The Delta is her playground and canvas
As a sixth generation Bolivar Countian, Cleveland native and Shaw resident Anna Reginelli truly has a love for her home. Finding and capturing the beauty of the Delta’s bounty, both as an artist and an explorer, is how she expresses it.
“Artifact hunting and capturing the Delta through my photography work are two of my favorite passions and they add much substance to my life,” she said. “I’m the Chairperson Trustee of the L.B. Jones Collection Charitable Trust, which is one of the largest prehistoric and protohistoric collections of artifacts in the state of Mississippi held at the Museum of the Mississippi Delta in Greenwood.The collection consists mainly of significant artifacts collected from all over the Delta region and many are on display to view.”
Reginelli said her love of both artifact collecting and art started at a very young age, growing up on a farm. That love grew as her interest and subsequent knowledge increased as she became older.
“I eventually started studying under John Conoway in Clarksdale, a renowned archaeologist who became my mentor,” she continued. “I learned so much from him. The Delta is a fascinating region in many ways, of course, but is a treasure trove for artifacts and John was the ‘go-to’ expert in the field for our area.”
Reginelli noted there are more archaeological sites per square foot in the Mississippi Delta than anywhere else in the United States.
“I do most of my hunting on the weekends when I have the time and take a break from my art,” she said. “I don’t keep what I find, either. I’ll take a photograph and then use that to teach and post on my Facebook page. I usually leave the artifact on the site unless it’s just something extraordinary. In that case, I’ll put my find in a riker case and label it.
“If anyone has found an object that they would like identified, they should feel free to join and post their findings on Facebook in my group named Mississippi Delta Archaeology,” said Reginelli, who is also the president of the Delta chapter of the Mississippi Archaeological Association.”We do a lot of sharing on our page and it’s very active. It’s become a true community and we all learn from each other.”
Still, Reginelli said that her hunting is a hobby, with the majority of her time spent on her art.
“I enjoy capturing the Delta through my photography more than I do artifact hunting, but both mean a lot to me,” said Reginelli, who makes her living as a full-time artist/photographer. “I’ve been doing commissioned artwork since back when I was in junior high school. Portraits are my current favorite genre and I enjoy working with charcoal, primarily,” she said.
“I also offer prints of my photos and you can follow me on Facebook on my personal page for future print availability,” added Reginelli. “Eventually I’ll put up a website for my work, but I don’t really need it right now. Thankfully, I’m busy enough as it is!” she laughed.