mississippi’s creative economy Cemscreativeeconomy.com/docs/vignettes.pdf · Imagine today’s...

mississippi’s creative economymCeVignettes

RED HOTS AND DEEP BLUESStories of Mississippi’s Creative Economy

mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues mississippi’s creative economy

Table of ContentsAcknowledgements

Introduction

The Thrill is Most Certainly Not GoneThe Delta Blues Live On

From Brookhaven to HollywoodThe Mississippi School of the Arts Creates

Future Stars

After the DelugeThe Visual Arts Help Bring Ocean Springs

and Bay St. Louis Back to Life

University of Southern Mississippithe Arts University of Mississippi

Preserving the Past, Preparing for the FutureNatchez Looks Forward

Fashionably Fondren!A Jackson Neighborhood Takes Off

Luxury and Revitalization in the DeltaViking Range Leads the Charge in Greenwood

The Word from OxfordHow the Literary Arts Continue to

Shape a Community

The Hot Tamale TrailTaste Treat of the Delta

Peavey ElectronicsTaking Rock N’ Roll Global

Pearl River Community CollegeHelping Mississippians Reach Their

Creative Potential

2

3

5

9

13

19

23

27

31

35

41

45

49

mCe

Red Hots & Deep Blues mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues

Thisreportisaproductofajointeffortamongthe

MississippiArtsCommission(MAC),Mississippi

DevelopmentAuthority(MDA),RegionalTechnology

Strategies(RTS)andMt.AuburnAssociates.Wewish

toespeciallythankMalcolmWhite,DirectorofMAC,

andhisstaffforcontinuallysharinginformationand

insights,andMDAExecutiveDirector,GraySwoope,

ChiefMarkingOfficer,MelissaMedleyandtheMDAstaff

forsuggestingsitesforthevignettes.Wealsothankthe

manypeopleweinterviewedateachofthesitesforthe

timetheyspentwithusandtheircandor.

ThevignetteswerewrittenbyDanBroun,JimLott,Jenna

Bryant,DanaArcher-Rosenthal,MichaelKane,andStuart

Rosenfeld.BethWilliamswasthefinalproofreader.

Dan Broun,Editor

Stuart Rosenfeld,ProjectManager

RegionalTechnologyStrategies

Acknowledgements

2

We wish to express our gratitude to the individuals and groups across the state that generously provided the photography used throughout this study.

mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues

1. Introduction

WhatwouldtheAmericancreativescenebewithoutMississippi?Imaginetoday’srockn’rollwithouttheblueslicksthatstillmakeupitscore.Imaginesouthernlitera-turewithoutFaulknerembracingregionalliteraryidentity.AndcanweimagineaworldthatneverhadElvis?ButMississippi’scontributionstocreativityarenotonlyinthepast.In2010,throughoutthestatethereareindividuals,organizationsandcommunitiesthatareshowinghowartsanddesignstrengthentheeconomyoftheMagnoliaState.

ThisreporttellsthesestoriesinawaythatportraysthefullgamutofMississippi’screativity.

Eachstoryisbasedoninterviewswithmanypeople,backgroundresearch,and,inmanycases,sitevisits.Weappreciatethefullcooperationandcandorofmanypeo-pleacrossthestateofMississippiinhelpinguscompilethesevignettes.TheseprofileshopefullybegintoofferamorecompletepictureofMississippiandhowcreativitycontinuestoflourishandhavearealimpactasweenteranewdecade.Ineffect,thepeople,programsandinstitutionsdescribedinthevignettesrepresentimportantassetsinthestate’screativeeconomy.Insomeinstances,theseassetsarewell-developedandfunctioningeffectively,bothcreativelyandeconomically.Inothers,theassetscouldbemorestronglysupportedandturnedintoevenrichercompo-nentsofthestate’screativeeconomy.Wehighlyrecom-mendthatthevignettesbeviewedasastartingpointforfurtherdevelopment.

3

In this report you will read about how:

The Gulf Coast’s visual arts community worked to recover from the devastating hurricanes of 2005

Hartley Peavey took his guitar playing dreams and created a world-renowned company

Pearl River Community College looks to expand its creative offerings

Historic preservation contributes to the economy of Natchez

Greenwood and fortunes were turned around by a creative entrepreneur

A tourist trail brings hot tamales to famished customers

The story of the Delta Blues brings new dollars into the state

The literary arts thrive in Faulkner’s hometown of Oxford

The creative economy contributed to the revitalization of the Fondren section of Jackson

The University of Southern Mississippi and the Mississippi School of the Arts train the

state and young people for careers in the arts.

Powerhouse Community Tamales, Mississippi Delta Chair Caner at work Street Musician Campbells Bakery MS Arts CommissionArts Center, Oxford, MS. Taste Sensation Port Gibson, MS Jackson, MS WSI Summer Institute

The Thrill is Most Certainly Not Gone

The Delta Blues Live On

5


TheiconicimageoftheDeltabluesisRobertJohnsonstand-

ingatthecrossroadsmakingadealwiththedeviltoplaythe

guitarlikenoonehadbefore.Soitwouldbeclichétosay

Mississippiisatacrossroadswhenitcomestotakingadvan-

tageofpromotingthebluestotouristsfromaroundthe

globe.Italsowouldbewrong.WithplaceslikeGround Zero Blues Club inClarksdale,thesparklingnewBB King MuseumandDelta Interpretative CenterinIndianolaandtheBlues Heritage Traillinkingsitesaroundthestate,bluesintheDeltaandbeyond

havemovedbeyondthecrossroadstotakeaplaceonthe

mainstreetofeconomicdevelopment.

Itwasn’talwaysthisway,andindeedthethoughtofbasinga

tourismindustryonthebluesoncemighthavebeenseenas

impossibleandpossiblyevensacrilegious.Afterall,thetradi-

tionalblueswerebornoutofpoverty.Musicianssangabout

growingupintoughcircumstancesandoftenusedtheirmusic

notasawaytocelebratetheirhometown,butasapathway

toescapeit.Howdoyouattractvisitorstothatenvironment?

Infactsomepeoplewouldpreferthatyounoteventry.

“Some people don’t want to promote the blues,”saysLuther

Brown,DirectoroftheDeltaCenterforCultureandLearningat

DeltaStateUniversityinCleveland,Mississippi.“These ‘blues

Nazis’ say you can’t have blues unless we are living in poverty.”

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a SignInyearspast,peopleweremakingtheirwaytotheDeltaon

theirown,andlittlewasdonetopromotetheareaasatour-

istdestination.Whilethereisalonghistoryofbluesfestivals

insuchtownsasGreenvilleorClarksdale,mosttouristshad

torelyonwordofmouthtofindlocaljukejointswhereblues

musicstillisplayedorgravemarkerswherelegendswereput

torest.

Then,tohelppromotetheblues,agroupoforganizationsand

individualsformedtheBluesHighwaysAssociationtoformal-

izeeffortstoincreasebluestourisminthestate.Accordingto

Brown,oneofitsfounders,theAssociationhadthreemaingoals.

“First we needed better maps and guides,”hesaid.“If you

come without a guide, then all you see is poverty. Second,

we worked to publish a dedicated issue of Living Blues maga-

zine focusing on the Mississippi Delta. And third, we put up a

marker at Club Ebony in Indianola that got everyone excited

about the potential for blues markers.”

Itwasthelattereffortthathasbornethemostobviousfruit.

In2003,theMississippiBluesCommissionwasreestablished

bytheStateLegislature,andoneofitsmajoractivitieswas

thecreationofaBluesHeritageTrail.TheTrailfeaturesmore

than100markersthathighlightcriticaleventsorindividuals

inthehistoryofthismostAmericanofmusicforms.Thetrail

alsofeaturessixmarkersoutsideofthestateandBrownhas

avisionofmarkersgoinguparoundtheworld.

“Eventually, we need to see markers outside the country,”

Brownnoted.“For example, there is a big blues festival

in Notodden, Norway. Having a marker there would be

a relatively inexpensive and targeted way to promote the

Mississippi Delta.”

Anotherexcitingdevelopmentisturningthemarkersinto

morethanjustsignsonthesideoftheroad.Thegoalisto

havethemarkersbecomemulti-mediasothattouristscan

hearthemusicthesignscommemorate.

Brownandothershavenoticedachangeinattitudeabout

thebluesthatcanbeinpartattributedtothesuccessofthe

trail,althoughunderstandablyitcanbehardtomeasuredol-

larsgeneratedbysignsonthesideoftheroad.

6Riley B. King (B.B. King) Blues Trail Marker, Indianola, MS


“At first, local businesses expressed doubts about the blues

trail,”Brownsaid.“They said things like ‘Why would anyone

care about the blues. I don’t like the blues.’ Now people say

things like ‘I don’t really like the blues but when I was travel-

ing in Germany everyone was excited to hear I was from the

Delta because of the blues.”

The Whole Delta is a StageAsexcitingasthetrailis,thekeytogettingvisitorstospend

moretimeandspendmoremoneyinthestateisensur-

ingtheyhavesomethingtodowhiletheyareinthestate.

Clarksdale,inparticular,hasworkedtopromotetheblues.

OscarwinnerMorganFreemanalongwithpartnerBill

LuckettopenedtheGroundZeroBluesClubinClarksdale.

Theclubshowcasesbluesartistsfromaroundthecountry,

andonselectednightsyoucanseeinternationallyrenowned

musiciansreturntotheDeltatoplay.

But,thefestivalcircuitcontinuestobetheheartandsoulof

thebluesindustryintheMississippiDelta,acrossthestate,

andevenacrosstheMississippiRiver.Festivalsrangefrom

theoldest,theMississippiDeltaBluesandHeritageFestival

inGreenville,tosmallereventssuchasBentoniaBlues

Festival.LargeeventsinHelena,Arkansas,andMemphisalso

havespilloverbenefitsinMississippi,withtouristsstaying

athotelsandstoppingtovisitmuseumsandhistoricalsites

ontheMississippisideofthestatelines.Thesheernumber

ofbluesrelatedfestivalsisimpressivein2009,fromAprilto

themiddleofNovember,therewereonlyeightweekends

withoutascheduledfestivalinthestate.Thefestivalsmean

thousandsofvisitorswhospendmoneyonfoodandlodging

duringtheirstay.

The Original Guitar HeroAtoneofthosefestivals,youjustmightbefortunatetocatch

aglimpseofperhapsMississippi’smostfamousbluesexport,

B.B.King,whowasborninthelittledeltatownofIttaBenna.

Butnoworriesifyoudon’tcatchhimrockingthestageat

thelocalfestival,anewandimpressivemuseumistellinghis

storyinawaythatnotonlypreservesbluesheritagebutalso

isservingasaneconomicenginefortheregion.

TheB.B.KingMuseumandDeltaInterpretiveCenterin

Indianolasitsonthesite,andactuallyincludespartofthe

originalbuilding,anoldcottonginwhereKinghimselfonce

worked.Themuseum,whichopeneditsdoorsin2008,has

anambitiousaim.

“The museum is the story of music, the story of civil rights,

and the story of Mississippi told through the life experience

of B.B. King and through the people of this community,” said

formermuseumdirector,ConnieGibbons.“It is really a pow-

erful, compelling story.”

Exhibitsarefullymulti-media,andvisitorsareabletonotonly

seeartifactsfromKing’smusicaljourneybutalsotolearn

aboutthehistoryoftheDelta,inthe20thcentury,fromthe

greatfloodof1927tosegregationtothecivilrightsmove-

mentandthecreativespiritthatgrewoutofthosestruggles.

Visitorsareexposedtothebeautyandintricacyoftheblues

throughsuchactivitiesasmashinguptheirownbluessongs

orcombiningaclassicfromKinghimselfwithahip-hoptrack

fromOutkastorotherartists.Alloftheseactivitiesareaimed

atmakingsurethatthebluesremainalivingpartofAmerican

musicallife.

Althoughthemuseumisyoung,theeconomicimpacthas

alreadybeentremendous.SunflowerCounty,whereIndianola

islocated,sawa12.5percentincreaseinitsestimatedtravel

andtourismexpendituresinfiscalyear2009,theyearthe

museumfirstopened,comparedtothepreviousfiscalyear.

Themuseumisfundedinpartbyalocaltourismtaxand

attractsvisitorsfromaroundthenationandtheworld.Within

thefirstthreemonthsofopening,themuseumhostedvisitors

fromall50statesandmorethan30foreigncountries.

7B.B. King Museum, Indianola, MS


Oneofthekeystothemuseum’searlysuccesshasbeenthe

goalofitsplannerstomakesurethatitisaworldclassfacil-

ity.Nationallyrecognizedexhibitandarchitecturalfirmswere

broughtintomakesurethatthemuseumwasahistoricalplace

thatoperatedwitha21stcenturysensibility.Itwasnotneces-

sarilyacheapendeavor,butakeytoitssuccesswastheextent

towhichthelocalcommunityboughtintothevision.Supporters

ofthemuseumraised$1.7millionfromIndianolaresidents

alone—animpressivefigureforatownofonly12,000people.

Involvingthecommunityisoneofthemajorgoalsofthemuse-

um.Themuseumissponsoringchildren’sprogramstomake

surethatthemusicreachesyoungchildrenwhootherwise

mightnothaveexposure.Themuseumsponsorsafter-school

programsforelementaryschool-agedchildrenthatextend

beyondtheblues.

“Blues are the foundation for all American music,”Gibbons

said.“For instance, so much of rock and roll is based on the

blues, so we don’t have to limit ourselves in our school pro-

grams to blues. This is what allow us to keep music relevant to

young kids.”

ShellyRitter,whodirectsanoldermuseum,theDeltaBlues

MuseuminClarksdale,whichalsooperatesabluesprogram

foryoungpeople,agreesthatthebluesareagatewaytohelp

youngpeopleunderstandthepowerofmusic.

“I see us as preserving music heritage; it just evolves into new

music,”shesaid.“I encourage it by keeping the roots music

alive and keeping it viable. Like the kids that come into our

program, they start new music and it is usually a rock band, but

it is based on the blues licks they learn in the class.”

Increasing the ImpactAllthoseinvolvedinbluestourismrecognizetherearereal

challengestomakingsurethatbluesandbluesrelatedtourism

succeeds.Onebigproblemismakingsurethereareenough

placesforpeoplewhovisittoseemusicbeingplayed.

“There are great musicians in the Delta and they don’t always

have a place to play,”Gibbonssays.“The biggest challenge is

having live music where it is consistent. That is one thing that

Clarksdale is doing. But it is expensive to establish consistency.”

Indeed,GroundZerotookthedeeperpocketsofitsinvestorsto

beabletostickthroughtheinevitablegrowingpainsthatany

musicvenuefacesasitbuildsitscustomerbase.TheMuseumis

workingtorecreateClubEbony,anoldmusichauntinIndianola,

establishingitasaplacewherepeoplecanspendthedayatthe

museumandreturnatnighttoseebluesmastersinaction.

Anotherchallengeismakingsurethatthebenefitsofbluestour-

ismflowthroughoutthecommunity.Makingsure,forinstance,

thatlocaltourguidesaregiventheopportunitytoleadtourists

aroundthecommunityandtoencouragevisitorstoeatatlocally

ownedshops.Brown,forinstance,whoorganizeslargetour

groupsthroughhisprogramatDeltaState,alwaysmakessureto

takehisgroupstolunchattheSenator’sPlace,alocallyowned

restaurantservinghome-cookedmealsinCleveland.

Brownandotherswouldliketoseemorelocalbusinessestake

advantageoftheopportunitiesthatheritagetourismoffers.For

instance,therearefewgalleriesorplacesintheDeltawhereyou

canbuyhand-craftedartorsouvenirs,amissedopportunityto

markettothethousandsofvisitorswhoarelookingtobringbacka

pieceoftheDeltaalongwiththememoriesofthemusictheyhear.

Despitethechallenges,mostpeopleareoptimisticaboutwhat

thefutureholdsforbluesandbluesrelatedtourisminthestate.

“Lots of people are looking for authenticity and real stuff,”

Gibbonssaid.“Mississippi can offer that in ways others can not.

