New Book on Sculptor Sam Gore Set for Vicksburg Event

Sam Gore

Admirers of internationally celebrated artist Sam Gore will get the opportunity to visit with the Mississippi College icon and purchase a copy of his new book in Vicksburg.

Making a wonderful Christmas gift, “Samuel M. Gore: Blessed with Tired Hands,” will be showcased at a December 13 book signing at the Attic Gallery in the River City. The event that Sunday afternoon runs from 1-4 p.m.

Located at 1101 Washington Street, the Attic Gallery remains the oldest independent art gallery in the Magnolia State. It features handmade pottery, glass, jewelry, Southern folk art and contemporary fine art. The event is open to the public.

Penned by award-winning photographer Barbara Gauntt, the book spotlights Dr. Gore in interviews plus scores of photos showcasing his sculptures and paintings during his splendid career.

Published by University Press of Mississippi over the summer, the 112-page coffee table book includes a forward written by Clinton-based artist Wyatt Waters. He’s one of Gore’s former students at Mississippi College.

Gore and Gauntt recently teamed up for a series of book signings in metro Jackson, including Mississippi College’s 2015 Homecoming on October 24 at the Leland Speed Library. A longtime staffer at “The Clarion-Ledger,” Gauntt is an MC art instructor, who teaches photography.

Joining the Mississippians at the Attic Gallery in Vicksburg that Sunday afternoon will be several artists displaying their works.

At age 87, Sam Gore continues to go strong as an artist and art professor at his alma mater in Clinton. The former chairman of the Mississippi College Art Department, Gore dazzles audiences when he swiftly transforms clay into a sculpture of the head of Jesus Christ.

The Clinton resident first began working on the 35-minute Christ sculptures in 1976 as amazed MC students looked on at Provine Chapel.

Born in Coolidge, Texas in 1927, Samuel Marshall Gore was the sixth of ten children born to a Baptist preacher and a mother described as “an angel.”

His career spans more than six decades at Mississippi College. His bronze sculptures like “Christ, Fulfillment of the Law” are prominently displayed at the MC School of Law in Jackson, and on the main campus in Clinton.