By Gabrielle Terrett

The Vicksburg Post

One pageant queen is working hard to make competing in the pageant world more affordable with her art.

Pageant life can be described as arduous and expensive. Funds to compete can sometimes be difficult to access. Charity Lockridge, Miss Hinds Community College 2018, is painting and sculpting to make the upcoming Miss Mississippi pageant less expensive.

Lockridge, of Vicksburg, will be hosting an art and pottery show Dec. 23 to help with expenses leading up to next year’s Miss Mississippi pageant as well as to showcase her artistry skills.

“Well, I’m about to prepare for the Miss Mississippi Pageant and it’s very pricey and it’s very expensive,” said Lockridge. “I also need to showcase my artwork as well as raise funds to assist me with competing in June 2018.”

Lockridge first became involved in art after enrolling in a pottery class during her sophomore year of high school and was instantly attracted to the extracurricular activity.

“I started making pottery during my tenth grade year of high school and I’ve been making it since for five years,” said Lockridge. “It was an elective class that I took in high school and I just instantly fell in love.”

The art show will consist of a variety of pieces created by Lockridge, an art major, and each will be on display for the public to view and purchase from 5:30-7 p.m. at Adorned the Glam House, 1108 Washington Street.

“I will have paintings on canvases, mixed media and I’ll have more pottery than anything,” said Lockridge. “Because the pottery just seems to stack up.”

As a sophomore art major at Hinds Community College, Lockridge has no plans to leave the art field anytime soon and hopes to have more art shows in the future.

“Hopefully I can make this an annual event,” said Lockridge. “Now that I’m an art major here at Hinds, I hope to have an art show every once in awhile because the artwork seems to just pile up in my room and I don’t have anywhere to store it.”

Miss Hinds Community College 2018 hopes to encourage the community to follow their dreams with her art show as well as show the public how much art means to her.

“I hope that people see how inspired I am by art and I hope they see the passion I have and how hard I’ve worked and I hope to inspire others to chase their dreams just like I did,” Lockridge said.