Mississippi State University’s creative arts journal “The Streetcar” announced its partnership with Pink Plaid Collective, an organization devoted to expression through fashion, for “Celebrate the Canvas” at the Starkville Area Arts Council office Nov. 17 at 5 p.m.
“Celebrate the Canvas” is an event honoring the release of a small, artistic magazine called a “zine” that will feature students’ art, photography and writing about the human body.
Free physical copies of the zine will be available at the release event, but those who cannot attend the release can access the online version on The Streetcar’s website instead.  
Isabella Thompson, the co-editor-in-chief of “The Streetcar” and a senior horticulture major, explained the reason behind the theme, which she described as “centered around the body and the relationships we have with it.” Thompson said she hopes that the theme and title “Celebrate the Canvas” will force people to reevaluate their opinions about the body as a canvas. 
“The core of this event is creating a space where anyone and everyone can come together to discuss the body and hopefully view it through a different lens, at least for a day,” Thompson said.
Thompson shared feelings towards the “Celebrate the Canvas” event.
“I’m so excited to put these zines together and distribute them at the event, sharing student works and hopefully creating discussion and inspiration,” Thompson said.
Ada Fulgham, the other co-editor-in-chief of the journal and an architecture major, seconded Thompson’s excitement and discussed the prompt about the human body directly. 
“I realize the prompt is a challenging and personal one for a lot of people, but I am very excited about the work we will receive for it and really want to submit as well,” Fulgham said. “There is not a submission fee, so I hope we get a good number of submissions.” 
Thompson and Fulgham both urged students to share their works before Nov. 10 at midnight. 
The submission process includes a form students can fill out about their pieces and themselves. The form can be accessed on “The Streetcar’s” Instagram, QR codes on their flyers and their website.
As Thompson and Fulgham encouraged other students to submit, Fulgham disclosed a personal connection to the theme as well.
“​​I personally really love art on and about the body as a subject. I think art connects us to ourselves, helps us refocus our sensory experiences and gives us a deeper appreciation for our bodies,” Fulgham said. “As a queer disabled person, my relationship with my body fluctuates, deeply affecting my mental health and changing how I perceive myself and people around me. I think creating the space to have discussions about our relationships with our bodies and how art can connect us with ourselves is really important.”
Both Thompson and Fulgham credited the event’s origin to Rosemary Jones, who founded Pink Plaid Vintage in 2019 and has since changed its name to better describe her expanded and more “collective” operation, which features handmade clothing, fashion shows, body painting and workshops. 
Thompson gave praise to Jones for the collaboration with Pink Plaid Collective.
“I definitely have to give all the credit for coming up with ‘Celebrate the Canvas’ to Rosemary Jones of Pink Plaid Collective, who is an absolute inspiration and cherished friend,” Thompson said. “She proposed the idea to me a few months back, and we both did some brainstorming, got Ada involved, and put a solid event plan down.”
Thompson also described “The Streetcar’s” collaboration with Jones as a way of including the Starkville community. 
“‘The Streetcar’ is all about the creative arts and fostering a community of like-minded creatives, so collaborating with a local artist and community builder was a no-brainer. We really want to involve our organization more with the entire Starkville art community, and working with Pink Plaid Collective is a great step in that direction,” Thompson said.
Fulgham spoke specifically about Jones’ role in the collaboration. 
“Rosemary has been a vendor at some of our other off-campus events before, and they are just a really cool person, artist and fashion designer. We want our organization to reflect the values of both our student community and our local community of Starkville, so having collaborations with local artists is important to us,” Fulgham said.
When asked about her role in the event, Rosemary Jones talked about one of the lessons she learned as a fashion designer.
“The journey of fabricating clothes has taught me a lot – one of the most valuable is that the body is worthy of being adorned,” Jones said. “The body is our ultimate canvas – just as all a painting’s strokes are precious, every detail of our bodies is too.”
She said she looks forward to the event like Thompson and Fulgham.
“I look forward to seeing how everything overlaps. It is my greatest intention that all who attend and participate are able to feel the magnitude of their bodies. I hope they understand what it means to find homes in our homes when the world may tell us to do everything but that,” Jones said.