Fall 2024 Showcase MS Creates: Hipster Mayberry
Greta Koshenina, Peter Muvunyi, and Athula Samarakoon
MS Creates: Hipster Mayberry
Hipster Mayberry showcases Mississippi natives Tim and Susan Lee, known as Bark! This dynamic duo, married for more than forty years, has recently relocated to the small, emerging artist community in Water Valley, MS. The couple’s passion and enthusiasm shine not just through their musical performances but also in every interaction. Committed to promoting the arts in both Oxford and Water Valley, they generously share their varied talents with all those they encounter.
Bark! has been awarded the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for two of their studio albums. “Weird little rock and roll bands don’t typically receive awards from places called Institute of Arts and Letters,” Tim says. “But it’s our art, and it has meaning,” Susan adds. The inseparable couple finish each other’s sentences and create a space of infectious joy. As Tim and Susan grow together, they lean into the imperfections of art and muse on the fleeting nature of life.
Greta Koshenina is a cyanotypist, documentarian, and curator from Water Valley, Mississippi. Koshenina is pursuing an MFA in Southern Studies Documentary Expression and expects to graduate in May 2025. Her work blends archival family photographs with contemporary images, resulting in surreal photographic collages using the cyanotype technique. Additionally, Greta is developing an experimental short documentary film that explores the fleeting nature of life.
Peter Muvunyi is from Kigali, Rwanda, in East Africa. His journey as a Documentary Filmmaker has been a profound exploration of narratives and human experiences. Working with diverse groups such as genocide survivors, marginalized communities, and medically fragile individuals to amplify their stories, Peter hopes to use his skills to tell stories that resonate and inspire people, raise awareness, and influence positive change and policy in his community through storytelling.
Athula is a Sri Lankan filmmaker whose main focus is documentary films. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Pune. His graduate film on Indian Ragamala Paintings was highly admired. Most recently, he has been engaged in Documentary film projects on Marginalized communities in Sri Lanka. Athula has written articles on Sri Lankan Cinema, Lankan TV, Documentary, and trends in World cinema that have appeared in Cinema Journal and publications.