Although born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1946, William Baggett is currently a Professor of Art at the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg. He now lives in Poplarville, Mississippi. Prior to his current position, he taught for thirteen years at the University of Mississippi and at Auburn University. He was recognized at Auburn in 1982 with an endowed Alumni Professorship for Scholarly and Creative Achievement. He also received the University of Southern Mississippi’s Faculty Award for Creative Research and Achievement.
Since 1995, his painting has focused primarily on the development and execution of three huge murals for the Library of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the Winfred Wiser Hospital at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, and the auditorium of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University. According to the Winfield Wiser Hospital’s web site, Baggett’s “Sharing Life” is a dramatic streetscape mural. The 22-by-11-foot mural in the building’s main stairwell is painted in alkyd enamel on stainless steel and celebrates the diverse roles of women.
Baggett received the Governor’s Award in Visual Art in 2014. In 2016, he was awarded the Noel Polk Lifetime Achievement Award.