We’re in paradise and we don’t even know it.”

8

From Brookhaven to HollywoodThe Mississippi School of the Arts Creates Future Creative Talent

9

Mississippi School of the Arts, Brookhaven, MS


studio.AllthismeansthatMSAisnotforeveryone.Itisfor

thoseyoungpeoplewhotrulyarepassionateaboutbecom-

ingartistsorwhowantacareerinthearts.

“Itisahardlongdayandtheyhavetowantit,”Principal

JanaPerrysaid.“Thisisnotforsomeonewhokindofwants

totakeanartsclass.It’sforsomeonewhowantstopursue

artsasaprofession.”

“You Don’t Have to Be a Starving Artist.”Pursuingartsasaprofessionisonthemindsofstaffand

teachersatMSA,andpartoftheirmissionishelpingstu-

dentsunderstandthepathstheycantakeoncetheyleave

MSAandeventuallyentertheworldofwork.

SuzanneHirsch,thesuperintendentofMSAwhogrewupin

southernMississippi,saysthatteachingstudentsaboutthe

possibilityofworkingintheartsisnottheironlygoal.They

needtoteachtheparentsaboutpossiblecareersinthecre-

ativeeconomyaswell.

“When I was in high school I didn’t even know the arts were

a possibility as a career, because no one in my area knew

it was career. We are trying to educate families that you

don’t have to be a starving artist, the arts don’t have to

have something you can ‘fall back on-’ this can be it.”One

oftheinterestingelementsoftheMSAcurriculumisthat

theschoolrecognizesthatteachingstudentsaboutthearts

ismorethanjustcreativeexpression.

Duringhardeconomictimeswhenschoolbudgetsaretight,

coupledwithpressurestodevoteeveryminuteofeveryschool

daytotestpreparation,theartsareoftenthefirsttogo.

Studentsaretoldtoputasidetheirartistictalentsforanother

day,evenwiththeknowledgethatthatdaymaybeputoff

indefinitely.Afterall,howmanyofustaketimeafteralong

dayofworktoactinacommunitytheaterproductionorwrite

ashortstory?Butwhatifyourjobwereasafull-timeactoror

afull-timewriter?TheMississippiSchooloftheArts(MSA),a

residentialschoolforhighschoolstudentsinthestate,isgiving

youngpeopleachancetonotonlyexperiencetheartsbutto

prepareforcareersthatcontributetothecreativeeconomy.

LocatedinBrookhaven,theresidentialschoolservesabout250

studentsfromacrossthestate.Studentsenrollfortheirfinal

twoyearsofhighschool.Theycanchoosetoconcentratein

aparticularartisticdiscipline,suchasdance,literaryarts,the-

atre,visualarts,orvocalmusic.

Lights, Camera: ClassOfcourse,studentsdonotsimplyshowupatthecampusand

begintotakeclasses.Rather,MSAemploysarigorousadmis-

sionprocessthatrequiresstudentstonotonlypasssubstan-

tialacademicrequirementsbuttohavean“onsiteaudition”

wheretheyshowthattheyhavetalentintheirchosencourse

ofstudy.Lookingattheauditionprocessforthetheatre

courseofstudyofferssomeindicationofwhatisexpectedof

studentswhowanttoattendMSA.Theon-siteauditionfor

theaterincludes:

• Performanceofacoldread,and

• Performanceofamemorizeddramaticorcomedic

monologue(wordsspokenbyonepersoninaplay)from

apublishedplay(twominutesmaximum).

• Performanceofanadjustment(achangeinacharacter’s

behavior)totheoriginalmonologue.

• Performanceofamovementbasedimprovisation.

IfastudentpassesthatgauntletandmakesittoBrookhaven,

whatcanheorsheexpect?Anevenmorerigorousschedule—

classesfrom8:00amto4:30pmandthenbacktorehearsalor

10

Mississippi School of the Arts, Lampton Auditorium, Brookhaven, MS


“We are fostering artists, period, and that is our mindset,”

Perrysaid.“But then we start talking to them about what con-

nects them to arts. A person may be in the vocal arts but he is

being called to work in a medical profession as a doctor who

specializes in larynx development. That particular discipline

works with vocalists. So if you don’t want to perform for a living

there is a whole business side of things. We help them make

those discoveries.”

Connecting with the CommunityMSA’scounselorsworkwithstudentstohelpthemexplore

careersandhowbesttomeettheirgoals.Oneoftheunique

thingsaboutMSAisthatstudentsgetsuchstrongexposure

toacademicsandlifeoutsidethewallsoftheBrookhaven

campus.StudentstakeacademicclassesatBrookhavenHigh

Schoolinscienceandmathematics,whicharetreatedserious-

ly.MSAtestscoresrankamongthehighestinthestate.

AttendanceatBrookhavenHighisjustoneofthewaysinwhich

theschoolcontributestothelocalcommunity.Thecampus,

locatedonthesiteoftheformerWhitworthCollegeindown-

townBrookhaven,isactuallyownedbyalocalgroupcalledthe

BrookhavenTrust.Alocaladvisoryboardconsistsofrepresen-

tativesfromthelocalartscouncil,localgovernmentand

localcitizens.

Theinteractionbetweentheschoolandthecommunityis

criticalespeciallyinaresidentialprogram,wherestudentsare

awayfromtheirfamiliesforninemonthsoftheyear.Butthe

residentialcomponentoftheprogramisabsolutelycritical

totheschool’ssuccessanditsabilitytoservestudentsfrom

acrossthestate.

“Peoplemaynothaveanoutletinasmallercommunity

wherebudgetconstraintsaresotighttheymaynotbeable

toaffordtoofferaceramicsclassorvocalclass,”Hirschsaid.

“Thatmeansstudentsarenotexposedtothatrichculturein

Mississippithatisalreadythere.AtMSA,wearejusttapping

intoitandhelpingitthrive.”

Excelling Beyond the School WallsOneofMSA’schallengesishelpingfamiliesandprospective

studentsinthesesmallercommunitiesunderstandhowthe

artscanbeacareerandwhatarichtraditionthestateof

Mississippipossesses.

“It is absolutely amazing, but very few people realize what a

long list of artists Mississippi has produced, and we make sure

students know that list,”Perrysaid.“We talk about what it is

about Mississippi that produces the arts. And we want them to

go back to their community and talk about their experience at

the school.”

“Our biggest challenge is getting our name out and not miss-

ing children who could benefit from the MSA. Maybe we get a

student a year late, a senior says ‘can I come?’ and we say you

have to be a sophomore. We’ve been given this opportunity by

the State Legislature and I don’t want to miss any opportunity

for any child. “

Anadditionalchallengeistherealbudgetconstraintsatthe

statelevelthatthreatenallpublicschools,especiallyonethat

isabletobesogeneroustoitsstudentsbyofferingfreetuition

andboardingattheschool.Theschoolfeelsthepressureto

justifyitseconomicimpactnotonlyonBrookhavenbutonthe

state.Giventhattheschoolonlyopeneditsdoorsinthefallof

2003,studentswhograduatedfromMSAandthenwentonto

afour-yearcollegearejustnowenteringintheworkforce.

11

Mississippi School of the Arts, Brookhaven, MSWhere young musicians excell.

Red Hots & Deep Blues Red Hots & Deep Blues

Despitetheyoungageoftheschool,thereisevidencethatthe

schoolismakingadifference.Forinstance,in2009,students

graduatingfromMSAreceived$3.2millioninscholarships

offers,whichexceededthe$3millionannualappropriation

fromtheStateLegislature.Thesescholarshipsincludeoffers

fromtopnationalandstateuniversitiesandspecializedarts

programssuchastheAmericanAcademyofDramaticArts.

Therelativeyouthoftheschoolmeansthatdemonstrating

long-termimpactisdifficult.Butthesuccessofmoreestab-

lishedprogramssuchastheNorthCarolinaSchooloftheArts

inWinston-SalemsuggestthatthefutureisbrightfortheMSA.

TheMSAishopingtoexpanditsartscurriculum.Itbegan

offeringdanceinthefallof2009,andinthefutureithopesto

addmediaartsandinstrumentalmusicasconcentrations.

Certainlytherehasbeensomeexposurefortheschoolthrough

theomnipresenceofthatsingularartisticmediumknownas

“AmericanIdol”inwhichMSAstudentJasmineMurraywasa

finalistin2009.

WhilenoteveryperformermakesittoHollywoodoutof

Brookhaventheymightjustgoontobecomeaworldclassbal-

lerinaperformingattheUSAInternationalBalletCompetition

inJackson,produceaTony-awardwinningBroadwayhitor

maybejointhelonglistofMississippiliterarygiantsstudiedin

classroomsacrossthecountry.

mCe Red Hots & Deep Blues mississippi’s creative economy

12

13

After the Deluge

The Visual Arts Help Bring Ocean Springs & Bay St. Louis

Back to Life

Chandeleur Outfitters, Ocean Springs, MS Bay St. Louis Little Theater, Bay St. Louis, MS


Thompsonembracedthearts,bothculinaryandvisual,through

herownbusiness.Herfamilyopenedabakerydowntownthat

providedhomemadeitemstolocalresidentswhiledoublingas

alargegallerytodisplaylocalartists’work.Thegallerywasone

of52placesinthecitythatsoldartpriortoKatrinaand,like

mostoftherestofthe52,herplaceofbusinesswascompletely

wipedoutbythestorm.But,likemostofBaySt.Louis’commu-

nityofartists,shedidn’tgiveuphopeforsomedayhelpingher

communityrebuild.

TheArts,HancockCountywasarelativelyneworganization

whenKatrinahit.Startedin2000throughthehardworkof

GwenImpson,atransplantfromtheWashington,D.C.area,

theorganizationstartedasanattempttohelptheartistsofthe

countynetwork.Afterthestorm,itbecameanorganization

steepedinrecovery.

WorkingwiththeHancockCountyChamberofCommerce,the

MississippiArtsCommission,andTheArts,HancockCounty,an

artsrecoveryprogramrunbyThompsonsetupshoptohelpget

artistsgetbackontheirfeetand,inasense,leadthechargeof

recoveryfortheregion.TheU.S.DepartmentofLaborstepped

upwithabusinessrecoverygrantthatmadeavailabletoartists

upto$5,000insuppliestomakeormarkettheirart.While

thegrantscouldnotbeusedtorebuildhousesandstudios

destroyedinthestorm,themoneywascriticalinhelpingartists

returntotheircraft.

Hitting the RoadThenextstepwastofindaplacetoselltheart.TheArtsRe-

coveryGroup,alongwithTheArts,HancockCounty,workedto

createatravelingexhibitionfeaturinglocalartiststhatwould

travelacrossthenation.Theimpetusfortheshowwaspracti-

cal,accordingtoThompson.

“Mostly, my job after the storm was looking for artists to give

them opportunity to sell their work outside the community,” she

said.“Not only did local consumers not have money to buy art,

we didn’t have walls to put art on.”

Thompsonworkedwithotherstosecure12showsaroundthe

countrythatletpeopleknowthatHancockCountywasstill

thereandstillproducingqualityart.Theimpactwassubstan-

tial,withmanylocalartistsgettingnationalrepresentationand

justasimportantlyachancetohopeagain.

HurricaneKatrinawastheworstnaturaldisasterinthehistory

oftheUnitedStatesbutinthemidstofthisdisaster,residents

ofMississippi’sGulfCoastturnedtoart—forcomfortandasa

waytomakesenseofthehurricane.

“I often felt I was living in the middle of a Salvador Dali paint-

ing,”saysartistRuthThompson.“Every morning I walked out

and looked at the water and it was beautiful and it was as it

was supposed to be and then you turned around and nothing

was as it was supposed to be.”

Slowly,thingsarebeginningtoreturntonormalontheGulf

Coast,andthevisualartsareplayingakeyrole.Iftheyare

notmakingthingsexactlyastheywerebefore,perhapsthey

aremakingthemevenbetter.Inparticular,twocommunities

ateitherendoftheMississippicoast,OceanSpringsandBay

St.Louis,areemergingfromthestormwithagreatersenseof

howacommunity’seconomicfuturecanbebuiltonthearts.

Bay St. LouisLikemanyBaySt.Louisresidents,Thompsongrewupcom-

ingtothecommunityfrom“acrossthelake”inNewOrleans.

Indeed,BaySt.Louiswashomenotonlytomanyfamilieswith

vacationhomesbutalsotoindividualswhocommutedtowork

intheBigEasyfromMississippi.TheNewOrleansinfluence

didnotstopwithcommutingpatterns;thetownbecamenoted

foritsgeneralwhimsicalnature,itsfunkinessanditsloveof

thearts.

14

Mockingbird Cafe, Bay St. Louis, MS


“Arts are not isolated, arts are part of the fabric of our life

here. It adds to the soul of the community,”saysImpson.

“Everywhere you go there are arts. The local hospital has art

on its walls. During the storm, they evacuated the patients,

then the equipment and then the art. So whether you go to

the doctor or the hair salon you see art.”

Whilethetownmaytakeyearsbeforeitisatthepointitwas

priortothestorm,whenitwasnamedoneofthe100best

smalltownsforartintheU.S.,itisclearlyonthepathto

recovery.

Downtownnowfeaturesseveralgalleriesthathighlightlocal

artists,andanestimated17businessessellartinHancock

County.Almostasimportant,therebuilthomesinthecom-

munityhopefullywillbringaninfluxofnewresidentswho

representamarketforthearts.ThefamedSecondSaturday

ArtWalkisbackandrunning,which,asonelocalresidentput

it,representsa“returntonormalcy”foracommunitythat

hadtodealwithanythingbutnormalcircumstances.

“One artist fell into a black depression after the storm,”Thomp-

sonremembered.“The shows gave him a reason to get up

every morning and work.”

TheshowsranfromNovember2005,justtwomonthsafterthe

storm,untilJulyof2007.Butbythen,therestofthecountry

hadbeguntoturnelsewhere.

“By 2008, the Katrina card had been played,”Thompsonsaid.

“People didn’t understand that we were still in recovery mode.

They said “c’mon, it has been two years, get over it.’”

“Arts are really at the center of the recovery”Ofcourse,peoplewiththismentalitywerenotseeingatown

withmanyofitsbuildingsstillinruinsanditsoncevibrant

downtownstillinfullrecoverymode.Luckily,thelocalchamber

andTheArts,HancockCountydidn’tstopworkingtohelpmake

theartsarealpartofthecontinuingrecoveryeffort.

“As an economic development professional, I saw arts as a visi-

tor attraction component for Hancock County,”TishWilliams,

thedirectoroftheHancockCountyChamberofCommercesaid.

“You need something besides the beach to keep people coming

back. Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the arts allowed me to get

the word out that Bay St. Louis was coming back.”

TheChamberprovidedofficespacefortheartsrecoveryeffort

and,justasimportantly,openedanartsgalleryinitsoffice,be-

comingthefirstartsspacetoopenafterthestorm.Theorgani-

zationalsobecameafierceadvocatefortheartsasafocalpoint

fortherecoveryeffort,aneffortthatshonethroughindramatic

fashionwiththereconstructionofabridgespanningtheBay.

Thenewglimmeringbridgenowfeaturesart-createdbylocalcraft-

speople-acrossitsstructure,servingasareminderoftheimpor-

tanceoftheartstotheregion.Thebridgewasrecentlyawarded

anAmericanTransportationAwardforitsinnovativedesign.

“Arts are really at the center of recovery,” Williams says. “This

is not just starting at the Chamber, this is an entire community

embracing art.”Thatcommunityincludesbusinessesbeyond

thegalleriesthatarebeginningtoreopendowntown.

15

Ellis Anderson reading at Bay Books, Bay St. Louis, MS


thestorm,andstaffhelpedthetownputonanannualarts

event,thePeterAndersonFestival.Butmorethananything,the

simpleactofthemuseumopeningitsdoorsafterthestormwas

animportantsymboltomembersofthecommunity.

