52nd Annual Bi-State Competition & Exhibition
Meridian Museum of Art | Meridian, Mississippi
August 21 – October 10, 2026
Alabama artist Banks Compton was selected to exhibit in the 52nd Annual Bi-State Competition & Exhibition at the Meridian Museum of Art in Meridian, Mississippi.
The annual juried exhibition brings together contemporary artists from Alabama and Mississippi, showcasing work across painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics, printmaking, fibers, glass, and mixed media.
Exhibition at a Glance
Exhibition: 52nd Annual Bi-State Competition & Exhibition
Venue: Meridian Museum of Art
Location: Meridian, Mississippi
Dates: August 21 – October 10, 2026
Exhibition Type: Juried Group Exhibition
Juror: James Ehlers
Region: Alabama & Mississippi
The Bi-State Exhibition
For more than five decades, the Meridian Museum of Art's annual Bi-State Competition has provided a platform for artists with ties to Alabama and Mississippi.
The 2026 exhibition was juried by James Ehlers, an artist, educator, and certified Master Engraver who currently teaches Two-Dimensional Design and Drawing at Baylor University. Selected works are exhibited at the museum, with more than $3,000 in awards presented during the exhibition.
For Banks, participation in the Bi-State continues a fine-art practice centered around painting, storytelling, nature, Southern culture, and a sense of place—themes that also influence his larger mural and public-art practice.
Banks Compton at the Meridian Museum of Art
Gulf Shores
Oil pastel on canvas
5’x6’
Our Lady of Fatima: An Alabama Coastal Vision
Oil pastel on canvas
38”x60”
Installation Views
About Banks Compton
Banks Compton is an Alabama muralist and fine artist whose work explores storytelling, nature, Southern culture, and a sense of place.
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Banks works across painting, murals, sculpture, and public art. His work has been exhibited throughout Alabama and the Southeast while his large-scale murals can be found in communities across the United States.
52nd Annual Bi-State Competition & Exhibition — Meridian Museum of Art