Prehistoric Art Exhibition
Joe Iacuzzo
founded Leonardo Project LLC to bring one of the most important dinosaur discoveries in the history of paleontology to the public. His collaborations with many scientists as the editor of the Jurassic Park Institute project for Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment brought him to the attention of the initial science team that discovered the specimen. While at Universal, Joe was on several creative teams that developed exhibits, books, and outreach programs related to the Jurassic Park brand. Prior to that, Joe was the publisher and editor of Dinosaurs! Illustrated, a children's science magazine that was distributed worldwide. He also created the Great Dinosaur Extinction Exhibition, an exhibit that was based on content from the magazine.
Before becoming involved in paleontology, Joe spent a number of years in marketing and advertising, with a focus on developing fundraising programs for non-profit organizations. Along the way, he spent time as a lobbyist for the banking and environmental industries, serving on two federal subcommittees.
Rick Spears
You know how all kids seem to get a "dinosaur virus" when they are little? Most grow out of it, but for me, I have yet to be cured! Actually, my chronic illness has been very good to me, as I have been able to take my passion for the prehistoric past and combine it with my artistic abilities to make a fun career for myself! I truly enjoy reconstructing how dinosaurs may have looked when alive. However, it's all educated guesswork, and I think we'd be surprised if we saw dinosaurs in real life!
Rick C. Spears was born in California in the third quarter of the 20th Century, relocating to Georgia five years later. As with most young children, he was fascinated by dinosaurs, and spent many hours drawing pictures of prehistoric animals in various scenes of combat. Time passed and, though still a pretty good artist, his teenage interests replaced dinosaurs with Japanese monsters, Star Wars, and girls (not necessarily in that order). It wasn’t until after college that Rick rekindled his love of prehistory and began to fancy himself a ‘paleoartist’ and began sculpting models of extinct life. Since then, his artwork has found its way into museums, displays, books and magazines, even a board game. Rick currently resides in Georgia with his wife, Darlene, who patiently tolerates all this dinosaur/monster/alien stuff as a part of everyday life.
Keren Arroyo Mora
is a Puerto Rican artist, an art therapist, and the founder of Keren Art of Connection LLC. Currently living in Starkville, Mississippi, Keren graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a double major in Printmaking and Art Education and later, pursued a Master degree in Creative Art Therapy at Pratt Institute in New York. In her 2018 exhibition, Keren used the pigeon figures to denounce the government’s mishandling of the Hurricane Maria’s devastating impact on Puerto Rico. Now, as an Art therapist, Keren continues using her artistic roots to explore the themes of resilience, societal injustice and mental health.
As an artist and art therapist, I like to create mixed-media art under the name Keren Art of Connection. My work focuses on themes of human resilience and finding beauty in the overlooked, often using the pigeon as a symbol of strength and survival. Inspired by this reason, I used the same archetype to celebrate the indomitable survival of a species: the dinosaurs. I create edition variations by combining collagraph plates and monoprint techniques, as a way to show my interpretation of the years and layers created in the Earth over time. As the Earth's layers reflect its history through the years, each print tells a story on its own. My art tries to play with the juxtaposition of what they were (dinosaurs) and what they are now (birds) due to evolution. To honor the current image of a bird that shows us the will to fight adversity and how literally they leave their mark in the world.
https://www.kerens-art-of-connection.com/about
@kerenartofconnection Instagram
Kai Mosley
is a self taught artist based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Working primarily in gouache, colored pencil, oil pastel, and mixed media, Mosley’s paintings blend folk art, children’s book illustration to explore curiosity, nostalgia and the wonder of everyday life. Inspired by vintage picture books, natural history, and storytelling, they create whimsical scenes that invite viewers to slow down and look a little closer. Mosley is the recipient of multiple Mississippi Arts Commission Grants supporting the creation of their first illustrated children’s book.
This collection is inspired by the sense of wonder that comes from seeing the world through a child’s eyes. Dinosaurs, fossils, forests, and imaginary adventures become invitations to slow down, ask questions and look more closely. I am interested in the moments where learning and play overlap - where digging in the dirt can uncover an ancient skeleton, or a walk through the woods can become an expedition.
https://existentialcowboy.cargo.site/
@existential_cowboy on Instagram Instagram
Hallie Andrews
is an interdisciplinary printmaker and sculptor based in Northeast Mississippi. She uses natural and fantastical forms to explore subject matter in realized, surreal, and fractured environments. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Mississippi State University in May 2024. Hallie has qualified for several achievements including a Dean of Students Collection award, multiple publications in The Hand Magazine, and the Windgate Scholarship for Penland School of Craft. She has experience as a professional ceramicist and instructor at a pottery studio in Tupelo, MS and has exhibited works nationally. She has been an artist vendor at events such as the Cotton District Arts Festival in Starkville, MS as well as the Robins Street Arts Stroll in Tupelo, MS. Currently, Hallie works as an education and outreach specialist, and primary graphic designer, for a local nonprofit, while immersing herself in expanding her art practice.