“We started opening every Sunday and made it free for Missis-

sippi residents,”Petty-Johnsonsaid.“What we would see were

people just sitting in galleries. We gave them a place where

they could get some of their soul back. “

Themuseumstaffalsoopeneduptheirgalleryspacetobegin

tofeatureMississippiGulfCoastartists.

“We also started showing living coastal artists,”Petty-Johnson

said.“That had not been in our vision. Katrina gave us a new

mission. There were no galleries in Ocean Springs and these

artists needed an outlet to earn money. We began to show

really the finest of our Gulf Coast artists.”

Themuseumreachedouttopromotelocalartistsduring

itstravelingshows.WhetheritwasSausalito,California,or

Philadelphia,PennsylvaniaPetty-Johnsonwouldseekoutlocal

galleriestodisplaygulfartistsasacompaniontotheWalter

Andersontravelingexhibit.Thishelpedspreadthewordabout

thequalityartisticexpressionstillgoingoninOceanSprings

andthroughouttheGulfregion.

“All of this has come to us because of the arts”Thepresenceandoutreachofthemuseum,andindeedofthe

Andersonfamily,isonethatisfeltbynotonlytheresidents

butbythebusinesscommunity.

“We’ve reaped the benefits of a community that was created as

a result of the catalyst that is the Anderson family,”saidMarga-

retMiller,directoroftheOceanSpringsChamberofCommerce.

“We’ve gone from a few businesses in downtown to more than

100 restaurants in the community. All of this has come to us

because of the arts. I don’t even qualify that statement.”

Withacommunitysodependentonthetouristtrade,Miller

andothersseethevisualartsaswaytodrawvisitorstothe

communityandawaytokeepthemthere.

Ocean SpringsWhenyouarepickinguppiecesinthestreetfromdestroyed

buildings,itmightseemawkwardtodescribeyourselfasfor-

tunate.ButtheartscommunityofOceanSpringsoftenuses

theword“lucky”todescribetherelativelackofdamagethey

facedduringthosebleakdaysof2005.Themajorartinstitu-

tions,particularlytheWalterAndersonMuseumofArt,suf-

feredlimiteddamage,andthevibrantdowntownwasableto

sufferlimitedinterruptioninbusinessasaresultofthestorm.

ButwhilethehighgroundofOceanSpringsmayhaveprevent-

edcatastrophe,ithasbeenthedriveofcertainindividualswho

recognizetheimportanceoftheartstothecommunityandit

ishelpingthetown’screativeeconomythrive.

WhenyouthinkofMississippi’screativelegacy,youmight

thinkofWilliamFaulknerorEudoraWeltyintheliteraryartsor

ElvisPresleyorB.B.Kinginmusic.Butforthevisualartstradi-

tiononthecoast,itistheAndersonfamilyofOceanSprings,

alongwithGeorgeOhr,RichmondBarthe,andDustiBongé

thatcametomind.ShearwaterPottery,foundedbyPeter

Anderson,hasbeeninoperationsincethe1920sproducing

beautifulworkandattractingvisitorsfromaroundtheglobe.

WalterInglisAndersonisconsideredoneofthepremiervisual

artistsofthe20thcenturyandisthenamesakeofoneofonly

twoaccreditedartsmuseumsinthestate.

An “unusual” and powerful assetTheWalterAndersonMuseumofArtisatthecenterofmuch

ofthevisualartisticlifeonthecoast.Themuseumnotonly

putsondisplaysofWalterAnderson’sandotherartists,it

sponsorsexhibitsthattraveltomuseumsaroundthecountry

gettingthewordoutabouttheMississippiGulfCoastandits

artsheritage.

“Having an accredited museum in a community the size of

Ocean Springs is an unusual asset,”saidGaylePetty-Johnson,

aformerdirectorofthemuseum.“You wouldn’t anticipate

finding a museum on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that sends out

traveling exhibits around the globe.”

Theprominenceofthemuseuminthelocallifeofthecom-

munitywasonereasonthatOceanSpringswasabletobegin

therecoveryprocess.Themuseumreopenedquicklyafter

16


“Arts are part of what makes a community attractive to doc-

tors and retirees,”Millersaid.“My husband doesn’t even

know he likes art, but that is really what keeps him here and

keeps his interest. Just the idea that it’s out there.”

IfOceanSpringshasartisticchallenges,itisinthecontinued

perceptionthatitplaysthegenteelrelativeofstaidMobileas

comparedtotheperceptionofBaySt.Louisasafunkyrefuge

forthewondrousdebaucheryofNewOrleans.Staffatthe

WalterAndersonMuseum,forinstance,expressedsomewry

amusementwhenrecountingthatwhentheytrytobreakout

andshowmoreeclecticworks,visitorscomplainthatthey

strayingawayfromthetraditionalwatercolorsandcoastal

scenesoftheAndersonfamily.Itistruethatmostartistsfind

thatthemoneytheymakesellingarttendstobeontypical

coastalscenerypiecesratherthanonavant-gardefare.

“If you really want to sell, your best bet is coastal sorts of things

because that is what people want to buy,”localartistSusie

Arnnagersaid.“People want to come back and take with them

something that reminds them of the coast.”

Thatbeingsaid,thereareartistsdabblinginnon-traditional

ware,whousetheircoastlocationasawaytodrawinspiration

eveniftheydon’tnecessarilyfeeltheneedtoshowasunsetin

everydrawing.

“It’s the light that draws artists here,”Petty-Johnsonspeculat-

ed.“There is an amazing unusual light. When you are in Taos

there is a different light or in Provence there is a different light.

The same is true in Ocean Springs.”

AnotherchallengefacingOceanSpringsismakingsurethatall

businessleadersunderstandtheimportanceoftheartstothe

futureofthecommunity.Millersaysthatalthoughshehasgreat

cooperationfromelectedofficials,“there is the process of educat-

ing people about the importance of the arts. I am not sure those

involved in economic development are aware of the connection

between the arts and the economy. I want them to understand.”

Butit’snotenoughforeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsto

understandtheconnectionbetweenartandbusiness.Artists

themselvesneedassistancewiththebusinessaspectsofcreativity.

“It is a tough road for artists financially,”Millerpointedout.

“Artists don’t always understand the business side of the

equation. Five of our young artists with a great following

opened galleries but they didn’t last long. They didn’t like

the business part of it.”

Therearecommunityeffortstohelpartistsbecomemore

connectedtooneanotherandperhapsusetheincreased

networkingasawaytoimprovetheirabilitytoselltheir

products.ThenewMaryC.O’KeefeCulturalCenterof

ArtsandEducationindowntownOceanSpringsfeaturesa

widearrayofstudiospace,roomsforartists,classes,and

galleryspacethatgivelocalartistsaplacetoconvenewith

theircolleagues,createnewpiecesandshowtheirworkto

thewidercommunity.The26,000squarefootconverted

schoolwillserveasacenterpieceasthetowncontinuesto

promoteitselfasnotonlyanartisticdestinationfortourists

butasacenterofcreativeactivityforpermanentresidents.

NeedtohighlightthesuccessofArtsMeansBusinessand

itsoriginsintheGulfCoast.

Together They StandOnecommonthreadbetweenthetownsoneitherend

ofthecoastisthatbringingartiststogetherisatthecore

oftheirredevelopment.BothOceanSpringsandBay

St.Louishaverelied,andwillcontinuetodepend,onthe

community-focusedartseconomytorebuildafterthedev-

astationwroughtbyHurricaneKatrina.

“Everybody understands that for the Bay to recover com-

pletely we have to work together,”saidRuthThompson.

“No one organization can do it alone. It has to come from

artists themselves. An arts organization doesn’t make this

community, artists do.”

17

City of Ocean Springs, MS

University of Southern Mississippithe Arts University of Mississippi

19

Univeristy of Southern Mississippi

Red Hots & Deep Blues

Onthefootballfield,BrettFavrecallstheplays.Butdidheever

playapartinaplayinatheatreproductionduringhistimeat

theUniversityofSouthernMississippi?Heholdsnumerous

NationalFootballLeaguerecords,buthasheeverrecordedan

album?Favremightbethemostnotablealumnioftheschool

inrecentdecades,butheisnottheonlytalenttopassthrough

itsgates.AtSouthernMiss,high-qualityartsprogramsareculti-

vatingthenextgenerationofthestate’sartistictalent.

SouthernMissisoneofonly24schoolsinthecountrytobe

accreditedinallfourareasofhighereducationinthearts:

dance,music,theatre,andvisualarts.Accreditationspeaksto

therigorousqualityofartseducationattheuniversitybutalso

hintsatthecomprehensivenessoftheartseducationthatthe

schooloffers.Thelistofdegreesandspecializationsavailable

tostudentsisexhaustive.Throughthedepartmentsofartsand

design,music,andtheatreanddance,SouthernMissoffers

morethanadozenbachelordegreesandtwodozenmaster

degrees,aswellasdoctoraldegreesinmusic.Thisdiverseof-

feringincludesnationallydistinguishedprogramsandcoursesof

studyavailableatveryfewuniversitiesinthestateandcountry.

Examples,includetheundergraduatecurriculainsculptureand

design,themasteroffineartsdegreesintheatre,bachelorof

sciencedegreesintheentertainmentindustry,andthedoctoral

degreesinmusiceducationandmusicperformance.

A Jaw Dropping ExperiencePerhapsthemostimportantelementofpreparationforacareer

intheartsisperformance.Forstudentsinthetheatredepart-

mentatSouthernMiss,thepersonalizedclassroomtraining

theyreceiveisenhancedbytheperformanceopportunities

affordedbytheeclecticseasonofproductionsthattheDepart-

mentofTheatreandDanceputsoneveryyear.For2009-2010,

theplaybillspannedfromShakespearetocontemporaryregional

humorandedgycontemporarydrama,withstopsalongtheway

formusicaltheater.Addedtothisvarietyinproductionsisthe

chanceforstudentstoworkaspaidactorsfortheuniversity’s

SouthernArenaTheatre,asummerrepertoryprogramthatputs

onthreeperformanceseachsummerandjustcompletedits33rd

season.

Theicingonthecake?Astate-of-the-artfacilitydedicatedin

2000thatincludesthreeperformancespacesrangingfrom70-

275seats,rehearsalspaces,designstudios(includingacomput-

er-assisteddesignlab),andfacultyoffices.LouRackoff,Director

oftheTheatreandDanceDepartment,spentmostofhiscareer

asaprofessionalactoranddirectorandstillremembershisfirst

encounterwiththedepartment’sfacilitywhenhearrivedasa

visitingguestartist.

“When I walked in, my jaw dropped to the floor,” he said. “It’s

an unpretentious but well-designed building…a facility that most

regional theatres would be jealous of.”The advantage to this

facility,saidRackoff,isthat“students have the chance to work at

a very high level”—andthispaysoffforthemwhentheygradu-

ate.Moststudentsleavethestatetopursuegraduatestudies

orinternshipsandemploymentasworkingactorsincitiesacross

thecountry,fromAtlantatoLosAngeles.

Liketheatrestudents,theuniversity’smusicstudents,who

numbermorethan500,areabletohonetheirprofessionalskills

beforetheygraduate.TheSchoolofMusicputsonapproxi-

mately400concertsandensembleperformancesayearandall

studentsintheprogramarerequiredtoperform.Outsidethe

university’sgates,manystudentsfindpaidperformanceop-

portunities--atchurchesandeventsthroughouttheHattiesburg

community,aswellasintheMississippi,TupeloandPensacola

orchestras,allofwhicharewithinareasonabledrivefromHat-

tiesburg.TheSchoolofMusic’ssymphonyorchestra,comprised

ofbetween70and90studentsandnowinits89thseason,

performsbetweensixandeightconcertsayeartoaudiencesof

around1,000people.Overtheyears,symphonymembershave

hadthechancetointeractwiththeimpressivelistofworld-class

talentthathasvisitedtheschool--fromclassicalstarslikePlacido

DomingoandYo-YoMa,toRayCharlesandPattiLaBelle.Forthis

reason,theSchoolofMusichasadoptedthemotto“Bringingthe

WorldtoMississippi,”whichwasoriginallycoinedbyoneofthe

school’smanyinternationalstudents.


20

Southern Miss dance program


Making RecordsOperatingoutofanothercorneroftheSchoolofMusicisthe

EntertainmentIndustryprogram,theuniversity’sfastest-grow-

ingmajor.Theprogramstartedapproximatelyfiveyearsagoas

anemphasisoptionwithinthemusicmajor.Today,theprogram

hasmorethan150majorsinitstwotracks,entertainmentman-

agementorproduction,andthecurriculumincludescoursesin

everythingfromaccountingtolivemusicproduction.DarkoVe-

lichkovski,theformerdirectoroftheMississippiOrchestra,was

broughttoSouthernMisstocreatetheentertainmentindustry

curriculum.Tohim,oneofthemostsignificantelementsofthe

programisthatitattractsstudentswhomightnothaveother-

wisegonetocollege,andprovidesthemwithacollegeeduca-

tionthatgoesbeyondthevocationalskillstheycouldreceiveat

theprivatetechnicalinstitutesthatofferspecializedtrainingin

elementsofmusicproduction.

AnotherdrawoftheprogramiswhatVelichkovskidescribesas

thechanceto“putyourhandsonsomethingforreal:”South

CityRecords.Aboutthreeyearsagoagroupofstudentsand

twoprofessorscametogethertocreatethiscompanyasa

meansofprovidingstudentswithhands-onexperienceinall

facetsofthemusicproductionprocess:pre-production,pro-

duction,mixing,andadvertising.Today,SouthCityRecordsis

registeredwiththestateasatax-payingcorporationandserves

asanumbrellacompanyforfivedifferentstudent-runrecord

labels.Theinitialfinancingcamefromthesmallgroupofstu-

dentsandprofessorswholaunchedthelabelthreeyearsago.

Thecompanynowhasbecomeself-sustaining:proceedsfrom

thesalesofinitialproductionrunsareputbackintothecom-

panytopayforproductionofnewalbumsandmoreadditional

productionruns.

Thelabels,whichcoverthehiphop/R&B,country/bluegrass,

rock,singer/songwriterandbluesgenres,eachhavetheirown

talent,businessandmarketingfunctionsandarecontinually

identifyingandsigninglocalandregionaltalent.

Sofar,SouthCityRecordshasreleasedseveraleclecticcompila-

tionalbumsthatshowcasemusicaltalentfromthroughoutMis-

sissippi,andseveralmoreareintheworks.Thelabeliscreating

opportunitiesfornewandestablishedlocalandinternational

artists:fromformerNashvilleartistJackyJackWhite,who

signedwiththelabeluponretiringtoatownoutsideofMeridian,

toOmar,arecentgradateofSouthernMisswhosingstraditional

LatinAmericanbohemianballadsandisthefirstartistsignedto

thenewLatinmusiclabelthatthecompanyisdeveloping.

ThediversetalentthatSouthCityRecordsshowcasesisnot

ahappycoincidence.Rather,itisthelogicalembodimentof

Mississippi’srichmusicalheritageandthecontinuinginfluence

ofthistradition.AsVelichkovskisays,eventhealternative

rockmusicsceneinMississippiis“all mixed up with the sticky,

humid, blues thing”andthisdiversityisalsothekeytothe

recordlabel’sfuturesuccess.“We do feel that we are uniquely

positioned. We are in the cradle of American musical heritage...

We are here at the source, surrounded by talent. I want the

students to understand how important it is for them to position

themselves uniquely [in the marketplace].”

ManyoftheEntertainmentIndustryprogram’sgraduatesgo

outofstatetofindemploymentinNewYork,LosAngelesand

Nashville,thecountry’smajorrecordingcenters,buttheones

whodostayinMississippifindaplacefortheskillstheylearn

intheprogram--notonlyinregionalmusicvenuesandcasinos,

butalsointhebroadcasting,publicrelationsandadvertising

industries.However,VelichkovskihasavisionofSouthCity

Recordsgrowingbeyondbeingastudententitytobeingthefirst

professionalstepforgraduatesoftheprogram—aplacewhere

theycan“earnandlearn”forayearortwo.

