of a new exhibit at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.

The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience is gearing up to host a new exhibit, “The South’s Most Elusive Artist: Walter Inglis Anderson,” featuring 40 works by the legendary Mississippi Gulf Coast artist as well as a full slate of related programming.

The exhibit will open to the public Saturday, Sept. 7, in the Fred & Sissie Wile Changing Exhibition Gallery of The MAX and will run through Nov. 23. A special preview reception for members and special guests will be held Friday, Sept. 6.

Related programs will run throughout the duration of the exhibit and will feature a wide range of Mississippi artists including the artist’s son, John G. Anderson, author of a new book on Anderson’s bicycle logs; former MSU art professor and Anderson expert Brent Funderburk; watercolorist Angi Cooper; Horn Island “resident artist” Robin Whitfield; potter Stephen Phillips; and University of Southern Mississippi ceramics professor Allen Chen.

The exhibit will include rarely seen watercolors, block prints, ceramics and sketches alongside some of Anderson’s most recognizable and iconic works. The exhibit is organized by the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, drawing from its permanent collection and that of the estate of Walter Anderson.

“Walter Anderson was a wholly unique and prodigious creator who does not fit neatly into one category of art,” said Julian Rankin, executive director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. “He was as talented in watercolor as he was in printmaking, as deft an illustrator as he was a muralist.”

Born in New Orleans in 1903, Anderson spent the majority of his life in Ocean Springs, where his relatives had a pottery studio. He was formally trained as an artist at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts before returning to the Gulf Coast. Anderson usually shunned the spotlight and did not receive much acclaim during his lifetime. The artist regularly took long bicycle journeys and relished immersion in nature – especially on Horn Island, a barrier island 12 miles offshore from Ocean Springs.

Anderson, who died in 1965, is recognized as one of the seminal figures of American art. In 2003, a retrospective of his work was shown at the Smithsonian Institution, and more than a dozen volumes of story and scholarship have been published by the University Press of Mississippi since his death.

Some of the exhibit-related programs at The MAX include:

— On opening day, Saturday, Sept. 7, at 11 a.m., John G. Anderson will present “The Bicycle Logs of Walter Anderson” with collaborator Anthony Thaxton of the Institute for Southern Storytelling at Mississippi College. Visitors are encouraged to ride their bikes to The MAX that day to recall the artist’s epic cycling adventures. In addition, the award-winning documentary, “Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander,” created and produced by Thaxton and Robert St. John, will be screened in The MAX’s Alexander Family Church Gallery.

— Artist and educator Funderburk will guide an exhibit tour, “Ecstasy: Walter Anderson’s Transcendent Moment,” at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, and will deliver a lecture, “Inside Nature: Chasing the Path of Light Through Watercolor,” at 5:30 p.m. in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Multipurpose Gallery on Thursday, Oct. 3. The events are in collaboration with the Meridian Museum Art, which is presenting a Funderburk exhibit Oct. 4 through Nov. 30.

— On Wednesday, Sept. 25, The MAX will host JEMS in concert with Cyrena Wages in the Citizens National Bank Courtyard. Fresh off tour with their new album, JEMS is a singer/songwriter trio made up of Jessica Rotter, Emily Colombier and Meridian native Sarah Margaret Huff. This transcendent alternative folk concert is a perfect pairing with the ethereal naturalistic work of Anderson. Come early for a members-only pre-show social, featuring pop-up chef James Beard Award nominee Hunter Evans.

— Thursdays, Oct. 3, 10, 17 and 24, The MAX will offer Introduction to Pottery with Mississippi potter Stephen Phillips, where participants can learn the art form practiced by so many iconic artists from across the state, including the Andersons, George Ohr and the Woods brothers. Phillips is a Crawford-based ceramicist whose work has been exhibited and sold across the Southeast and featured by Mayco glazes.

— A reading of the forthcoming “Anderson’s Alice: Walter Anderson Illustrates Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Robinson: The Pleasant History of an Unusual Cat,” both children’s books by Anderson, will be held in the Structural Steel Services Inc. Hall of Fame at 10:30 a.m. Sat., Nov. 9, with an instrument “petting zoo” in collaboration with the Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library and Meridian Symphony Association.

— Whitfield, who leads trips to Horn Island, will offer an “Earth Color Workshop” from 9 a.m. until noon on Sat., Nov. 16. Prepare to get dirty, because in this workshop participants learn about natural pigments and go out to find raw materials for use in art.

— On closing day, Sat. Nov. 23, The MAX will feature Hattiesburg artist Allen Chen for a pottery demonstration. Chen’s utilitarian forms and glazes reflect Anderson’s work and arts and crafts inspirations.

The exhibit and related programming are made possible by the support of the Mississippi Arts Commission, Phil Hardin Foundation, The Riley Foundation and Visit Meridian.

“Often referred to as America’s Van Gogh, Walter Anderson’s influence is profound, and his work prolific. We couldn’t be more excited to host this prestigious exhibit,” said Penny Kemp, president and CEO of The MAX. “We are equally excited to partner with artists and organizations around the state to offer unique programming surrounding this exhibit and, as always, we look forward to welcoming school field trips from across the state.”

The MAX is located at 2155 Front St. in downtown Meridian. For more information about these and other events planned during the exhibit, visit msarts.org.