Hattiesburg — About 90 works of both black and white artists from the collection of the late Sarah Ellen Gillespie are part of a Black History Month exhibit through March 12 at William Carey University in Hattiesburg.
The paintings include artists such as William Hollingsworth, Ethel Wright Mohamed and Charles Crossley.
Museum curator Iris Easterling said that putting the exhibit together required some detective work.
She says Hurricane Katrina in 2005 ravaged Gillespie’s collection along with the artist’s notes.
Easterling says what was left was Gillespie’s red book, which listed titles, artists and prices for most of her works.
She says work continues on a larger effort to create a catalog of Gillespie’s 600-piece collection. Gillespie died in 2008.