Looking Beyond and AheadStudenttalentalone,ofcourse,doesnotsustainthevibrant

performingartssceneatSouthernMiss.Theaudienceisacru-

cialingredient,andbyallaccountstheHattiesburgcommunity

isexceptionallysupportiveofthearts.Infact,BillBaggett,pro-

21

The Entertainment Industry Program,Univeristy of Southern Mississippi

Red Hots & Deep Blues mCe Red Hots & Deep Blues mississippi’s creative economy

fessorandchairoftheDepartmentofArtandDesign,describes

Hattiesburgasa“hospitable and inviting place to be an art-

ist,”afactorthathasplayednosmallpartinanchoringhimto

SouthernMiss,wherehehastaughtsince1983.“The interac-

tion between the community and university has kept me here,”

hesays.Inturn,hisinfluenceonboththecommunityandthe

universityisvisibleintheformoftwolargescalemuralshehas

designedandexecuted—oneattheuniversity’sstudentunion

buildingandtheotherattheHattiesburgPublicLibrary,whichis

recognizedastheworld’slargeststainlesssteelmural.

ThisspiritofsupportisembodiedinthePartnersfortheArts,a

civicmembershiporganizationwhosesolemissionistosupport

theartsdepartmentsatSouthernMiss.Foundedin1997by

agroupoffriendsinterestedinpromotingartsprogramming

attheuniversity,thegroupnowhasmorethan300members

whoraised$87,000inthemostrecentyear.Thismoneyisall

awardedtotheartsdepartmentsattheuniversitythrougha

grantmakingprocess.BarbaraCarter,thecurrentpresidentof

PartnersfortheArts,describesthe“enormousenergy”gener-

atedbytheuniversity’sartsactivitiesandattributesittointer-

actionsbetweenfriends—intheirhomes,attheirchurches,at

socialeventsandsoccergames.Now,theorganizationistrying

toexpanditsmembershiptoincludepeoplefromthegreater

Hattiesburgregion.

Future of the Arts in HattiesburgSowhatdoesthefutureholdforHattiesburgintermsofthe

arts?Someseeincreasedcollaborationbetweenthetownand

theuniversity,othersseeHattiesburg’semergenceasaregional

hubforthearts,andstillothersseeeffortsinHattiesburgasa

meansofdrawingattentiontotheworkofMississippiartistsat

thenationallevel.

SusanFitzsimmonsthinksthesegoalsarenotmutuallyexclu-

sive.Infact,sheiscontributingtoseveralofthem.Aprofessor

ofartandamemberoftheboardofdirectorsoftheHattiesburg

ArtsCouncil,Fitzsimmonshasspearheadedeffortstodisplay

studentartworkatgalleriesandartsspacesaroundtown.This

is,inpart,anefforttogivestudentsprofessionalexperience

asexhibitorsandartisticentrepreneursbecause,asshesays,

“[thereis]beginningtobemoreawarenessonthepartofthe

studentsthatartseducationneedstobeentrepreneurialeduca-

tion.”Ontheothersideofthecoin,Fitzsimmonsisworking

withBillBaggettandaNewYorkartisttoputtogetheratravel-

ingshowoftheworkofMississippiartists.Thisisaneffort

towardreversingthetrendthatsheseesofimportingartfrom

otherpartsofthecountryratherthanexportingit.

AlsointheworksistherehabilitationoftheOldHighSchoolin

Hattiesburg,abuildingdesignatedasaMississippiLandmark

andlistedontheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.Theplan

istorestorethebuilding’sstructuralandhistoricalintegrityso

thatitcanbeputtogooduse.Therenovatedbuildingistoin-

cludegalleryspace,andSouthernMiss’sCollegeofArtsandLet-

tersplanstobeatenant,usingthebuildingforclassroomand

performancespace.Thoughitsufferedasetbackintheformof

afireandfacessignificantfinancialhurdles,thisprojectcould

cometoembodythevisionofgreatercollaborationbetween

theuniversityandthetownintheartsarena.

LouRackoff,ofthetheateranddancedepartment,thinksthatthe

populationgrowththatHattiesburgexperiencedafterHurricane

Katrinain2005andotherregionalamenities—suchastwohospi-

talsandthenearbyCampShelbymilitarybase—provideagreat

opportunityfortheuniversity’sartsprograms.“We are trying

to be a part of that [growth]….We think that our department, in

combination with the School of Music and the Department of Art

and Design, could comprise an arts magnet [for the region].”

Butinthemeantime,theUniversityofSouthernMississippiwill

continuetoproducegraduateswiththeskillsandexperienceto

competeinthestatewideandnationalartsindustries.Inmany

cases,SouthernMissgraduateswillbeatanadvantageforthe

professionalopportunitiestheyhavealreadyexperiencedby

thetimegraduationcomes,andtheenthusiasmwithwhich

studentsembracetheseopportunitiesistelling.Velichkovski

saysthisbest:“[Our students] wake up eager. We are not here

for academic exercise. You are building your life here.”

22

Preserving the Past, Preparing for the FutureNatchez Looks Forward

23

Dunleith Mansion, Natchez, MS


In2008,theNationalGeographicSociety’sCenterforSustain-

ableCommunitiesrankedthetop109HistoricPlacesaround

theworldthatmetthecriteriaof“populatedcommunities

possessingahistoriccharacter,districtordominantplace.”In

thisformidablecompetition,whichincludedAix-en-Provence

andDijoninFrance,EdinburghinScotland,YorkinEngland,San

GimignanoinTuscany,andMunichinGermany—Natchez,Mis-

sissippirankednumber40.TheSocietychoseNatchezbecause

it“hasfantasticarchitecturalheritageandthestories,ofall

cultures,tobackitup”-quiteatributetoNatchez’shistorical

andarchitecturalassets.

Manypeopleandorganizationshavegonetogreatlengthsto

preservethesetreasures,bothforculturalandforeconomic

reasons.But,beforetheassetsandeconomicimpactareout-

lined,alookatthehistoryisanimportantfirststep.

The HistoryHumanhabitationoftheNatchezareadatesbacktoearlyNa-

tiveAmericantribes,althoughitwasthelaterNatcheztribethat

livedintheregionofsouthwestMississippifor800yearsprior

tothefirstEuropeancontact.OriginallyaterritoryofFrance,

NatchezwastradedamongEuropeanpowersasNewWorld

landbecameapreciouscommodity.In1798,Natchez,andthe

entirestateofMississippi,weretakenbytheUnitedStatesinan

efforttoexpandthecountry’swesternborders.

Natchezbecamethefirstcapitalofthenewterritoryandin

1817wasestablishedasthefirstcapitalofthenewStateofMis-

sissippi.AlthoughthecapitalwasmovedtoJacksonafewyears

later,NatchezremainedacenterofeconomicactivityforMissis-

sippithroughoutthe19thcenturyandwasamajoragricultural

andshippinghubforayoungnation.

ThenaturallyfertilesoilaroundNatchezgavebirthtoaboom-

ingcottonproductionindustry.Withitsstrategicallyimportant

locationonbluffshighabovetheMississippiRiver,Natchez

alsobecameanimportantportforshippingthecottoncropto

millsinthenorth,anditsplantationownersaccumulatedgreat

wealth.PriortotheCivilWar,Natchezhadmoremillionaires

percapitathananyothercityintheUnitedStates.

Theopulenceofthecottonplanters’lifestylescanstillbeseen

inNatcheztoday,andtheareahasoneofthebestpreserved

concentrationsofarchitecturallydistinctiveantebellumes-

tatesintheUnitedStates.Manyofthesepalatialestatesare

preserved,thankstothesupportofcivicgroupsandprivate

foundations,andserveasimportantrepresentationsofGreek-

revivalarchitectureintheSouthernstyle.

Historical AssetsThescaleofNatchez‘shistoricalandculturalassets,foracity

oflessthan20,000people,isimpressive.Nearly80sitesare

ontheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces,butbecausesome

districtsincludeseveralhundredhistorichomes,thereal

numberiscloserto1,300.Theseinclude13NationalHistoric

Landmarks,thehighesthistoricdesignationgivenbythefederal

government.

TheNatchezNationalHistoricParkhas102,000objectsinits

collection,withapproximately81,000archeologicalartifacts

anddocumentsfoundintheMelroseEstate,WilliamJohnson

House,andFortRosalie.MelroseEstate,oneofthegrandest

oftheGreekRevivalmansionsfromNatchez’splantationpast,

iscompletewithhistoricfurnishingsandoriginaloutbuildings

throughoutthenearly80-acresite.Sinceconstructionin1845,

themansionhasbeenownedbyonlythreefamiliespriorto

NationalParkService(NPS)acquisition,whichhelpedpreserve

thepropertyoverthepast150years.WilliamJohnsonHouse,a

smallGreekRevivaltownhouseinurbanNatchez,washometo

aslavefreedbyawhiteplanterthoughttobehisfather.John-

son’s2,000-pagepersonalandbusinessdiaryprovidesimpor-

tantglimpsesofantebellumsouthernlifeandrelationsbetween

whitesandfreedblacks.Hishomeispresentlymaintained

bytheNPSasanimportantcenterforinterpretingNatchez’s

African-Americanhistorytomodern-dayvisitors.

24Monmouth, Natchez, MS


TheNatchezMuseumofAfricanAmericanCulture,locatedin

thecity’soldpostoffice,isanotherimportanthistoricalandcul-

turalasset.Itcontainsphotographsandartifactsthatchronicle

andinterpretthehistoryofslavesandAfrican-Americansin

theregion,withacurrentexhibitofartfromWestAfricafrom

wherelargenumbersofslavescame.PriortotheMuseum’s

foundingin1990,someofthemainstreamhistoricalrecord

projectedtheimageofcontentedslavesandoverlookedthe

crueltyoftheslavetradeandthemuseumhelpedsetthe

recordstraight.ThefirstAfricanswerebroughttoNatchezby

earlyFrenchsettlersaslaborforthegrowingsettlement.That

wouldeventuallybecomethestateofMississippi.Justeastof

thedowntownNatchezareaisthesiteofForksoftheRoad,the

secondlargestslavemarketintheU.S.inthenineteenthcen-

tury.ThesitebecamearefugeeforfreedslavesoncetheUnion

Armytookthecityin1863.

Key PlayersInspiteofanearlycommitmenttopreserveandprotectthe

historicalandarchitecturalassetsofNatchez,thecitylostits

wayinthe1960sand1970swhentheeconomydeclinedandin-

dustrybegantomoveout.Thedowntownsufferedfromserious

neglect,andmanyofthestunningarchitecturalandhistorical

gemsdeteriorated.Ifithadn’tbeenfortheworkofseveralkey

players,thecitycouldhavedeclinedevenfurther.

LocalpolicymakersinNatchezhavelongunderstoodtheim-

portanceofhistoricpreservation.In1954,thecityadoptedthe

firstpreservationordinancetomaintainitshistoric/architectural

assets.Thankstothisordinance,thetownnowhasfivehistoric

districts,mostinthedowntownarea.Formercityplanners,the

HistoricalCommission,andelectedofficialscontinuetogener-

ateandenforcehistoricpreservationregulations.

Amongtheorganizationsandinstitutionscommittedtopreserv-

ingNatchez’spast,afewstandoutaskeyplayersinpreserva-

tionefforts.TheHistoricNatchezFoundationwasfounded

in1974topreserveandenhancethebuildingsandneighbor-

hoods,animportantpartofNatchez’shistory.Asatimewhen

thecitywasperhapsnotasfocusedonprotectingithistorical

assets,theFoundationmusteredthewill,leadershipandre-

sourcestostopthedecline.ThroughitseffortsaroundNational

HistoricRegisterdesignation,itssupporttohomeowners

andbuildingownerswhoneedtaxcreditsandincentives,its

developmentoftheNatchezHistoricCollection,anditstireless

worktoidentifyandcataloguecurrentandendangeredproper-

ties,theFoundationhasbeenattheforefront.Inmanyways,

theFoundationistheconscienceofhistoricpreservationinthe

area,aswellasoneofitssaviors.

Sinceitsfoundingin1988,theNatchezNationalHistoricalPark

hashelpedtopreserveNatchez’shistoricsignificance.ThePark

hasamulti-milliondollarvisitor’sandinterpretativecenter,as

wellasseveralarchitecturallyandhistoricallysignificantcol-

lections,housesandsites.Theopeningofthecentermarked

oneofthefirstattemptsbypreservationiststotellthefulland

accuratestoryaboutslaveryinNatchez.

TheMississippiDepartmentofArchivesandHistory(MDAH)

hasbeencriticallyimportanttothepreservationofNatchez’s

historicandarchitecturalassets,withprojectssuchastheresto-

rationofJeffersonCollegeandtheGrandVillageoftheNatchez

IndiansanditscontributionstoNatchez’seffortstogetallof

thehistoricpropertiesandsitesontheNationalRegisterof

HistoricPlaces.MDAHalsoprovidedgrantstobuildingowners

forfaçadeimprovements,andithelpedNatchezobtainCertified

LocalGovernmentstatus,animportantdesignationforhistoric

preservationfunds.StafffromMDAHalsoworkedextensively

withtheHistoricNatchezFoundationinitsearlyeffortsto

reclaimsomeoftheneglectedhistoricbuildingsinthelate

1960sand1970s.Asoneintervieweenoted,“MDAH has been

a lifeline to our preservation efforts. They’ve been there every

time we’ve needed them.”

TheGardenClubsofthe1930swereanotheroftheearlyadvo-

catesforhistoricpreservationandthefirsttobringinoutside

visitorstoNatchez.Someoftherevenuegeneratedbythe

toursovertheyearshasgonedirectlytohomeowners,andthe

incomehelpedtheireffortstorenovateandmaintainthestruc-

turalandarchitecturalintegrityoftheirhomes.

TheOfficeofTourismandNatchezConventionandVisitorsBu-

reau(CVB)havebeeninstrumentalinmakingNatchezanational

destinationforvisitors,conventions,andmeetings.TheCVB

workswithallthehistoric,culturalandeventsorganizationsto

coordinatepromotionandtoenhancethequalityofthevisitor

experience,andtherevenuegeneratedaddstothehistoric

preservationincomestream.

25


buthighly-skilledgroupofAfrican-Americans.Severaltalented

craftsmenfromthesefamilieshavepassedthoseskillsonto

theirchildren.

TheeconomicbenefitoftheHistoricNatchezCollectionisalso

notable.Thewealthybaronsofthecottonindustryfurnished

theirhomeswithadistinctstyleoffurnitureanddecorative

artsthatwerequiteelegant.TheHistoricNatchezFoundation

securedthelicenseforwhatbecameknownastheHistoricNat-

chezCollection.TheFoundationsoldthedesignrightstomajor

furnituremanufacturersinNorthCarolinaandothercompanies

throughoutthecountry,whichpaytheHistoricNatchezFounda-

tionaroyaltyforusingthedesign.MimiMillersaidthat“atits

peak,thelicensingbroughtin$400,000ayeartotheFounda-

tion,whichhelpedsupportourpreservationwork.”Inrecent

years,revenuefromtheCollectionhasdeclinedbutitstillbrings

inroughly$30,000ayear.

The FutureInadditiontotheworkofallofthekeyorganizationsnoted

above,therearealsoseveralprojectsintheplanningstagesthat

willcontinuetostrengthenthehistoricalandculturalassetsof

Natchez.TheCommunityAlliance,thecityandothershavebeen

workingontheNatchezTrailsProject,a$3millionprojectfunded

bytheFederalHighwayAdministration,theMississippiDepart-

mentofTransportation,andprivatecontributors.Oncecomplet-

ed,thetrailswillbecomeavirtual“MuseumoftheStreets.”

TheNationalParkServicewillalsooverseeanewproject.NPS

purchasedsevenacresoflandneartheFortRosaliesiteand

planstoteardowndeterioratedbuildings,constructions,park-

ingandwalkingareas,anddevelopanewsetofinterpretative

exhibitsonNatchez’scolonialhistory.Furthermore,several

structuresonCanalStreetwillberenovatedandusedforex-

tendedvisitorinformationandcontactsites.

