Kathleen Varnell

Jackson, MS

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Kathleen Varnell studied under Haitian ceramist Marcus Douyon at Jackson State University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Art. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Howard University, Washington, D.C., where she studied under Winnie Owen-Hart.

Formerly, Varnell was an Exhibits Specialist (Graphics) with the Office of Exhibits Central, Smithsonian Institution, and the Curator of Exhibitions at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Currently, Varnell is the Collections Manager at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art.



Varnell was honored in her hometown as a featured artist at the Mississippi Museum of Art, (Jackson) in “Kathleen Varnell: Recent Transitions in Clay.” As one of one hundred and twenty-two artists, Varnell exhibited at her Alma Mater in “A Proud Continuum: Eight Decades of Art at Howard University.” Most recently, Varnell mounted a solo exhibition at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, (Biloxi, MS) in “Kathleen Varnell: Reverence.”