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By Ainsley Weems | ������Ƶ Communication Student Class of 2026 

For Lexus Giles, choosing Mississippi State University was about more than academics. It was about finding a community that nurtured her love for art.

“What made me fall in love [with ������Ƶ] was how friendly people were,” Giles said. “It felt like home, and it felt like family.”

Initially planning to become a secondary school art teacher, Giles’s professors inspired her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture, ceramics and mixed media. During her studies, she earned recognition at the Mississippi Collegiate Arts Competition for her metalwork Silenced and completed an artist residency at the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, deepening her connection to landscape and memory.

After two years teaching high school art, Giles followed her passion for studio practice and earned her Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from the University of Florida in 2023. There, she received the Grinter Fellowship for academic excellence and expanded her work into performance, video and projection-based art.

Her practice explores lineage and identity through clay, wood and found materials, especially the face jug, a symbol of African American resilience reimagined in a contemporary context.

Giles’s growing acclaim includes receiving the 2024 Lilian Fellowship from the Archie Bray Foundation in Montana, one of the world’s top ceramic residencies. This opened her up to her current Simone Leigh Fellowship, which supports her exploration of lineage, identity and material memory.

Her solo exhibition, Record Keeper: Testament to Resilience, is available for public viewing through Nov. 21, 2025, at ������Ƶ’s Old Main Gallery. She also curated Black Space in Gainesville, Florida, and has exhibited nationwide.

Reflecting on her journey, Giles said, “Accept rejection, work hard, have fun. Choose what you love because the money will come.”

From her beginnings at ������Ƶ to national recognition, Giles continues to embody creativity, resilience and community.