Cityandcountyleadersalsohaverecentlyinitiatedaplan

forrestructuringandstreamliningeconomicdevelopment

intheregion.Thiseffortcouldenhance,amongother

things,therelationshipbetweenhistoricpreservationand

economicdevelopment.

Economic Impact of Historic PreservationNatchezhasarts,music,gardentours,conventionsand

greatviewsthatattractalotoftourists,butasalocalbusi-

nessownersaid,“It’sthehistory,thecultureandthearchi-

tecturethatisthecore.Everythingelsewouldstillgoon,

butwithoutthehistoricalassets,itwouldn’tbethesame.”

TheNatchezMayor’sOfficeestimatesthatroughly700,000

peoplevisitthecityeachyear,manycomingfortheSpring

andFallPilgrimages,GardenTours,NatchezFestivalof

Music,BalloonFair,conventionsandmeetings—butalso

forthesheerpleasureofwalkingthestreetsofNatchez

andtakingintheviewfromthebluffoverlookingtheMis-

sissippiRiver.Again,thehistoricalandculturalassetsare

whatmakethisattractionoftouristspossible.

TheimpactofthatmanyvisitorsissubstantialforNatchez

andforAdamsCounty.In2008,about2000peoplewere

employedintourism-relatedjobsinAdamsCounty,15per-

centoftotalemploymentforthecounty,andtourism-re-

latedtaxrevenuesfromroomsandrestaurantsinNatchez

alonewasover$1million.

TheNatchezHistoricalParkmakesasignificantcontribu-

tiontothelocalNatchezeconomy.In2008,theparksaw

232,470visitorswhospent$11,863,000,whichcontributed

tocreating222jobsandgenerating$4,416,000inwages

andadding$6,835,000ofvaluetotheNatchezeconomy.

Therenovationandrepairofhistoricpropertiesandhomes

alsohasaneconomicimpactwith1,170peopleinAdams

Countyemployedinconstructionandspecialtytrade-

relatedworkby62firms.AformercityplannerforNatchez

estimates200-300applicationsayearforpermitsto

renovateand/orrepairhistoricallysignificanthomes,much

ofthisdonebyagroupofhighly-skilledmillworkingfirms

andprofessionals.They,inturn,sub-contracttocomplete

workonhomesandhistoricbuildingsincludingtoasmall

26

Fashionably Fondren!

A Jackson Neighborhood Takes Off

27

Fondren Place, Fondren, Jackson, MS

Photo courtesy of Frank Ezelle


“Fondren is a brand,”saysAlisonHoptonDavis,“Fashionably

Fondren!”

WhenDavistookoverasexecutivedirectoroftheFondrenRe-

naissanceFoundation,thecommunityhadbecomesomething

completelydifferentfromthetownshelivedinyearsbefore.

TheneighborhoodsofFondrennowexhibitartdecoarchitec-

ture,specialtyboutiquesandamedleyofrestaurants.Thecom-

munityisnowanexperienceratherthanjustaplacetoliveand

work.EvenrealestateintheFondrenareahasbecomeeasier

tosell.Davis,alsoarealestateagentandarchitecturalhistorian,

rememberswhenyoucouldn’tputthewordFondreninahouse

listing.“The neighborhood used to have a stigma,”saysDavis.

“Now I can put Fondren on any listing and it is snapped up!”

WhatmakestheFondrendistrictstandoutfromotherareasof

Jacksonisnotonlythearchitectureanduniqueshops,butthe

people.Fondrenhasbecomehometoalargenumberofartists,

painters,musiciansandahostofothercreativeindividuals.Lo-

calartists’worksareexhibitedattheartgalleriesandmanyof

therestaurantsdoubleasvenuesthatshowcaseareamusicians.

Someresidentsbelievethedemographicandeconomicdiver-

sityinFondrenisareasonforthecommunity’svibrancy.

RonMills,betterknowntothoseintheFondrenDistrictasCaptain

RonoftheFondrenExpressTrolley,feelsthecommunityisvery

diverseevenintermsofthetypesofoccupationspeopleholdin

thearea.“You have artists, lawyers, glass blowers, and doctors all

living in the same neighborhoods in Fondren,”saysMills.

Hefeelsthedistricthasa“richness that is not seen in other

parts of Jackson. What makes the community really unique is

the concentration of artists. The artists provide an energy foun-

dation that is not felt in any other community in the city.”

A Break from the PastOneoftheoldestcommunitiesinJackson,Fondrenstartedas

alargeplantationownedbytheGarlandFamily.Sometime

duringReconstructionthelandtransferredownership,andin

themid-1800sthe5,000acresoflandbecamehometoastate

hospital.Bytheendofthecenturytheareawasafullyfunction-

ing,self-sufficientcommunitywithageneralstore—namesake

DavidFondren’sGeneralMerchandiseandFancyGroceryanda

postoffice.

Overtheyears,thecommunitydevelopedintoaregionalmedical

mecca.Thecommunityisanchoredbylargeeconomicdrivers

theUniversityofMississippiMedicalCenter,aVAhospitalandSt.

DominicHospitalandishometoahostofmedicalpracticesand

rehabilitationcenters.Unfortunately,thecommunitybeganto

sufferasnewerhomeswerebuiltinneighboringcommunities.

Overtime,Fondrenwasleftwithamucholderpopulationand

deterioratedhousingstock.Crimebecamemoreofaproblem

andmuchofthecommercialspacewasleftvacantandaban-

doned.AccordingtoBarryPlunkett,presidentoftheFondren

RenaissanceFoundation,“the area was hemorrhaging busi-

nesses and suffering from decreasing property taxes.”

Therewasalsothebeliefthatthelocalbusinessesweresuf-

feringfromtheillsofthelocalcommunitybecauseofthelack

offoottrafficanddeterioratedinfrastructure.Peoplewereno

longercomingtothecommunityfortheirentertainmentand

shoppingneeds.

“Fondren was not a place where people walked on the street

after 5 or 6 pm, ”saysDavis.

MikePetersofPetersRealEstatefeelsthattheFondrenofyes-

teryearwasnotservingtheneedsofthemedicalcommunity,a

dominantforceintheFondrenDistrict.Healthcareworkersand

patientshadtofindotherplacestoeat.Thelossofbusinesses

begantoaffectthesurroundinginfrastructure.

28

Fondren Art Gallery, Fondren, Jackson, MS



AccordingtoMikePeters,theleadershipatSt.DominicHos-

pitalwasadrivingforcebehindFondren’srevitalizationwhen

thehospitaldecidedtoinvestinthecommunity.Abouteight

yearsagoSt.Dominicmadea$1milliondollarcommitment

totheFondrenareabyfundingoneofthepredecessorsofthe

FondrenRenaissanceFoundation,acommunityorganization

chargedwithpreservingandrevitalizingtheFondrencommu-

nity.Thenthecommunitystartedwithbabysteps.Residents

ofFondrenbeganstartingneighborhoodclean-ups.Businesses

startedtoreopen.Trafficcalmingwasinstalledandattention

waspaidtoneighborhoodlighting.Abandonedbuildingswere

purchasedandconvertedintomixed-useproperty.

Lifestyle DevelopmentAsawaytodrawinnewresidentsandmoneytothedistrict,the

formerexecutivedirectoroftheFondrenRenaissanceFounda-

tionfocusedontheinherentstrengthsoftheFondrencommu-

nitysuchasthearchitectureandtheprominenceoflong-time

businessresidents,likeBrown’sFineArtGallery.Hebelieveda

strongemphasisoncreativeartsanddesigninFondrencould

helptobringthecommunitybackfromhardshipandimprove

thequalityoflifeoftheexistingresidents.

“Lifestyledevelopment,”oreconomicdevelopmentthatalso

stronglyfocusesonthesocialandrecreationalaspectsofacom-

munity,isaboutattractingayoungerandmorediversepopula-

tiontoacommunitybyofferingaqualityoflifethatfostersa

moresocialandcreativefeeltoalocale.Thisfocusonlifestyle

developmenthelpedtocreatethediverseculturethatFondren

isknownfortoday.Lifestyledevelopmentprojectsofteninvolve

mixed-usepropertiesthatencourageindividualstolive,work,

andplayinthesamearea.

FondrenCornerwasoneofthefirstmixed-useproperties

inthearea,combiningretail,officeandresidentialhousing.

WhentheabandonedFishCommissionStateOfficebuilding

fellintoforeclosureseveralyearsago,Petersandhispartner

decidedtobidontheproperty.Oncetheirbidwasaccepted,

thepartnersscouredthesoutheasternregionoftheUnited

Statestolookforinspirationforhowtorenovatethehistoric

buildinginwaysthatcouldultimatelyhelptoreshapethe

entirecommunity.FondrenCornernowhousesretailshops,

offices,studiospaceand16apartmentsleasedtoaneclectic

groupofindividuals.

Peterscomments,“There’s no typical tenant. One of my ten-

ants is 80 years old and lives next door to a couple of artists.

We also have tenants who work at the hospital.”

Public/Private PartnershipsPartofthesuccessofFondren’srevitalizationhasbeenthe

activeparticipationofbothpublicandprivategroupsinthe

area.Collaborationbetweenprivateentitiesandthepublic

sectorhasproventobefruitfulforFondrenwhileproviding

thefinancialresourcesnecessarytohelppreservethehistory

andcultureofthecommunity.Inkeepingwiththecommu-

nity’sfocusonthearts,mostofthesepartnershipshavere-

volvedaroundrehabilitatinghistoricplacesintocreativearts

venuesthatattractadiverseaudienceandprovideasteady

streamofpropertytaxrevenuetothedistrict.

Whenanold,deterioratedantebellumhomeonOldCanton

RoadknownasTheCedarswasindangerofbeingdemol-

ished,theFondrencommunity,throughtheleadershipofthe

FondrenRenaissanceFoundationandtheMississippiArts

Commission(MAC),cametotherescue.TheCedars,nowa

eventsvenueandartgallery,wasacquiredthroughagrant

fromMACandprivatelyraisedfundsof$300,000raisedin

lessthan10days.

Morerecently,theDulingSchool,anold,abandonedelemen-

taryschoolinFondren,wasconvertedtocommercialspace

thatincludesshopsandarestaurantintheoldauditorium.

Builtin1927,theDulingSchoolwasalargeexpensetothe

schoolboardduetohighmaintenancecostsanddidnot

benefitthecitybybeingonthetaxrolls.TheJacksonSchool

Boarddonatedthepropertytothedeveloper,thuselimi-

29

Outdoor concert at the Cedars, Fondren, Jackson, MS


natingthehighmaintenancecosts,andbecamea20percent

partnerintheproject,whichentitlestheschoolboardtoa

percentageoffutureprofits.TheDulingSchoolnowhouses

severalshopsincludingahairsalon,anantiqueshop,andThe

Auditorium,arestaurantthatalsoservesasalivemusicand

filmvenue.

The Future of FondrenFondrenisalsonotwithoutitsgrowingpains.Partoftherevital-

izationandpreservationofthecommunityinvolvestheneedto

maintaintheFondrenbrandwhilecontinuingtoprovideafford-

ablehousing,especiallytotheartists.

Peterssays,“the community needs to be very diligent that

[Fondren] doesn’t choke the creative class out and become

more vanilla”.

Peters’mainconcernistheincreaseinpropertyvaluesand

rentscouldpotentiallyforcesomeofthepeoplewhohelped

shapethecommunitycultureoutofFondreninthenext10

years.Parkinghasalsobecomescarcewiththeincreaseintraf-

ficcomingintothecommunityforentertainmentandshopping.

AlisonHoptonDavis,oftheFondrenRenaissanceFoundation

worriesaboutrunningoutofthefinancialresourcesthathave

allowedthefoundationtocontinuetoprovidesupportfor

thecommunity,aswellasthefreeevents.Manyofthesame

resourceshavebeentappedoverandoveragainandcould

potentiallydryup.

Moreimportantly,whilecommunityparticipationhasbeenin-

strumentalinreshapingFondren,maintainingthatmomentumis

oneofthebiggestchallengesthecommunityfacesgoingforward.

Fondren Corner Building, Fondren, Jackson MS



30

Luxury and Revitalization in the DeltaViking Range Leads the Charge

in Greenwood

31

Viking Range Corporation, Greenwood, MS


Viking Range Corporation, Greenwood, MS

Thescene.AlargeestateinEastHampton,NewYork.Acouple

sitsinthelivingroomjustafterChristmas.

Trevor:So darling, where should we vacation this year?

Celeste: Paris again?

Trevor:No, no, the crowds at the Pompidou were dreadful.

Rome?

Celeste:Ugh, not Rome, the food at Alberto Ciarla is so over-

rated. Let’s stay stateside this year—some place where we can

stay in luxury, eat a world-class meal, and definitely get those

spa treatments you are so fond of.

Trevor:Well, you know I do love my Pine Sea Scrub. Hmm, let’s

see, great food, great hotel, well there also need to be lots of

culture—you know a place to browse those book stores you

love, take a cooking class at a culinary academy, maybe even

the chance to go to a museum or two nearby.

Celeste:Trevor, are you thinking what I’m thinking?

Trevor:Celeste, my darling, there can be only one choice.

Both together: Greenwood, here we come!

SomaybeCelesteandTrevorarefigmentsofanoveractive

imagination.ButcertainlytheattractionsofGreenwood,

Mississippiarerealandaredrawingvisitorsfromaroundthe

globe.Whileothertouristattractionsarebasedonproximity

tosomehistoricalattractionorsomegrandgeologicformation,

Greenwood’sdrawcomesfromitscommitmenttothecreative

economyand,moreprecisely,becauseitslargestemployer,

VikingRange,isonethemostcreativecompaniesinthestateof

Mississippi.ThedreamofViking’sfounderandCEOFredCarl,

tobuildadynamic,creativeproductinhisDeltahometownhas

cometofruitionandhasservedasacatalysttocreateadynam-

icplacetovisitandtolive.Indoingso,Greenwoodshowsjust

howcriticalcreativeenterprisesandpeoplecanbetobuilding

theeconomicfutureofacommunity.

The Art of Cooking—Viking Range Style

ExactlywhatisViking?Ifyouevermarveledattheabilityof

arestauranttogetyourmealcookedjustrightalongwiththe

ordersof40otherpatronsdiningatthesametime,itoftende-

pendsonacommercialqualityovenrange.FredCarl,aformer

buildingcontractor,believedthattherewasmarketforsuch

commercialqualityrangesinhomes.Andindeedtherewas.

Afteropeningitsfirstplantin1990ina35,000-square-foot

facility,Viking’sGreenwoodproductionfacilityisnowmore

than240,000squarefeet.Itnotonlymanufacturesranges

butotherappliancesbothlargeandsmall,bringingasenseof

commercialrestaurantqualitytopeople’shomes.

AreasonforViking’ssuccesshasbeenitsabilitytomove

beyondmassproductionandfocusonmoreintricatelycrafted

items.WhereasmanycompaniesinMississippiandother

southernstatestriedtoenterthemarketsolelyonprice,

Vikingcompetesonqualityanddesign.Vikingrangesroutinely

sellforupwardsof$8,000.

ThemostseriouseconomictimessincetheGreatDepres-

sion,however,havetakenatollonViking’scompetitiveness

model.Sincethespringof2009,Vikinghasbeenforcedtolay

offnearly300ofits1,500workers.Downturnsinthehous-

ingmarkethavemeantfewerpeopleinstallingVikingRanges

aspartoftheirnewdreamhouses.But,likemostsuccessful

companies,Vikingisadjustingtoneweconomicrealitiesby

introducingalower-pricedbutstillcommercial-quality,high-

designappliancelinecalledtheDesignerSeries.

32Viking Range Corporation, Greenwood, MS


Thismoreaffordablelinestilldependsonhigh-endcraftsmanship

butispricedwithpeopleinmindwhomayhaveexperienceda

changeindiscretionaryincomebutstillhavedesignertastes.Itis

astrategythatleadsindustryexpertsexcitedaboutthepros-

pectsforcompanieslikeViking.TheWashingtonPostrecently

reported:“Whileboomersandseniorsarewindingdowntheir

appliancepurchases,millennialsarejustgettingstarted,andtheir

tastesarehigher-end.Asagenerationthatgrewupwatchingthe

FoodNetwork,today’snewlymintedadultsdon’tseefeatures

suchasstainless-steelfinishesasfrivolous.”

