Faces of Hattiesburg

Where Stories Happen

Hear Hattiesburg's stories from the people who are the heart & soul of our community.

Katie Dixon

Katie Dixon’s love for food was born from a desire to fuel her body while developing a passion for healthy eating. Katie opened the Birdhouse Cafe in 2017 and now has multiple eateries, creating an environment where everyone leaves feeling loved, nourished, and inspired. Katie also serves as a spokesperson for the MS UProot Campaign - a campaign with the objective of “building a healthier Mississippi from the ground up.” Katie was awarded Best Chef of the Pine Belt in 2017, Best Personality & Best New Restaurant in the Pine Belt for 2018, and Best Vegan Restaurant in the Pine Belt in 2020. Katie has been featured in Food and Wine magazine, Garden and Gun, Southern Living and The Local Palette. A finalist on Masterchef season 7 and Food Network Star, Dixon is also a published cookbook author.

Vixon Sullivan

Vixon Sullivan Art was created from the will to bring joy to others through small gifts. Today, Vixon serves that missions with handmade pottery and public art. In Vixon's world, nothing is taken for granted and the beauty found in nature is to remind us to stay uplifted

Michael Marks

Michael Marks is a National Milken Educator and a former Mississippi Teacher of the Year, who was selected as America’s Outstanding Teacher of the Performing Arts. Director of Speech and Debate at Hattiesburg Public Schools for 25 years, he produced over 50 stage productions. Internationally, Marks represented America at the Education International Conference in Berlin; keynoted the IndiaTeachers Conference in Mumbai; and has presented international workshops on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Barbados as well as across the continental USA. His impact on Mississippi continues with his civic contributions, include serving as the first African-American President of the Downtown Hattiesburg Association, Hattiesburg Municipal Elections Commissioner, Hattiesburg Tourism Commissioner, Mississippi Miss Hospitality Advisory Board, Pinebelt Foundation Development Chair, YMCA Board President, Sales & Marketing Professionals President, and many many more.

Andrea Kostyal

Andrea Kostyal is a studio artist. She is the cofounder of the Singing River Art Studio and the Artists Across Borders artist group. She is currently serving as the visual art coordinator or FestivalSouth.

Originally from and trained in fine art in Hungary, Andrea has been a resident of Hattiesburg for 16 years. For the past 20 years, she has specialized in abstract, dreamlike, mixed media cityscapes that reflect her interests in unity, diversity, and equality by emphasizing the unique architecture of different places and cultures.

Her paintings have been invited to solo and group exhibitions at museums, universities, many galleries, and juried exhibitions regionally, nationwide, and internationally. Her paintings Are represented by The Caron gallery in Tupelo and Laurel. Andrea received an Individual Visual Artists fellowship for her public art murals from MAC in 2024.

Jeremy Thomley

Jeremy is a Hattiesburg artist and entrepreneur. Living with a lung disease called Cystic Fibrosis, he has lived summer to summer waiting to run out of breath. It has impacted his every decision, and especially his art. Thomley was chosen as the Festival South featured artist for 2015. His series of lung sculptures were a triumph over a disease and celebration of friendships. In January 2016, Thomley purchased a Mobile Glassblowing Furnace and began to build a Hot Shop for Glassblowing. He and his business partner opened their establishment in October of that year and by December it was like a runaway train. As students of a craft that is 5,000 years old it can be hard to find your niche. At Mohawk Steel & Glass they care more about teaching than making the perfect goblet. Here, they blow glass with people who don’t know how and want to meet families and blow them away with a good time.