The construct of narrative plays within the role of history in many ways. From conspiracy theories, mythology/folklore, the supernatural and science fiction, the execution of ideation impacts society in current day settings as well as the time periods in which they were developed. Similarly, the construct of reality is perceived by the surrounding flora and fauna and their prehistoric notions; ultimately, demystifying the archaic and current world through scientific analysis.
From the Shallows and its poem accompaniment are drawn from the breadth of the prehistoric Anomalocaris and mythological narratives. I use natural and fantastical imagery through printmaking and sculpture practices to explore various subjects in realized and fractured environments, allowing the fabrication of mythos and other worldly environs. Natural motifs curate a surreal context yet provide a controlled ambiance within the imagery and surrounding space alike. I then compose a folkloric, written accompaniment to complete the structure’s narrative. The intricacy of the face frame suggests tangibility by not only symbolizing mythological altar pieces but also questioning its historical implications to intentionally obscure the boundary between ideation and corporality.
@hallieandrews.art Instagram
Courtney Germany
is an artist and educator located in Hattiesburg, MS. She has taught both Visual Arts and Biology for the last fourteen years. She specializes in painting with watercolor and acrylic. She has completed two murals in the Hattiesburg area along with multiple public art projects. She has a passion for bringing history and science to life through visual arts and seeks to spark conversation and new ideas while giving voice to the past.
As a lover and teacher of both science and art, I felt obliged and inspired to create work for this exhibition. One of the most wonderful things about considering the biology and anatomy of prehistoric organisms, is that there are things we do not and cannot know. We must exercise our imagination and creativity to fill in the gaps.
The piece "Eye to Eye" invites the viewer to into the scene to reflect on the childlike wonder they once felt and remember what it was to be new to this world. As a child, we are always in discovery mode and possibilities seem endless. It asks us to remember what it feels like to stand before the unfamiliar and wonder whether what is before us should be feared or befriended.
Throughout this collection, extinct animals are reimagined with human gestures and clothing. A dinosaur in a top hat or a mammoth exchanging greetings with a bird collapses the distance between past and present, fact and fiction, inviting viewers to reconsider the boundaries that separate biology and history from imagination. These subjects become stand-ins for curiosity and whimsy rather than scientific specimens alone.
Together, these paintings celebrate imagination as a meaningful and necessary way of understanding the world. They invite viewers of all ages to rediscover their ability to marvel at the unknown. By balancing playfulness with quiet reflection, the collection suggests that curiosity and creativity are not merely childhood traits, but an enduring way of engaging with the world.
@courtgermarts Instagram
is a local hobby artist specializing in digital artwork. Outside of her full-time work in higher education assessment and being the busy mother of three young boys, she spends her spare time working on her small art business, “Zesty Made Collective.” She creates art prints, handmade stationary, stickers, and fabric designs. She is a native of Madison, Mississippi and has lived in Columbus since 2024.
Carmen Lynn
Collection Title: “Prehistoric Pretty in Pink”
My work often features atypical, lighthearted vignettes. Inspiration for this collection is taken from my oldest son’s love of paleontology and dinosaurs. I wanted to portray these prehistoric creatures through a more feminized lens in contrast to the more popularized harsh reptilian portrayals often marketed to young boys.
http://zestymadecollective.square.site/
Instagram: @zestymadecollective
Charles Truscott
is a sculptor, who's spent 25 years as an artist working for Disney, and various theming theming companies, in Florida. He's just recently finished a solo art show at the Gumtree Museum of Art in Tupelo. Currently he's going to explore painting and drawing on canvases instead of three-dimensional sculpture. Charles is currently living in Saltillo, with his lovely wife Denise, who also shares the stage with him in quite a few productions at The Lyric theater in Tupelo.
Do you remember the excitement you had, seeing an archaeological exhibit, such as "The Treasures of Tutankamun", for the very first time? Viewing these artifacts that were thousands of years old, and thinking about the civilization that actually handled these tools and relics? The mystique of a museum show has always captivated my imagination, therefore my work is a celebration of that feeling!, a immersing oneself into a forbidden world of ancient fossils, and mysterious relics! This is why creating these fossils and relics is so near and dear to my heart, it represents all the aspects of a museum exhibit, with an underlying darkness, that immerses the viewer into a world of trepidation, in which they might find themselves reluctant, to enter!
Annamaria LaRose
Curiosity has always been at the heart of Annamaria's creative process. A self-taught artist originally from the coastal town of Biddeford, Maine. Growing up along the shores of Maine fostered a deep appreciation for the natural world, an influence that continues to shape her artwork today. She blends careful observation with imagination, creating pieces that celebrate both the natural world and the wonder of fantasy.
Driven by a love of learning, Annamaria approaches each piece as an opportunity to explore an idea, answer a question, or bring an imagined vision to life. Whether depicting dragons, dinosaurs, women or wildlife... she hopes her work inspires others to slow down, appreciate nature, notice things they might not have noticed before and look a little more closely at the world around them.
the.ouidwitch.creations (instagram)