Doing Business in the DeltaViking’ssuccessandprospectsforcontinuedsuccesshavebeen

criticaltothegrowthofGreenwood,notjustfortheamenities

thatCarlandhiscompanyhaveattracted,butforshowingthat

theMississippiDeltaisagreatplacetodobusiness.

“When we are recruiting businesses, we use Viking as a recruit-

ment tool,”AngelaCurry,executivedirectoroftheGreenwood-

LefloreIndustrialBoard,said.“Companies say, ‘If Viking can

manufacture those appliances in Greenwood, then we can make

our product there too.’”

Curryreferstothenegativeattitudethatmanystillhaveofthe

Delta,andthefactthatVikingRangeanditsancillarybusinesses’

presenceintheDeltagoesalongawaytoalleviatingthose

concerns.

“One of our challenges is changing the perception others have

of the Mississippi Delta and showing that we are progressive

and that we have progressed,” Currysaid.

Eating, Sleeping, Cooking and Shopping in Style

WalkingindowntownGreenwood,itwouldbehardtofind

anythingbutaprogressiveimage.VikingopenedtheAlluvian

Hotel,inpartasaplacetoputupcustomerswhotraveledto

checkouttheirproductinperson.Nowpeoplecomebackon

vacationtostayintheluxuriousrooms,eatattheworld-class

restaurantGiardina’s,orperhapstrytheirhandonanactual

VikingRangeattheVikingCookingSchool.

TheCookingSchool,infact,hasbecomeoneofthearea’sbig-

gestattractions.Itallowsstudentstotakeshortcoursesthat

feature“FrenchCountryClassics”a“MardiGras”themedmeal

orthetemptinglytitled“PiesandTartsWorkshop.”Forthemore

adventurous,thecookingschooloffersculinaryweekendsthat

arepackagescombiningclassesandthenightsattheAlluvian.

SositsViking’sEmpireinGreenwood.Butwhiletheofferingsof

Vikingareimpressive,somethingelseishappeninginGreen-

woodthatisequallyimportant.Othercreativebusinessesare

comingtotownandopeningupshop.

Turnrow’sBooksisonesuchexample.JamieKornegaywas

workingattheveneratedSquareBooksinOxfordanddreaming

ofowningasimilarlyoutstandingindependentbookstorewhen

hevisitedGreenwood.HehookedupwithCarl,whohelped

himnurturinghisbusiness,andKornegayopenedanewbook-

storeinarefurbishedbuildingjuststepsawayfromtheAlluvian.

Whilethebookstoreiscomprehensive,itfeaturesSouthern

andMississippiliteratureandanoutstandingfoodsectionthat

attractsthefoodiesthataredrawntothecookingschooland

theVikingexperience.Italsobenefitsfromrelativeproxim-

itytoSquareBooksandLemuriaBooks,anotherindependent

bookstorebasedinJackson.Thistriangleofstrongbookstores

meansthatnationalauthorscantraveltomultiplelocationsin

thestatewhileonabooktour.Carlhimselflikeshavingaplace

likeTurnrowinhishometown.

“We used to go to Oxford for a good bookstore and now we stay

home,”hesaid.

33

Viking Range Cooking School, Greenwood, MS


Thebookstoreisn’ttheonlyadditiontotheculturallifein

Greenwoodinrecentyears.Severalnewgourmetrestaurants

suchastheDeltaBistrohaveopenedthatnotonlycelebrate

theculinaryartsbutmakeitapointtoutilizelocalfarms,as

mouth-wateringmenustaplessuchas“house-mademustard

andhoney-rubbedgrilledporktenderloin,servedwithaloaded

bakedpotatocakeandcharredonioncompote”wouldattest.

ItisallpartofwhatCarlenvisionedwhenhemadeitapointto

basehisbusinessinGreenwood.

“We are selling the Greenwood Experience,”Carlsaid.“We are

an epicenter for Delta Culture.”

Theexpansionofdowntownhasanotherpurposebeyondat-

tractingvisitorstoGreenwood-theincreaseinamenitiesmeans

itiseasierforCarltoattractworkers,especiallyattheexecutive

level,toViking.

“It is a recruiting tool for many of our employees,”Carlsaid.So

manyhighly-skilledpeoplewhomayhaveboughtintoaprecon-

ceivednotionabouttheDeltamayhaveadifferentnotionafter

spendingafewdaysroamingGreenwood.

PeoplelikeCurrywhoarechargedwithpromotingGreenwood

tonewbusinesseshavefullyembracedCarl’svision.“When we

bring businesses, we can take a tour downtown, and they can

see a boutique hotel, a fabulous bookstore, and walk out and

say, “Wow, I am in Greenwood, Mississippi!”


34

The Word from OxfordHow the Literary Arts Continue

to Shape a Community

35

The Literary Arts Tradition, Oxford, MS


ThoughreveredauthorWilliamFaulknerhaslongsincepassed

away,theliteraryartsarealiveandwellinOxford,Mississippi,

thetownhemadefamous.WhileFaulknerloomslargeinthe

consciousnessofresidentsandvisitorsalike,thereisnoshort-

ageofliterarytalentintowntoday.Rather,thecombinationof

literaryheritage,afirst-ratecreativewritingprogramattheUni-

versityofMississippi,andanumberofuniqueinstitutions,has

continuedtodrawestablishedandaspiringwriterstothetown.

Theresultisaplacewheretheliteraryartsarealiveandwell.In

fact,AnnAbadie,associatedirectoroftheUniversityofMissis-

sippi’sCenterfortheStudyofSouthernCulture,putsOxfordin

thesamecategoryasParisandNewYork,saying“Therearefew

placesintheworldthataresorichfornewandaspiringwriters

andbooklovers.”

The Bookstore at the Center of TownIn1979,OxfordnativeRichardHoworthandhiswifeLisa

returnedtoOxfordwiththeintentionofopeningabookstore

afterhavingbothworkedatawell-knownindependentbook-

storeinWashington,D.C.Thisseemedlikeariskyplantosome,

includingaloanofficerwhotoldthecouplethatthetown’s

residentsdidn’tenjoyreading,andrepresentativesfromthe

AmericanBooksellersAssociation,whothoughtthemarketwas

toosmalltosupportanindependentretailer.Nevertheless,

withaninitialinvestmentofapproximately$20,000orless,they

openedSquareBooksonthesecondfloorofabuildingthat

Richard’sfamilyownedonthetownsquare.

Thirtyyearslater,theHoworthsownthreestores:theoriginal

SquareBooks,nowinadifferentlocationthanwhenitfirst

opened;OffSquareBooks,specializinginusedandrareedi-

tions;andSquareBooksJr.,whichsellschildren’sbooks.Square

Booksisrecognizedasoneofthenation’spreeminentindepen-

dentbooksellers,andRichardHoworthhasservedasaleaderof

theAmericanBooksellersAssociation.

WhiletheSquareBooksfamilyofstoresseemstheepitome

ofthelocalindependentbookstore,withitslocationonthe

townsquareanditsrotatingstaffrecommendationssection,

thestores’loyalcustomersareinternational.Foraboutten

years,thestorehassoldbooksthroughitswebsite.Buteven

beforetheadventofecommerce,SquareBooksdidasignificant

amountofitsbusinessthroughmailorder.

“I have customers all over the world,”saysGeneralManagerLyn

Roberts.“Some of them are long-term relationships. They or-

der books, and we chat, and I recommend books based on what

they’ve read in the past. A lot of this conversation takes place

virtually now, but in the old days it used to be through letters.”

Inthisway,SquareBooksisnotreallycompetingwiththegiant,

Internet-basedbooksellerslikeAmazon,butofferingaverydif-

ferentandmuchmorepersonalservice.

No Longer a One Author TownPerhapsmoreimportant,though,isthetransformativerolethat

SquareBookshasplayedinthelifeofthetownanditsliterati.

“It made all the difference,”saysAnnAbadie.“Faulkner used to

be the one writer in town. There were a few others…but really

we were William Faulkner’s town.” Furthermore,thetownhad

fewresourcestoofferwriters:asmalllibrary,andaless-than-

impressivecampusbookstorethat,accordingtoAbadie,sold

“textbooks,alotofbibles,alittleFaulkner.”

36

Square Books, Oxford, MS

Square Books, Oxford, MS


ButtimeshavechangedaccordingtoAbadie.Foronething,its

manyindividualartsinstitutionsandtheircollaborativeefforts

ensurethatthereisnoshortageofliteraryprogrammingforpeo-

pleofallages.Forexample,theCenterfortheStudyofSouthern

CulturehasbeenworkingwiththeJuniorAuxiliaryofOxfordto

bringyoungadultauthorstolocalandcountyschoolsandraise

enoughmoneytogiveabooktoeachfifthandninthgrader.

SquareBookshostsapproximately150authorsayear,and

sometimesasmanyasthreewritersaweek.Framedphotos

ofhundredsofvisitingauthorslinethewallsofthestore,and

theever-growingrosterofone-timeandrepeatvisitorsincludes

notableslikeToniMorrison,AllenGinsbergandWilliamStyron.

Thesedays,withSquareBooks’reputationfirmlyestablishedin

theconsciousnessofpublishers,manyofthevisitorsareestab-

lishedauthorsontourtopublicizenewwork.Butthefullroster

ofvisitingwritersrunsthegamut,includinglocalwritersand

authorswhoarevisitingtheUniversityofMississippiforone

reasonoranother.Alsoontherosteraremanyrepeatvisitors

because,sincethestore’searliestdays,accordingtoRoberts,

RichardHoworthhascultivatedfriendshipswithauthors.Many

ofthesevisitorsstaywiththeHoworthsratherthancheckinto

ahotel.

Inthisvein,RobertsacknowledgestherolethatSquareBooks

hasplayedinrecognizingandchampioningemergingliterary

talent,thoughshemakesitclearthatshewouldneverattribute

anyauthor’ssuccesstoSquareBooks.Nevertheless,shedoes

notethatSquareBookswasoneofonlyafewstorestocarry

thebooksofJohnGrisham,agraduateofUniversityofMissis-

sippi,atthestartofhisliterarycareer;GeorgeSaundersand

CharlesFrazier,authorofColdMountain,aretwootherauthors

whoSquareBookschampionedinthedaysbeforetheyhad

achievedanationalfollowing.

Thestorecandothisbecause“we actually read the books [we

sell],”notedRoberts,laughing.Infact,theloveofbooksand

readingisthecommonthreadamongstthestoresemployees

throughouttheyears.“That’s the number one attraction of

working here,”shesays,thoughalsonotesthatthestorehas

employedits“fair share of English or M.F.A. students, people

writing on the side and with various other literary aspirations,

[including] people who’ve gone on to work in publishing.”

Town and Gown, Growing Up TogetherAroundthesametimethatSquareBooksopened,theUniver-

sityofMississippilauncheditscreativewritingprogram,offering

bachelorandmaster’sdegrees.Sincethen,theM.F.A.program

increativewritinghasgrowntobeoneofthenation’sfinest,

andaplaceforbothestablishedwritersandstudentstoculti-

vatetheirskills.Theprogramwasstartedundertheguidanceof

WillieMorris,previouslytheeditorofHarper’sMagazine.With

hisextensivecontactsintheliteraryworld,Morriswasableto

attractfineauthorstocomevisitOxfordandSquareBooks—

and,undoubtedly,SquareBookshasbeenonefactorthathas

helpedanchorwritersinOxfordinthedecadessince.

Sincethattime,OxfordhasbecomeahubforwhatWayne

Andrewsdescribesas“newSouthwriters.”BarryHannah,a

prominentmemberofthisgroup,wasthedirectorofthecre-

ativewritingprogramandwasitswriter-in-residencefrom1983

untilhisrecentdeath.Othermembersofthisgroupwhomade

theirhomesinOxfordorstudiedunderHannahincludeLarry

Brown,JohnT.Edge,JackPendarvisandDonnaTartt.

Onceamonth,twowritersfromtheUniversityofMississippi’s

M.F.A.increativewritingprogramgiveaneveningreadingat

SquareBooks.Inadditiontoprovidinganopportunitytohave

anaudience,writersalsofindentréeintoasupportivecommu-

nityofotherwriters.

TheUniversityofMississippi’sEnglishandcreativewriting

departmentsalsohavehostedanynumberofvisitingwriters.

JohnGrishamandhiswifeRenéeboughtanddonatedtothe

universityahouseacrossthestreetfromWilliamFaulkner’s

homeRowanOaks.Thehousenowservesasaresidencefor

theRenéeandJohnGrishamWriter-in-Residence,ayear-long

opportunityforemergingauthorstolive,writeandteachin

Oxford.

Someofthesewritershaveevenstayedaftertheirtenure,

puttingdownmorepermanentrootsinthetown—nodoubtin

partbecauseofthesupportiveenvironmenttheyfindthere.

“Oxford is a town that recognizes the value of the written word.

People understand what writers do—the workflow, holing up

to write…This town celebrates writers. Writers matter as much

as musicians…they are like rock stars, “saysJohnT.Edge.Edge

37

mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues Red Hots & Deep Blues

isaJamesBeardAward-winningfoodwriter,andtheexecutive

directoroftheSouthernFoodwaysAlliance,anOxford-based

organizationdedicatedtodocumenting,studyingandcelebrat-

ingtheculinaryculturesoftheAmericanSouth.

Broadcasting Live from OxfordFortunatelyforliteraryenthusiastsacrossthestateandcountry,

youdon’thavetoliveinOxfordtoenjoytherosteroftalentthat

SquareBooksattracts.In1997RichardHoworthandtwopart-

nerslaunchedThackerMountainRadio,aliveandunrehearsed

radioshowbroadcasteachThursdayeveningthroughoutthe

fallandspring.Thirteenyearslater,theshowisanindepen-

dentnonprofitorganizationwiththreestaff,andahouseband,

thoughitisstillhostedattheOffSquareBookslocation.

Eachepisodefeaturesahandfulofauthorsandmusicians,as

wellassomecrossovertalent:musicianswhohavewritten

books,orwriterswhomoonlightasmusicians.Guestsread

fromtheirwork,performtheirmusic,talkabouttheirwork,or

tellstoriesinfrontofastanding-room-onlyaudienceofabout

200people.Inniceweather,audiencemembersspilloutonto

thesidewalk,formingacrowdthreeorfourpeopledeep.

ThelivebroadcastontheUniversityofMississippi’sRebelRadio

stationisrecordedandeditedforrebroadcastonMississippi

PublicBroadcastinginaprimetimespot.Inkeepingwiththe

times,theprogramcanbestreamedovertheInternet,making

itaccessibletoabroadernationalaudience.

AswiththevisitingauthorsatSquareBooks,ThackerMountain

Radioguestshaveincludedwell-knowntalent,touringmusi-

cians,andlocalauthors.Foraguestwhoiswellpreparedand

knowswhattoexpect,theexperienceisgreatbecause,accord-

ingtoRoberts,itistotallydifferentfromtheradiointerviewfor-

matthatauthorsareusedto.Perhapsthebestpartforthem,

shesuggests,istheaudience:“It’s a great audience—they are

attentive, forgiving, they send out good vibrations.”

WayneAndrewsoftheYoknapatawphaArtsCouncilsuggests

thatThackerMountainRadioisoneofthethingsthatmakes

Oxford’sentireartssceneunique—includingitsliteraryarts

universe.“[The arts scene here] is multilayered…it’s not in the

traditional silos. People are using technology to cultivate and

promote their work…and their work is being supported through

several avenues, including businesses like Square Books, Thacker

Mountain Radio, and some of the town’s restaurants.”

Literature as a Tourist AttractionWhilelessfrequentthanreadingsatSquareBooksandThacker

MountainRadioperformances,thetownofOxfordhoststwo

annualeventsfocusedontheliteraryarts.Theseeventsdraw

visitorsfromthroughoutthecountryandtheworld,making

literatureatouristattractioninOxford.

