New interactives, workshops provide hands-on learning  at The MAX

Published 12:17 pm Tuesday, July 29, 2025

The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience is introducing new art interactives, a new puppet theater, and hands-on workshops this summer. Since The MAX opened in 2018, visitors have learned to shape clay like Mississippi potters and paint like Mississippi artists through interactive technology showcasing the lives and work of George Ohr, Claudia Cartree, William Dunlap, and Theora Hamblett, among others. Now, the virtual studio welcomes two new art forms: block printing and wood carving.

Block printing, a centuries-old technique where a design is carved into a block of material, inked and transferred onto paper or fabric, has seen a resurgence among artists and designers. The artform was mastered by Jackson native Mildred Nungester Wolfe and is practiced today by Laurel native Sean Starwars, both of whom are featured in The MAX’s new printmaking interactive. Visitors can learn about the backgrounds and techniques of both artists, then create their own digital work in the artists’ styles through interactive technology.

Starwars will be upstairs at The MAX from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, where he’ll provide a block printmaking demonstration. Earlier in the day, Sam Clark will host a sculpting demonstration from 9-11 a.m. in conjunction with Free First Saturday at The MAX, which features Earth’s Bounty’s farmers market from 8 a.m. to noon. Admission to The MAX is free all day, and there will be art activities in the classroom upstairs.

Wood carving was the life’s work of Pearl native George Berry Sr. and West Point native Larry Armstrong, whose stories are told alongside selections from their portfolios. Using similar technology as the block printing interactive, visitors can carve and personalize their own digital horse figurine or vase, with options from a variety of woods, colors and accessories.

Also new at The MAX is a puppet theater, located in the People & Places Gallery across from the classroom upstairs. Arguably, no one has done more to advance puppetry as an artform than Mississippi’s own Jim Henson, the visionary behind “The Muppet Show,” “Fraggle Rock” and numerous beloved characters. Surrounding the space are props and photos from productions by Henson, along with other Mississippians—including John Lovelady, who worked alongside Henson on “The Muppet Show,” and Peter Zapletal, EMMY-winning creator of “The Clyde Frog Show“ for Mississippi Authority for Educational Television, now Mississippi Public Broadcasting—with inspirational figures from the state’s past watching over a new generation of performers.

“We get asked, ‘what’s new at The MAX?’” said Penny Kemp, president and CEO. “This summer, we have multiple new experiences available that showcase the rich creativity coming from our state. Each emphasizes that creative legacy, while also inspiring future creatives.”

Music lovers will also want to check out Mississippi John Hurt: Legend of Avalon, an exhibit of items on loan from the Mississippi John Hurt Museum on view through Sept. 6. The museum mysteriously burned to the ground in February 2024, with the items on display representing nearly everything that survived.

For more information about The MAX, exhibits and upcoming workshops, visit msarts.org.