The Junior Auxiliary of Vicksburg’s 2009 Christmas ornament will feature the work of a Vicksburg artist.

If you go

The JA Christmas ornament launch will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at H.C. Porter Gallery, 1216 Washington St. Ornaments are $20 each and will also be sold at A.L. Tanner Jewelers, Willingham’s, Peterson’s Arts & Antiques, Art & Soul of the South, Highway 61 Coffeehouse, Ballerinas & Things and Delta Outfitters. Call 601-262-8037 or visit www.javicksburg.org.

JA teamed with downtown gallery owner H.C. Porter to create this year’s Christmas ornament. It is $20, and proceeds will help fund community projects that will benefit the children of Warren County. A launch event, which coincides with Vicksburg Main Street Program’s Putting the THANKS back in Thanksgiving event, is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Porter’s downtown gallery, 1216 Washington St.

“We’ve got so much buzz about it already because the artist is from Vicksburg,” said Laura Dow Madison, JA fundraising chair. “We love H.C. Porter’s work, and she’s done so much after Hurricane Katrina.”

Porter will be available to personalize each ornament.

She chose an image from her Backyards & Beyond: Mississippians and Their Stories collection, which features images and audio from the first year after Katrina, which slammed the Gulf Coast in 2005. Titled “Christmas Day,” the ornament features the image of a young Pascagoula girl named Grace Marie, standing in front of her FEMA trailer, arms outstretched.

“I suggested it, and they felt like it was the perfect image,” Porter said. “I’m proud they chose this image. It’s very emotional and powerful.”

Behind Grace Marie is an inflatable Christmas yard decoration. “Mississippians are festive by nature,” Porter said. “We’re going to celebrate no matter what natural disaster we go through.”

Ornaments are $20 each, and can be purchased from JA members and Vicksburg merchants. Also available is the 2008 JA ornament, created by Mississippi artist Gail Pittman, for $18 each.

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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com