TheFaulknerandYoknatapawphaConferenceisanacademic

conferenceheldeveryJulysince1974andsponsoredbythe

CenterfortheStudyofSouthernCulture,aninterdisciplinary

centerattheUniversityofMississippi.Theeventdrawsschol-

arsfromaroundtheworldtotakepartinplenarysessionsand

paneldiscussionsonasubjectrelatedtoFaulkner;forexample,

thethemeforthe2010conferenceis“FaulknerandFilm.”

TheOxfordConferenceontheBookisanotherliteraryfestival,

borneoutofcollaborationbetweentheCenterfortheStudyof

SouthernCultureandSquareBooks.RichardHoworthinitially

approachedAnnAbadiewiththeideaofcreatingsomething

lessacademicandlessfocusedontheSouththantheFaulkner

conference,butthatwouldofferpeopletheexperienceofhear-

ingaboutliteratureinthetownFaulknermadefamous.

Nowinits17thyear,theOxfordConferenceontheBookoffers

threedaysfullofspeakers,paneldiscussions,writingwork-

shops,booksigningsandreadings,andaliterarytourofthe

38

Thacker Mountain Radio Performance, Oxford, MS


mCeDelta.Attendeesincludepeoplefromeveryimaginablepartof

thebroadlydefinedliteraryworld:fictionandnon-fictionwrit-

ers,poets,editors,agentsandpublicists,illustrators,songwrit-

ers,playwrights,andofcourse,readers.Thisyearasmallgrant

raisedbytheCenterfortheStudyofSouthernCulturewillbring

agroupofschoolchildrenandteachersfromtheDeltatothe

conferencetohearfiveauthorsofyoungadultandchildren’s

literatureread.

Abadiebelievesthattheconferencehasbeena“great success

from the beginning.” Whilesomemightseethisasabiased

viewgivenhercloseinvolvementinitsgenesis,onetestament

totheevent’ssuccessisitsabilitytoattractenoughgrantfund-

ingeachyear(withtheexceptionofone)tomaketheeventfree

andopentothepublic.

Andwhenthepublicleavestheyhaveabettersenseofhowthe

literaryartsarenotjustlimitedtothepage;theycanhaveareal

impactonthequalityoflifeofacommunity.

39

Rowanoke, Home of William Faulkner, Oxford, MS

Ce

The Hot Tamale Trail Taste Treat of the Delta

41

Hot Tamales served up from the Mississippi Delta


Ifyouwanttoknowwhyallthefussabouthottamales,here’s

whatyoudo.TakeatriptotheMississippiDelta–Leland,

Cleveland,Clarksdale,Greenville,Greenwood,oralltheway

downtoVicksburg-andmoseyintoSolly’s Hot Tamales,orDoe’s Eat Place,orJoe’s Hot Tamale Place (The White Front Café),sitdownandordertheHotTamales.

Theyareservedinbundlesofthree,butmostoftheTamale

businessistake-outbythedozen,packagedinatincan.When

theTamalesarrive,youhavealittleworktodo.Don’teatthe

CornHusksinwhichtheyareserved,butcarefullyuntiethe

bottomofthehusks,spreadthemout,andyoufacesome

spicybeeforporktoppedwithdeliciouscorndough.Digin!

Aren’ttheywonderful?Youwillbeeatingspicyshreddedmeat

flavoredwithchilipowder,paprika,groundcayennepepper,

onion,garlic,andcumin—plusseveralsecretspices.Chaseit

downwithacoldbeerandyouwillexperiencethetastesensa-

tionoftheDelta–hottamales.

How Did Hot Tamales Find Their Way To Mississippi?TamalescametobeaDeltafavoritesometimeintheearlyyears

ofthetwentiethcenturywhenHispaniclaborerscamefromto

theareatoworkthefields.TheMississippilaborersdiscovered

thatthecornhuskskeptthemeatwarmuntillunchtime,and

sooneveryonewaseating“hottamales.”Aftertheharvest,

thelaborerswentbackhome,andAfricanAmericansstarted

makingandthensellingtamalesbecauseoftheinexpensive

ingredients—someshreddedmeat,cornhusks,corndough,and

afewspices.NextcametheChicagoconnection.AfterWWII,

manyAfricanAmericansfromMississippimigratedtoChicagoin

searchofjobs.ThefoodcultureofChicagoincludedpushcarts

andstreetvendors,andsomeofthetransplantsbeganselling

tamalesonthestreet,outofshacks,andoutofstorefronts.

RobertStewart,ownerofStewart’sQuickMartinCleveland,

Mississippi,toldAmyEvans,oralhistorianfortheSouthern

FoodwaysAlliance,“We were in Chicago about twelve years. I

sold tamales all over Chicago. I couldn’t keep them.”

The Popularizing of Tamales in the DeltaDominickSigna,Jr.,(Doe)ownerofDoe’sEatPlaceinGreenville,

Mississippi,continuesthetamaletraditionthathisfatherstart-

ed.“I know why daddy and them basically did it; it was just

another way for them to make money, and pretty cheaply.

And then hot tamales just evolved around here. I mean, you

know, its just weird; it’s like barbecue in Memphis. I think

people like hot tamales in the Delta – it seems like anyhow.”

Doe’sEatPlacesells250dozentamalesaweek.JohnWil-

liams,Jr.,ownsJohn’sHomestyleHotTamalesinCleveland,

Mississippi.Heshipshistamalestootherrestaurantsinthe

Deltaandreportsthathemakes“thirty-five to forty dozen an

hour.”Thesethrivingrestaurantsrepresentanopportunity

forentrepreneurstoearnaliving,eveninareaswherejobs

arescarce.

The “Art” of Making TamalesEverychefismoreorlessanartist-inworkingwithhisor

herhandsandaddingalittleofthis,that,andtheother,in

whatisaverycreativeprocess.Thisiscertainlytrueforhot

tamales.AmyStreeterEvans’2005oralhistoriesdescribe

thecreativeprocessesofSignaofDoe’s,ownerinGreenville,

BarbaraPope,whorunsJoe’sHotTamalePlaceinRosedale,

andWilliams,ofJohn’sHomestyleHotTamalesinCleveland.

Signa’sgrandfatheremigratedfromItalyin1903andopened

anItalianCornerGroceryinGreenville.Signa’sfather

acquiredarecipeforhottamalesfromaco-workeratthe

GreenvilleAirBasein1941andbegansellinghottamalesto

theneighborhood.Today,Signacarriesonthetraditionhis

fatherstartedmanydecadesago,ensuringDoe’sEatPlaceis

42

Doe’s Eat Place, Greenville, MS

Photo courtesy of Hello Delta Photography


aculturalandculinaryiconoftheMississippiDelta.When

askedwheretherecipecamefrom,Signaresponded:“some-

body gave it to them… And they kind of modified it and took

away and added a little bit and this, that and the other and

that’s how they kind of got it like that.”

Whenaskedabouttherecipe,Signafirstexplainedthathe

switchedtoparchmentpaperfromthecornhusksbecause

“itholdsthetamalesalotfirmer,and“theywon’tboilout.”

WhenEvansaskedSignaifhewouldsharetherecipe,he

responded“No.ButIwilltellyouafunnystory.WhenI

wenttodaddyandtoldhimIwantedtogetmarried,hesaid

‘Nowlook,it’sfineyou’regettingmarriedandeverything,

butdon’ttellyourwifethehottamalerecipebecauseifshe

getsmadshemaymarrysomebodyelseandtheymaygo

makehottamales.’”

JoePope,theeldestoftenchildren,begansellinghottama-

lesinRosedaleinthe1970safterafriendsharedarecipe

withhim.Whenheretired,heopenedJoe’sHotTamale

Place,alsoknownasTheWhiteFrontCafé.Hisyoungest

sister,BarbaraPope,whoworkedathissideforsevenyears

fillingandrollingtamalesbyhand,tookoverthebusinessaf-

terJoediedin2004.Barbara,hersisters,andtheir97-year-

oldmothercanstillbefoundatTheWhiteFront,cooking

andsellingthesamehottamalesthatJoemadefamous.It

wasjustaweekbeforeJoediedthathesharedtherecipe

withBarbaraandhersister.Inthewinter,theymake160

dozenperweek,butinthesummertheymakeasmanyas

400dozen.Barbaraexplained“mostofthetimeIcookon

TuesdaysandThursdays—themeatandinbetweenthose

daywerollthetamales.Wecook,webuythemeat,wecut

itourselves,wegroundourownmeat.”Barbaraisproud

thattheyhavestayedwiththeshucks,notparchmentpaper,

because,withthepaper,“there’stoomuchgreaseinside.”

Thereciperemainsasentimentallyandeconomicallyvalued

familysecret,remainingtightlyheldinfamilies.Barbarahas

turneddownseveralofferstoselltherecipe.

JohnWilliams,Jr.,cousintothelateJoePopeofRosedale,

grewupeatinghottamalesatJoe’sHotTamalePlace.He

openedJohn’sHomestyleHotTamalesinCleveland,Missis-

sippi,in1999afterlosinghismanufacturingjob.Withhisson

anddaughterathisside,Williamsfillsandrollsaboutforty

dozenshuck-wrappedtamalesanhour.Hecreditshisvolume

tohisproductionprocessexperienceinmanufacturing.He

hopestoeventuallystandardizehisrecipetomanufactureand

sellJohn’sHotTamalesacrossthecountry.Johnisproudof

theflavorinhistamales.“There’sflavorthroughout.Itstarts

withtheshuck.IspiceupmymeatandthenwhenIgetready

tocookit,it’salreadyspicedup.Youhavetocookthedough

afteryouwrapit.Williamsstressesa“well-balancedflavor

whereyoudon’thaveoneingredientoverridinganotherone.

Yourtastebudstellyouifit’sjustright.Anditneedstohavea

kicktoit,becauseyou’recallingitahottamale.”

Thesethreechef-artistsaretypicalofthedozensofhottamale

placesintheDelta.Theidiosyncraticcharacterofeachofthese

family-runrestaurantscontributestothemystiqueandfunof

eatinghottamalesinMississippi.

Promoting the Culinary Arts and Foodway Traditions

ThisuniquecharacteristicofMississippilendsitselftobe

promotedassomethingfortouriststoexperience.In1990

FrankCarltonorganizedthefirstWorldChampionshipHot

TamaleContest,nowheldeachJulyinGreenvilleaspartof

theWashingtonCountyConventionCenter’sFoodFestival.

Eachentrant’shottamalesarejudgedonflavor,appear-

ance,texture,andoverallimpression.Thewinnersreceive

trophies,cashprizes,andtherighttobrag.

In2006,TheSouthernFoodwaysAlliance,partoftheCenter

fortheStudyofSouthernCultureattheUniversityofMissis-

sippi,inpartnershipwithVikingRangeCorporation,estab-

lishedTheHotTamaleTrail.Itfeaturesmorethan15Tamale

EateriesonitswebsiteandoffersaguidedtourofTheHot

TamaleTrailfor$75.AmyEvansStreeter,theOralHistorian

fortheSouthernFoodwaysAlliance,produced15award-

winningOralHistoriesbyinterviewingtheproprietorsofthe

tamalerestaurants.

TheSouthernFoodwaysAlliance,foundedin1999,promotes

theculinaryartsand,inadditiontotheMississippiDelta

HotTamaleTrail,alsodevelopedtheSouthernBBQTrail,

theSouthernBoudinTrail,andtheSouthernGumboTrail.

StreeterexplainsthattheSouthernFoodwaysAllianceaims

to“to document, celebrate, and teach about the foodways of

43


the south.” Theypublishsouthernrecipesandanewsletter,

hostawebsite,andhavepublishedfourcookbooks.Streeter

says“We highlight culinary events to celebrate, and in some

cases, help to develop new events.”Streeterbelievesthat

culinarytourismisaveryimportantpartofthetourism

industry.“We help people plan a driving trip through Missis-

sippi, which is so valuable to our economy.”

Gastro-tourismAstheBabyBoomersreachretirementage,itisnowthese

retireeswhohavetheleisuretimeandthefinancialresourc-

estotravelandbecometourists.Andthesetouristsdon’t

wanttogotoDisneylandoranotheramusementpark;they

wanttoexperiencesomethingunique.Theyarelookingfor

an“experience,”notabreathlessadventure.Soculinary

tourismbecomesmoreattractiveandmoreimportant.

Thoseover60whogotoNewOrleansmayneversetfoot

onBourbonStreet,buttheywillchasedownsomeofthe

dozensofamazingrestaurants.IfatouristcomestoMissis-

sippitolistentothebluesandvisitantebellumhomes,they

wanttoeatwellandsampleregionalfarelikethehottamale

celebratedbyMississippibluesman,RobertJohnson.

Hot tamales and they’re red hot,

yes she got’em for sale


yes she got’em for sale

She got two for a nickel, got four for a dime

Would sell you more, but they ain’t none of mine


yes she got’em for sale, I mean

Yes, she got’em for sale, yes, yeah


44

Peavey ElectronicsTaking Rock N’ Roll Global

45

Peavey Electronics, Meridian, MS


FewpeoplehaveinfluencedthemusicindustrylikeHart-

leyPeavey.Hiscompany,PeaveyElectronics,isaleading

manufacturerofelectronicinstrumentsandamplifications

systems.ThePeaveyguitarclientlistreadslikeamajor

recordlabel,withtopartistslikeShaniaTwainandDuran

Duran.PeaveysystemscanbeheardattheSydneyOpera

House,theGrandOleOpry,andmanyotherinternational

culturalinstitutions.

YoumightexpectamusicindustrygiantlikePeaveytocome

fromabigmusiccitylikeLosAngeles,Nashville,orNewYork.

Butforthisgloballeader,homeisMeridian,Mississippi,the

citythatactuallygavebirthtoPeavey’srockandrolldreams.

Itwasa1957concertthatalteredhislife.Only15yearsold

atthetime,HartleyPeaveydrovetothenearbytownofLau-

reltohearthegreatBoDiddley.Thenandtheresomething

changedinyoungPeavey,andhebelievedhewasdestined

forrockandrollgreatness.

ThesoundofBoDiddley’slegendaryguitarawokethisnew

passion,andPeaveyfelthiscallingwastoplaytheelectric

guitaraswellasthemanwhoinspiredhim.Asitturnsout,

theaspiringmusicianwaspartlyright.

AtthetimePeavey’sfatherownedasmallmusicstorein

Meridianandwaswaryofhisson’srockandrolldreams.It

wasn’tsomuchthattheelderPeaveydislikedrockandroll

musicasitwasthathehadseentoomanyelectricguitars

returnedtohisstorebyparentswhosechildrenhadquickly

abandonedtheirrockandrolldreams.TheelderPeavey

triedtomakeadealwithhisson.Hecouldgetanelectric

guitarassoonasheactuallylearnedhowtoplaytheguitar.

Hartleygaveithisbest,buthistalentsfellfarshortofhis

father’shopes.

Sincehisfatherwouldnotbeofassistance,Peaveyknewthe

onlyoptionwastomakehisownelectricguitar,andheset

aboutcraftingonewithsteelstrings,aspareacousticguitar,

andsomeelectricalwiring.Oncetheguitarwasassembled,

Peaveyhadtofindawaytoamplifythesoundandgetthe

samevolumeandqualitythatBoDiddleywasabletoget.

Usingthesameingenuitythatheusedtomaketheguitar,

Peaveywentaboutthetaskofdesigningandmakinganam-

plifier.Afterweeksofexperimentation,Peavey’shomemade

amplifierbecameareality.

Althoughhedidnotrealizeitatthetime,thiswasthebegin-

ningofPeaveyElectronics’successinthemusicindustry.In

spiteofgivinguphisdreamofperforming,Peaveywould

helprevolutionizetheguitarindustryandthesoundofam-

plifiedandelectricmusic.PeaveyElectronicsbeganin1965

asoneman’sattempttocreatethehighestqualityproduct

atanaffordableprice.Inthebasementofhisfamilyhome,

Peaveyfocusedmostintensivelyontheamplifiers.He

“would build one amplifier a week, go out and sell it, come

back and start on another one.”

