Morgan Worsham is JSU’s art gallery coordinator, a position in the Department of Art & Design. Originally from Rome, GA, Morgan graduated from JSU in 2017 with a B.F.A. in Photography and began working at JSU the following year. She was one of the curators for the Covid Creations show and is currently working on the Black History Month Exhibition.

As an art gallery coordinator, Worsham is “in charge of planning, hanging, and promoting all art shows in our galleries,” in addition to managing the gallery spaces in the President’s House and managing the JSU art collection. She also works as the director of the Gamecock Arts Summer Program (GASP), a summer camp for high school students. About the Art & Design Department, Worsham said, “I love the open creativity that the department encourages; there is always something new on display whether it is from students or faculty. There is also open communication for ideas to flow.” Her favorite part of her job is witnessing the way that, upon visiting, talented artists will bring something unique to add to the galleries and completely transform them.

Worsham, herself, has had her work shown in galleries at JSU and at the Photo Place Gallery in Middlebury, VT. She’s also had her fine art published in photography books from juried exhibitions.

When asked what her motivation for the Covid Creations show was, Worsham answered that she and co-curator Emily Duncan (COVID-19 Special Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs at JSU) wanted to give members of the JSU community “an outlet to channel some of the emotions that COVID brought to our lives. Furthermore, Emily wanted to encourage the community to take the opportunity to create something as a way of coping.”

The Black History Month Exhibition is inspired by the social climate of 2020, when there was an emphasis on the racial inequality and injustice within the United States. “I had seen so many artists reflecting the happenings of our nation into works that really spoke to me. I wanted to give people the opportunity to showcase these works, along with any artwork dedicated to the lives and experiences of Black Americans, and Black History Month seemed the perfect time,” stated Worsham. That exhibit opened January 21 and is available for viewing by appointment. 

Outside of her work as a gallery coordinator, Worsham also works as a photographer. She does both commercial and fine art photography and loves meeting people through both. “On the fine art side, I am usually working with other creative people, and we are able to share ideas and grow our concepts together.”  About her commercial photography, Worsham stated, “[it] allows me to be there for the best moments of people’s lives. I get to experience their joy and positive energy and document that for them forever. That, to me, creates a special bond.” Such an attitude explains why Worsham’s favorite subjects for photography are couples and weddings. “There is something about capturing that love for a lifetime and knowing that their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc., will look back on them one day; that is such a unique feeling.”

Worsham finds that both of her jobs lend themselves to each other since she can constantly surround herself with creativity and art. She sometimes has difficulty balancing them, so she tries to keep photography for the weekends and gallery coordination for the weekdays. In her spare time, Morgan likes to crochet and play with her three dogs, cat, and pet snake.

Currently, Worsham is working on finalizing the plans and details for the GASP 2021 summer camp in order to open registration. With her photography business, she is starting a mentorship program for photographers who may need guidance or information.

Worsham’s advice to aspiring gallery coordinators is to do an internship. “I interned at the Gadsden Museum of Art during college. I also worked in a retail art gallery, as well as worked with the previous gallery coordinator here at JSU, and I learned so many practical skills that made my transition to this job a breeze.”

Grace Cockrell Photography