Myrna Colley-Lee, of Charleston, was honored as a “Tallahatchie Treasure” during an April 25 reception held at the Charleston Arts Center.
The event was cosponsored by the Ed & Becky Meek Foundation and the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort (CARE).
Colley-Lee was presented a key to the city of Charleston by event organizer, CARE Executive Director Dana Clolinger, and lauded for her personal accomplishments and contributions to the community spanning decades.
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An internationally known costume designer, arts advocate, patron/collector and artist, as well as art director, set designer and executive producer for theatrical productions, Colley-Lee has designed for six decades and been involved in over 80 productions in regional theaters across the country.
The “Myrna Colley-Lee Costume Collection” at Mississippi State University features contributions from her, including costume design renderings, documentation papers in the form of show “bibles,” design show research, programs, posters, mannequins and other items from her GladRags Designs studio.
She was a 2022 recipient of the Governor's Arts Awards and was presented with a Mississippi Senate resolution honoring her internationally known work as a costume designer as well as being a philanthropist, arts advocate and patron.
Colley-Lee is a founding board member of CARE, and a proud sponsor of the Gateway to the Delta Festival for Charleston and surrounding communities.
An advocate of literacy in local schools, she has worked with the Tallahatchie County Library System and the East Tallahatchie School District to further arts education.
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In reading from prepared remarks during the April 25 event, Benjamen Douglas, a former employee and longtime friend of Colley-Lee, talked about her many contributions in working with CARE, the local library, schools and other organizations, as well as offering some personal insights — some humorous — into Colley-Lee's devotion to Charleston.
“What many don’t know is that this intersection of her unwavering belief in the power of the arts — and her longstanding commitment to this place — is the work she enjoys most,” Douglas said.
“Much of Myrna’s arts support has been unseen to the public, but she is mightily influential wherever decisions are being made about the arts in Mississippi — making sure Charleston and Tallahatchie County had a seat at the table,” he added.
“Most notably, she was a gubernatorial appointee to the Arts Commission with the support of Democrat and Republican administrations alike, for twenty years — the longest tenure of anyone in the agency’s history,” Douglas continued.
