Mississippi Arts Hour

As part of The Mississippi Arts Commission’s series of interviews featuring the recipients of this year’s Governor’s Arts Awards, Melody Moody Thortis focuses on the work of the Tutwiler Quilters; known nationally for their quilts, potholders, placemats and purses. During the pandemic, the group transitioned to making masks for local hospitals and others in need. This year the Tutwiler Quilte...

Larry Morrisey and his Arts Commission colleague Maria Zeringue discuss the online publication Mississippi Folklife; a MAC project documenting the state’s present-day cultural heritage. Three Mississippi Folklife contributors are featured. Vish Shenoy, a sitar player based in Clinton, MS; Addie Citchens, the author of two essays about Clarksdale and Oxford-based artist, Lee Harper, creat...

Sarah Story, the new Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, interviews sociologist and storyteller Dr. Brian Foster about his new book “I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place & the Backbeat of Black Life.” An account of Foster’s five years of research in Clarksdale, the book explores the life of Black citizens, their relationship to the blues and blues tourism, and the inequalitie...

Melody Moody Thortis speaks with Leah Kemp, Director of the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center at Mississippi State University in Starkville. The Center is a community design center on the campus of MSU where they provide a range of design and planning services for small towns across Mississippi. Melody and Leah talk about how community centric programming continues to change and adapt during the pan...

Leslie Barker interviews playwright and librettist, Jerre Dye. Jerre is a recipient of the Fellowship of Southern Writers’ Award for Dramatic Literature. His work has been seen at venues such Chicago Opera Theater and the Kennedy Center. From Faulkner and Welty to his childhood in Amory, Jerre talks about how Southern stories and his deep Mississippi roots always find their way into his work. Phot...

Larry Morrisey visits with Sarah Story, the new executive director at MAC.  Story is a Jackson native with family roots throughout the state. She has worked at visual arts museums throughout the south and has just returned home to lead the Commission. They talk about her artistic journey and what areas she wants to explore at MAC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

Melody Moody Thortis speaks with artist, canoe builder and river guide, John Ruskey. Owner of Quapaw Canoe Company and former curator of the Delta Blues Museum, John is one of the most experienced guides on the lower Mississippi river. Melody and John talk about his passion for nature and his passion for passing down traditions including the process for making dug-out canoes and his work with youn...

Malcolm White talks with singer-songwriter Chelsea Lovitt. A native of Hattiesburg, Lovitt now resides in Nashville, Tenn., where she has recently released her album “You Had Your Cake, So Lie In It.” The two talk about country music, garage-rock, MAC grants, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leslie Barker talks with comedian, musician, and veteran, Rita Brent. Rita talks about life growing up in Jackson, sharing her Mississippi story with audiences all over the country, and how comedy is her superpower for connecting and sparking vital conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Morrisey talks with sculptor and MAC Artist Fellowship grant recipient Lawson King. King is a native of the Delta. He creates public sculpture using steel. His current work was influenced by his work as an artist-in-residence in schools around the Delta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White talks with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Worsham. A former member of the Old Crow Medicine Show, Charlie Worsham was born in Jackson, Miss., and grew up in Grenada. Malcolm and Charlie talk about his Mississippi roots, grants from MAC as well as his experiences playing with country music legends.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Candice Salyers is dance artist based in Hattiesburg and currently serving as Assistant Professor in Dance at the University of Southern Mississippi. Melody Moody Thortis talks to Candice about her exploration of dance and how it intersects with social issues and site-specific locations. Candice, a recent recipient of MAC's new Individual Project Grants, also shares about her time as a dancer and...

Larry Morrisey talks with singer-songwriter Bronwynne Brent. The Greenville native has just released “Undercover,” her third album. It was recorded at the legendary Daptone Studio in New York City and features members the band The Reigning Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White catches up with singer-songwriter Mac McAnally. Malcolm and McAnally, a ten-time CMA Musician of the Year, talk about music, life in Nashville, and the new full-length album, Once in a Lifetime. Hailed as some of his finest material to date, McAnally crafted the album to reflect one of his intimate live shows Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New host Leslie Barker is MAC’s arts-based community development director. She talks to visual artist Robin Whitfield, a Grenada-based artist whose work is inspired by the natural world. They discuss Robin’s work as a visual artist, her role as Founder/Director of Friends of the Chakchiuma Swamp, and how she uses art in her conservation and community work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

Larry Morrisey visits with writer Richard Grant. Grant, known for "Dispatches from Pluto," his book on his time living in a remote community in the Delta, has just published "The Deepest South of All," a look at the city of Natchez and how its long history continues to impact contemporary life in the town. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White speaks with Lawrence Wells, Oxford-based writer about his new book, In Faulkner’s Shadow . Wells is the author of three novels, director of Yoknapatawpha Press in Oxford, and was married to the late Dean Faulkner Wells, William Faulkner’s only niece. His new book is a memoir recounting not only family stories and rivalries, but also bears witness to Wells’ front row seat in an emergi...

Melody Moody Thortis speaks to MAC's Director of Arts Industry, Kristen Brandt. In addition to managing MAC's grants to arts institutions across the state, Kristen also manages literary arts related grants and projects including the Poet Laureate and the Mississippi Writers trail. Kristen also serves as the point person for MAC's emergency preparedness initiative including overseeing COVID-19 reli...

Larry Morrisey talks with poet and writer Aimee Nezhukumatathil from Oxford. They will talk about her latest book, "Worlds of Wonder." It is a series of essays about Aimee's love of unique animals and plants and her personal connections to their stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White speaks with Betsy Bradley, director of the Mississippi Museum of Art as well as Ryan Dennis, the Museum’s new chief curator and artistic director of the Center for Art & Public Exchange (CAPE). The group discusses the Museum’s current exhibit, Van Gogh, Degas, Monet and Their Times: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, as well as their experi...

This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, Melody Moody Thortis speaks to Jasmine Williams, a writer, a creative producer and a social entrepreneur. Jasmine is the creator of Sipp Talk Media, a digital platform and creative message company that using storytelling platforms to change the narrative of Mississippi and to center the stories of black experiences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

This week, remembering the late Mississippi jazz drummer Alvin Fielder. Larry talks with Chad Anderson (pictured), one of Fielder's former students, about Fielder's roots in Meridian, his long career as a musician, and his creative ethos that guided his work.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm White talks with Arden Barnett, owner and operator of Ardenland, a music management and promotion company responsible for bringing a wide variety of musical acts to the metro area. The longtime friends discuss the state of the music business during the pandemic and the future of small, independent entertainment venues such as Duling Hall in Jackson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

Malcolm White talks with Cary Hudson, a legendary Mississippi guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for playing in the alt-country band Blue Mountain as well as his solo career. On the remotely recorded show, the two spoke about Hudson’s lengthy career in music, his experiences in on the road and at home as well as current projects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...

Melody Moody Thortis talks with Carol Roark, a landscape painter and director of the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort(C.A.R.E.) in Charleston, Mississippi. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.