Mississippi Arts Hour

Larry visits with Fletcher Cox , a master woodworker and craftsman who lives in the Jackson area. Cox is a past Governor’s Arts Award recipient and current member of MAC’s Artist Roster . They talk about his roots as a self-taught craftsman, how his work has evolved over the years and how he has given “new life” to fallen trees as furniture and other items. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

David visits with the painter Josephine Alexander from Ashland, Mississippi. A native of Maine, Alexander runs a small vegetable farm and makes oil paintings. She received an Artist Fellowship grant from MAC this summer. They talk about her roots in the Northeast, coming back to painting after some time away, and her recommendations to would-be artists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Larry talks with longtime north Mississippi blues performer Eric Deaton . A native of North Carolina, Deaton moved to Mississippi in his late teens and learned the Hill Country blues style by playing with the masters of the music, including Junior Kimbrough and R.L.Burnside. Deaton has played with a “who’s who” of blues performers over the years and most recently recorded and toured with The Black...

Kristen talks with author and visual artist Diane Williams about Fostering Love , her memoir of growing up in a troubled family. Diane talks about the challenges of telling a difficult personal story and the insights she gained through the project. Also joining the conversation is Meredith Coleman Magee , the publisher of Fostering Love . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...

Larry talks with musician, bandleader and producer Jimbo Mathus . They talk about the upcoming reissue of his 1997 album Plays Songs for Rosetta and the origins of that project, as well as his recent work with the Parchman Prison Band on their upcoming recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Leslie talks with television writer, producer, and showrunner, Laura Kittrell . Laura's work includes Insecure , High School , and The Michael J. Fox Show . Her most recent project Elle (from the world of Legally Blonde) premiered on Amazon Prime earlier this summer. Laura discusses the life of a showrunner, the nineties, and growing up in Meridian, Mississippi. Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Larry finishes his recent trip to Oxford by visiting with Bill Perry , a jazz pianist and bandleader in the city. Perry tells about his beginnings as a musician,playing in a family band. He then branched out into jazz, leading a number of different groups. Perry also talks about his work creating self-produced movies in Oxford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David travel to Hattiesburg to speak with singer/songwriter Elsie , who is currently competing on America's Got Talent tv show. She tells David about her years growing up in Columbia, Mississippi, the lessons she learned as a church musician, and her travels throughout the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry talks with Oxford writer Larry Wells about his new book, Backstory: A Literary Life on the Run . Co-authored with his late wife Dean Faulkner Wells, the book highlights the couple’s years working as freelance journalists, traveling throughout the U.S. and writing stories on wing walkers, cave exploring, literary graveyards and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...

David travels to Meridian to visit with Penny Kemp, President and CEO of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAEX). They talk about Kemp’s roots in Meridian and her previous work in the arts. They also highlight MAC’s upcoming “Day for Artists” convening at the museum and several of the MAEX’s ongoing and planned activities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

This week Larry travels up to Oxford to talk with singer/songwriter Arnie Brenn . Brenn is a Laurel native who creates multi-layered psychedelic influenced rock. They talk about Brenn's childhood working as a church musician, how the bass lines in his music originate from him playing sousaphone in marching band and the freedom of creating music in a tiny house. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

This week, we’re playing a classic “Arts Hour” show featuring the late Calvin Phelps , founder and longtime director of Pike School of Art who passed away last month. Through PSA, Phelps produced a lot of innovative arts programming in McComb and across the county. The interview was recorded in May 2017 by Malcolm White, MAC’s former executive director. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Larry catches up with Scott Barretta , host of Highway 61 on MPB . They talk about a number of things in the current blues scene in Mississippi, including the re-constituted blues band at the state penitentiary (Parchman), Mississippi artists at the Chicago Blues Festival and some of the young musicians who are starting to make a name for themselves, including Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport. ...

This week, David visits with painter and visual artist Brejenn Allen from Meridian. They talk about her rural roots and the creative spirit within her family, her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the role that Mississippi plays in her work and artistic practice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Larry talks with Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport , a 19-year old blues guitarist and Vicksburg native who has been taking the national blues scene by storm. Davenport has just released Young Rell , his debut album that features his own original songs. He is touring throughout the U.S. and Europe through the end of this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest host Julian Rankin (Walter Anderson Museum of Art) visits with painter and visual artist Jerrod Partridge from Ocean Springs. They talk about Jerrod’s recent artist residency at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum and his current project documenting the shrimpers on the Gulf Coast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Larry speaks with Price Walden , an Oxford-based composer and musician. Walden received this year’s music composition award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. A native of Booneville, Walden composes a wide range of compositions, including pieces for vocalists, wind ensembles, and choral groups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate the Arts Hour’s twentieth anniversary, we’re sharing some classic shows with you. This one from 2016 features two current MPB hosts. Deep South Dining’s Malcolm White interviews Jim Dees from Thacker Mountain Radio . They talk about Dees’ new book. Also joining them in the studio is the late Ron Shapiro, a legendary Oxford businessman and arts supporter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

This week Larry speaks with Jackson-based muralist Gavin Bird . Bird paints outdoor murals for communities and private companies throughout the state. One of his more notable recent works was a large mural completed in Oxford that features several legendary artists who lived in the city. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever thought about becoming a teaching artist or wondered how you would even begin the process? This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, Leslie talks with Amanda Koonlaba and Erin Mulligan. Both members of the Mississippi Whole Schools Team, they discuss their personal artistic journeys and how those paths converge with teaching. Amanda and Erin share valuable resources, practical advice,...

Larry visits with sculptor and ceramicist Harold Miller from Brandon. Miller talks about starting into art while growing up in Vicksburg and the influence of the neighborhood on his current work. He also explains how he has built up a clientele through years of exhibiting at art shows around the region. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Mississippi Poet Laureate Ann Fisher-Wirth speaks with fellow poet Danielle Sellers about the Walt Whitman poem, “I Saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing.” Sellers received her MFA from the University of Mississippi, where she held the John Grisham Poetry Fellowship. She teaches at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, Texas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

Larry travels to Kosciusko to catch up with Reverend Marvin Myles, Sr, the leader of the Myles Family Singers, a traditional gospel group. He talks about growing up in Friars Point, singing with his brothers and how he taught his children to sing together in their family group. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, we sit down with playwright and director Topher Payne to talk about bringing ‘The Attala County Garden Club’ to life on stage at New Stage Theatre. Known for his sharp wit and deep love of Southern storytelling, Payne shares insight into his creative process such as what drew him to this story, how he approaches directing his own work, and the unique dynamic...

While packing his bags for Venice, Italy, Adam Trest stops to chat with David Lewis on this week’s episode of the Arts Hour. Adam and David catch up on all the many projects Adam has been up to, including a new series of works and the debut of three pieces at the Venice Biennale. They recap the many things that Adam has been up to, from licensing his work for home decor to developing a series base...