The Wolfe Creative Legacy began in June 2021 in a conversation between Bebe Wolfe and daniel johnson. What would happen to the Studio as Bebe and David aged? What are the loose ends to weave together? Would she trust a community to carry the legacy of her family forward?

After three years of organizing with staff and the meditation community who meet in the dojo on the property, forming a Steering Committee and writing Bylaws, The Wolfe Creative Legacy incorporated and held their first meeting in July of 2024. As we move into our second year, we are excited to have a strong working Board of Directors, driving our work through our committees: Fundraising, Collections, Archive Advisory, Dojo, Collaboration, and our Executive Committee. Together we have developed partnerships with the Millsaps Welty Digital Lab and the Margaret Walker Center to develop our archive and begin an oral history project, we are developing a program series to celebrate the studios 80th anniversary next year, and have been engaging the field at regional conferences and in local meetings.

We want to bring you behind the scenes of our plans for 2026 and invite you to contribute to this important work:

Oral History Collection - Bebe Wolfe and David Weideman: We secured a Mississippi Humanities Council grant in the Spring to purchase a video camera, a field recorder, 2 lavalier mics, a condensor mic, and tripods. We have had two high quality lights donated. In 2026 we will be purchasing a more powerful laptop, a subscription to editing software, additional lighting equipment, and storage devices. These purchases will cost $2799.

Wolfe 80th Anniversary: For the 80th anniversary of the Wolfe Studio we are planning a series of programming throughout the month of June to highlight the many ways their legacy shows up in our world. We will hold a staff exhibition alongside works of Karl and Mildred, host a solo exhibition of Ron Lindsey who was the first staff member of Wolfe Studio, fund a research project by Dr. Elise Smith exploring Mildred's landscapes of the Wolfe property alongside other women artists depicting Southern landscapes, host a program reflecting on Mildred's four-panel painting Four Freedoms, host a series of conversations bringing together panels of past Wolfe Studio artists and current Jackson artists organizing in the community, and more. These programs, associated print material, and the contracting of a production assistant will cost $9641.

Gathering the Field and in Community: So much of our work is about being in conversation. Karl, Mildred, and Bebe were not just creating art, they were in the community teaching, organizing events, and supporting other artists in friendship and growth. In 2026 we expect to be building coalition among other arts and culture organizations in Jackson, bringing our Board together for our bi-annual meetings, traveling to collect historical objects and stories for our archive, and sending two representatives to regional arts and culture conferences such as the Mississippi Arts Commission annual conference and the South East Museum Conference. These associated costs are $6,520.

Operations: Our ongoing subscriptions for our website and Zoom, various office supplies such as stamps and paper, and expenses such as renting the community room at the Willie Morris Library for our Board Meetings cost $677.

Much appreciation for your contribution to our work together ~ join us!

2026 Budget

By The Wolfe Creative Legacy

2026 Budget

Funding our work together.