FestivalSouth Commemorative Artwork 2026 by Ellen Langford "To Hear A Story"
May 19, 2026 @ 12:00am - June 27, 2026 @ 6:30pm CDT
Each year, FestivalSouth invites an artist to share their work and select a piece to become the commermorative artwork for the season. This year FestivalSouth has chosen Ellen Langford!
Ellen is a painter whose body of work is inspired by landscapes, chance meetings, and the South’s mighty cross-currents, she notices and captures the relationships between the land and its inhabitants – a child with his dog, a clothesline in the breeze, a figure with the landscape. Native to Mississippi, Ellen has pursued academic studies in her craft in New York, San Francisco, DC, and Italy, among other places. However, her work took on its recognizable narrative quality when she returned to her home in the Deep South.
To celebrate the 2026 season, Ellen created a beautiful painting entitled, “To Hear a Story”.
A 32 x 40-inch horizontal canvas is now being auctioned with all proceeds supporting the arts and artists of FestivalSouth. The auction continues through June 27, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. CST. The winner will be announced at the FestivalFinale in the Saenger Theatre at 7 p.m. Winner need not be present to win.
In addition, from June 4 – 27, a special collection of works by Langford will be presented in an exhibition titled “We All Might Could Use to Hear a Story” at the Gallery of Art & Design at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
For more information on the artist, visit festivalsouth.org
Ellen is a painter whose body of work is inspired by landscapes, chance meetings, and the South’s mighty cross-currents, she notices and captures the relationships between the land and its inhabitants – a child with his dog, a clothesline in the breeze, a figure with the landscape. Native to Mississippi, Ellen has pursued academic studies in her craft in New York, San Francisco, DC, and Italy, among other places. However, her work took on its recognizable narrative quality when she returned to her home in the Deep South.
To celebrate the 2026 season, Ellen created a beautiful painting entitled, “To Hear a Story”.
A 32 x 40-inch horizontal canvas is now being auctioned with all proceeds supporting the arts and artists of FestivalSouth. The auction continues through June 27, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. CST. The winner will be announced at the FestivalFinale in the Saenger Theatre at 7 p.m. Winner need not be present to win.
In addition, from June 4 – 27, a special collection of works by Langford will be presented in an exhibition titled “We All Might Could Use to Hear a Story” at the Gallery of Art & Design at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
For more information on the artist, visit festivalsouth.org
