HATTIESBURG, Miss. — In a region shaped by conflict, survival, memory and hard-earned beauty, Mississippi painter Ellen Langford is asking audiences to stop long enough to hear a story. This summer, FestivalSouth will showcase Langford’s emotionally charged exhibition, We All Might Could Use to Hear a Story, alongside a live auction of her original painting To Hear a Story, the official commemorative artwork of the 2026 festival season. Festivalgoers will also have the opportunity to purchase commemorative prints of “To Hear a Story” during festival events throughout the season while supplies last.
The 30-by-40-inch original canvas, a sweeping work rooted in Southern landscapes, human connection and quiet resilience, will be auctioned through June 27 at 6:30 p.m. CST, with all proceeds directly supporting the artists and programming of FestivalSouth. The winning bidder will be announced during the Festival Finale at the historic Saenger Theater at 7 p.m. Winners need not be present.
At a time when arts organizations across America continue fighting for survival, FestivalSouth leaders say the auction represents more than a collector’s opportunity. It is an investment in cultural storytelling itself.
“Ellen’s work captures the spirit of the South with remarkable warmth, honesty and humanity,” said Dr. Mike Lopinto, Artistic Director of FestivalSouth. “Her paintings invite audiences into deeply personal moments filled with beauty, connection and storytelling. There is an authenticity to her work that resonates immediately, and we are honored to share her extraordinary artistic voice with our community and festival audiences.”
Langford’s exhibition opens June 4 and runs through June 27 at the Gallery of Art & Design at Southern Miss inside the George Hurst Building. The official opening reception and artist conversation will take place Saturday, June 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free.
Presented with support from Forrest County, the Montague Fund for the Arts and The Caron Gallery, the exhibition invites viewers into a world of children, animals, weathered landscapes and fleeting encounters that collectively tell the story of a complicated Southern inheritance.
Before becoming a nationally recognized painter, Langford spent years working as a paramedic in central Mississippi — experiences that deeply shaped her artistic voice. The emotional weight of emergency calls, family rituals, poverty, tenderness and survival continue to echo throughout her work. Her paintings carry the texture of experience: layered, weathered surfaces built through sanding, glazing and repeated reworking until figures emerge like memories rising through fog. A Mississippi native who studied in New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Italy, Langford ultimately found her strongest artistic identity after returning home to the Deep South.
“The paintings I’ve been working on for FestivalSouth are offerings of hope,” Langford said. “Ours is a landscape rich in beautiful culture and devastating injustices, but I have to believe each child running through their childhoods here and now brings with them the possibility of making this world a more beautiful, more just and joyous place.”
Animals also play a major role in her work, serving almost as emotional translators between humanity and the natural world.
“This connection allows me to tell stories of place, vulnerability and belonging,” Langford said. “I hope you’ll take this offering of hope and let it comfort your journey.”
For more information, visit FestivalSouth Official Website
About FestivalSouth
FestivalSouth is a premier multi-disciplinary arts festival serving the Pine Belt and beyond. Through music, dance, theater, visual art, and education initiatives, FestivalSouth celebrates artistic excellence while strengthening community connections across Mississippi and the region. It is support in part by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