PeaveyElectronicshascontinuedtogrowsinceitsearlydays

throughanongoingcommitmenttoinnovation,tocreating

new,costeffectivesystemsthatservetheneedsofanevolv-

ingrecordingindustry.

Inadditiontothemusicindustry,Peaveyidentifiednew

industrieswheretechnologywouldberelevant.Herealized

thatdespitestrongcompetitionformusicamplifiers,there

wereonlyafewhigh-pricedproductsforpublicaddress

systemsthatweregrowinginpopularity.Peaveydecided

thathismusicamplifierscouldbealteredintoamoreafford-

ablepublicaddresssystem.Thisdecisionmarkedamajor

developmentinPeaveyElectronics,anditbuiltuponits

corecompetenciesinmakingmusicamplifierstomeetthe

growingneedforaudioservicesinentertainmentandother

industries.

46

Hartley Peavey, Founder of Peavey Electronics


Peavey’s ImpactTodayPeaveyElectronicsisanindisputablegiantinthe

industry.Thecompanycontinuestoproducesomeofthe

mostpopularelectricguitars,amplifiers,speakers,electronic

keyboards,andotherelectronicaudio-enhancementequip-

ment.Thecompany’sproductlinesincludeseveralseriesof

bassguitars,anumberofdifferentelectricguitars,aswellas

microphones,mixers,publicaddresssystems,andamplifiers.

Italsoproducesaccessories,suchascables,bags,straps,

tubers,andspeakerstands.

Thecompany’simpactandinfluenceonthemusicandsound

systemindustryisextraordinary.PeaveyElectronicswas

thefirsttoproduceguitarsusingaComputerNumerically

Controlled(CNC)machine.Otherpeoplethoughthewas

crazy,thathecouldn’t“machine”aguitarandgettheright

precisionandtolerances.Atthattimethemaincompetitors,

GibsonandFender,weremakingguitarsstrictlybyhand.

Nonetheless,usingCNCequipmentcutdownonthecostsof

makingtheguitarswhilemaintainingtheprecisionneeded

tomakeagoodqualityproduct.Now,electricguitarsarees-

sentiallymadethisway.Peaveysettheindustrystandard.

Thecompany’sMediaMatrixsystemwasthefirstcomputer-

aideddesignedandcontrolledaudiosystem,andithasset

theworldstandardforaudiosound.Thesystemisinuse

inmorethan5,000transportationfacilities,themeparks,

sportsstadiums,andcasinos.Peaveysoundsystemshave

beenincorporatedintothenewShanghaiairportandwere

theprimarysystemusedintheBeijingOlympics.Peavey

alsohasanewproductlineofsoftwareandothersarein

thepipeline.Oneprogramallowstheconsumertoimitatea

rangeofdifferentsoundsthatcreatesavirtualband.

Morethan2000Peaveyproductsnowaredistributedin136

countries.And,inordertomoreeffectivelycompeteinthe

globalmarket,PeaveyElectronicshasestablishedaninter-

nationalproductionanddistributionsystemin33facilities

acrosstheUnitedStates,Canada,England,andNetherlands.

Throughoutthisperiodofexplosiveinternationalgrowth,

PeaveyElectronicscontinuestomaintainitsinternational

headquartersinMeridian.PeaveyElectronicsisthetenth

largestmanufacturerinMississippi,withmorethanamillion

squarefeetofwarehouseandmanufacturingspace.

Peavey’s Creative ApproachPeaveyhasmorethan180patentsforthedesignofmusical

instruments,audiosystemsandenablingtechnologiesthat

givethesesystemssuchauniquesound.Thislevelofin-

novationisaresultoftheprocessheusestoconceiveofand

designhisproductsandthewaythecompanyapproaches

themarket.

AsPeaveysaid,“We listen to our customers and what they

want and need, and then we find creative ways to meet

those needs in a timely fashion and at a price that they can

afford. In order to survive in this industry, this is what you

have to do. You have to build a solid foundation that gives

you flexibility and an ability to be creative. If you don’t have

that, nothing else matters.”

Hartleysurroundshimselfwiththebestpeoplehecanfind.

Heprovidesthesparkandservesastheinspiration.Hethen

bringsinindustrialengineers,productdesigners,software

people,programmers,aswellasmechanicalandelectrical

engineersintothediscussion.“They all argue about the de-

signs, the electronics, the systems for building a product, and

at some point, it all becomes clear. Basically, we come up

with the products by talking it through, pushing the envelope

and by trying to be as creative as we can.”

Anexampleofhowthiscreativeprocesscomestogether

involvesthedobro.Mostdobrosareacoustic,butHartley

thoughtthat,liketheguitar,thedobrocouldbeanelectronic

instrument.Heinitiallystartedontheideaofdesigningan

electricdobroonhisown,sketchingouthisdesignconcepts

47

Hartley Peavey showcases his products


Hartley Peavey showcases his products

andprinciplesandtryingtofigureouthowthestrapscould

beconfiguredsothattheplayercouldwearitoverhisneck

(thewaydobrosareplayed).Atacertainjuncture,thepro-

cesswasturnedovertohisdesignersandengineers.They

tooktheinitialworkandtransformeditbyaddingafewkey

designsandstructuralimprovements.Theresultwasyetan-

otherproductlineinthelonglistofPeaveymusicalproducts.

AnotherimportantbusinessstrategyforPeaveyisvertical

integration.Thecompanydesignsandmakesallitneedsto

manufactureandsellproductsin-house.Hartleysaidthat

hecouldhaveoutsourcedtheproductionofsomeofthe

componentpartsofhisamplifiers,butchosetodevelopthe

skillswithinthecompany.Asaresult,“we had to learn how

to design and make our own chassis, our own circuit boards,

and eventually everything else in-house. And, while we

thought it was a tremendous disadvantage… we discovered

that it was the best that could have happened.”

The FutureInrecentyearsPeaveyhastalkedofchallengeshefacesrun-

ningadesignandtechnology-drivenbusinessintheheartof

Mississippi.

WhilePeaveywouldliketokeepthecompanyheadquarters

andmanufacturinginMeridian,heisoftenforcedtolook

outsideofMississippitofindqualifiedandmotivatedengi-

neers,productdesigners,andcomputerprogrammers.Just

ashedemonstratedindustriousnessinthefaceofprevious

businesschallenges,Peaveyhasappliedhisowncreative

solutionstohelpbuildrelevantskillsamongMeridian’sresi-

dents.Inordertohaveenoughskilledemployees,Peavey

helpedestablishajobtrainingprogramatMeridian

CommunityCollege.

Despitehisunwaveringcommitmenttoimprovingeconomic

conditionsinMississippiandMeridian,Peaveyfeelsthatoth-

ersinthisindustrywillhavetohelpthestatecreatemoreof

acultureofeducationalinvestment.Hepointsinparticular

tostatepolicymakerswhomPeaveysuggestsmustaggres-

sivelyinvestinhigh-leveljobtrainingprogramsandskill

development.

GiventheoriginsofPeaveyElectronics,HartleyPeavey

knowsthepowerthatanearlyloveofartandmusiccan

haveinshapingachild’sfuture.AndhebelievesinMissis-

sippi.“People ask me why Mississippi and I say, where do

you think rock and roll was born?”


48

Pearl River Community CollegeHelping Mississippians Reach Their Creative Potential

49

Pearl River Community College Campus, Poplarville, MS


Pearl River Community College PearlRiverCommunityCollege(PRCC),whichcantraceits

rootsbackto1909whenitwasacountyagriculturalschool,

isitselfpartofthestate’sculturalheritageandhistory.The

collegemaintainsamuseuminthe62-year-oldHancockHall

thathouses,amongotherthings,NativeAmericanartifacts,a

timelineofthecollege’shistory,adormroomasitwasinthe

1940s,andaroomdedicatedtothecollege’smusictradition.

EvenHurricaneKatrina,whichdecimatedthecampus,dam-

agingmostofitsbuildings,couldnottakeawayitsheritage.

In1921,thecollegebecameMississippi’sfirstpubliclyfunded

two-yearcollege,and,ashortlyafter;itbecamepartofthe

nation’sfirstsystemof“junior”colleges.Thecollege’smain

campusisinPoplarville,whichhasapopulationofabout

2,600andisonly18milesfromtheLouisianastateline.

OvertheyearsPRCC,alongwithMississippi’sothercommu-

nitycolleges,hasbeenamajorforceinthestate’stransition

fromanagriculturalstatetoonethatistodayhometonu-

merousadvancedmanufacturingbusinesses.Bythe1980s,

thecollegewassupportingthetechnologyandskillneeds

forthestate’smodernizingmanufacturingbase.Butwith

acceleratingautomationandglobalcompetition,theregion’s

dependenceontraditionalmanufacturinghasdiminished

some,andmanyofthereplacementjobsandentrepreneur-

ialopportunitiesdependoncreativity,eitherasamarketable

productoranamenitytoattracttalentedpeople.

Thenumberofpeoplecallingthemselvesartistsofperform-

ersmorethandoubledbetweenthe1990and2000census.

PearlRiverCommunityCollegeisbeginningtopositionitself

forsuchatransition.

Theschoolhasdevelopedastatewidereputationinath-

letics,especiallyfootball,whereanumberofgraduates

havegoneontoplayprofessionally.Yetwithinthestate,

withitsemphasisandsuccessinbothathleticprowessand

industrialdevelopment,thecollegehasalsodevelopedan

artisticside—throughitsfinearts,appliedartsindesign,and

nascentfilmprogram.

Investing in Fine ArtsThecollege’sFineArtsprogram,chairedbyArchieRawls,

offersanAssociateofArtsdegreeintendedprimarilyforstu-

dentsintendingtogoontoabaccalaureatedegree.About

100studentsareenrolledinthedegreeprogram,which

includesvisualarts,musicalensembles,andtheater.

ThecollegeexpectstobreakgroundonthenewEthelHold-

en-BrownstoneCenterfortheArtsinthefirsthalfof2011.

Thisnewcenter,supportedmainlybythewillofformer

graduateEthelHolden-BrownstonebutalsobytheMissis-

sippiArtsCommissionshouldopensometimein2012.

Thevisualartscurriculumincludescoursesindrawing,paint-

ingandwatercolors,twodimensiondesignincolorand

composition,andaspecialstudiosprogramthatincludes

stonecutting,jewelry,andmetalwork.Oncethenew

centerisbuilt,thecollegewilladdceramicsandgraphic

artscourses.Enrollmentsarewayupinthearts.Instructor

CharleenNullhasseenenrollmentsleapfrom67students,

whenshearrivedabout15yearsago,toalmost200today.

Poplarvillehasalargenumberofartistsandgalleriesfor

acityofitssize,butitsproximitytotheGulfCoast(ahalf

houraway)andNewOrleans(littlemorethananhouraway)

providesstudentsexposuretoalargebaseofworkingartists

andartmarkets.

Null’sstudentsrangefromhighschooldualenrollmentsto

studentsintheir50sand60s.Somehavenotcompleted

highschoolandupto10percentalreadyhaveabaccalaure-

50

The Fine Arts program at Pearl River Community College


atedegree.Mosttransferintofour-yearfineartsprograms

atDeltaStateUniversity,MississippiStateUniversity,andthe

UniversityofMississippi,andsomeleavethestate.

Thosethatdon’ttransfertofineartsmoveintocomputer

graphics,photography,ortheever-popularteachingcareer.

Themusicalensembleprogramsarealsoquitepopular.But

withanopenenrollmentpolicy,attritioninmusicishighover

thecourseoftheprogramandonlyabouthalfcompletetheir

baccalaureate—generallybecausetheirexpectationswereun-

realistic.Applicantsmayhavesunginachurchchoirorschool

chorusandbeentoldtoenrollbecausetheyhadanicevoice

butcan’treadmusicanddidn’trealizethelevelofacademic

requirementsandhoursofpracticethey’dface.

Studentshavemanyopportunitiestoperformintheregion,

thoughstudentstakepartinthreevocalensembles,three

concertensembles(concert,march,andjazz),atheatergroup,

andvariousothervocal,brass,woodwind,andpercussion

groups.Thesegroupsperformregularlyattheschoolandin

thecommunity.Thecollegelostitsauditorium—locatedin

MoodyHall,theoldestbuildingonanytwo-yearcollegecam-

pusinthestate—duringKatrina’s135mileperhourwinds.

Sincethen,performershavebeenforcedtofindalternative

venueswherevertheycould,includingchapelsandcafes.

Thevastmajorityofthoseinmusicortheaterwhodocom-

pletetheireducationgointoteachinginMississippiintheir

field,notintoperformancecareers,althoughsomecontinue

toperformandsupplementtheirincomes.

Thefineartsarealsoanelectiveinmostotherprograms,and

about1,000studentsfromotherprograms—manyintechnical

andcommercialfields—doenrollinthefinearts,asappre-

ciationcoursestofulfilltheirhumanitiesrequirement.This

broaderexposurecanhelpbuilddemandforthearts.

Television and Film Production - An Opportunity Waiting in the WingsPearlRiveristhestate’sfirstandonlycommunitycollegeto

teachfilmandTVproductiondespitethenewincentivesto

attractfilmcompaniestothestate.Thecatalystforthispro-

gram,infact,wasnotmarketdemandbutaprogramcalled

“HealthyPeopleNow.”Thecollege’snursingprogramand

RonHagueinthecollege’spublicrelationsofficepartnered

todevelopvideosforK-12studentsonwellness.Witha

grantfromafoundation,thecollegewasabletoupgradeits

videoequipmenttoproduce12videosayear.

Basedontheenthusiasmandcompetenceofthestudents

workingonthevideosandthesuccessofLouisiana’sfilm

industry,Haguesawanopportunitytoexpandtheprogram.

Ifsuccessful,Mississippimightbebetterpositionedtowork

fromacrosstheLouisianaborderandfurtherdevelopits

ownfilmindustry.

Haguewasquicktopointoutthatthisisnotaprogramor

evenacourse,bothofwhichrequirestateapproval,and

Mississippidoesnothaveatwo-yearprogramonfilm,even

asthesecondarysystemisstartingapprovedprograms.This,

infact,isonlythesecondyearofthisone-hour,nontransfer-

ablecreditcourse.Theagesofthetwelvestudentsinthe

programrangefrom18to29,includingonestudentwho

previouslyhadstudiedattheNewYorkFilmAcademy.

Moststudentsinterestedincontinuingtheirstudiesinfilm,

however,willlookoutofstate,to,forexample,theUniver-

sityofNewOrleans(UNO)ortootherstates.Thisyear,two

orthreestudentswillmostlikelytransfertoUNO.TheUni-

versityofSouthernMississippiistheonlyfour-yearschool

inthestatewithfilmprograms,butthecommunitycollege

coursecreditswon’ttransferthere.

Someofthestudentsarealsolikelytotakepositionsinthe

state’stelevisionindustry.Theprogramhasworkingrela-

tionshipswithtwonearbyTVstationsandisseekingsupport

tocoverlivingexpensesthatwouldallowstudentstointern

atMississippiPublicBroadcasting,headquarteredinJackson.

51

Students perform at Pearl River Community College


Studentswillhaveonlyfourcreditswhentheycompletethe

two-yearprogram,butthey’llhaveabout24professional

shoots,a10-30minutethesisfilm,andsummerwork—gener-

allyinLouisiana—toputtogetherastarterportfoliothatcan

givethemafootholdintheindustry.PRCCalsoorganizesafilm

festivalinHattiesburg,whichtakesplaceinApril.Creatingop-

portunitiesforstudentstobuildtheirresumesandmeetothers

intheindustryiscriticallyimportant.AccordingtoHague,suc-

cessdependsonconnectionsandon“what’sinyourresume.”

JulianBensonisatypicalstudentintheprogram.Anative

ofHattiesburg,hewasdrawntotheprogramafterahome

schoolededucationdespiteitslackoftransferabilitybecause,

ashesaid,“I’mafilmmajorthroughandthrough”and“Iwant

tomakemovies.”PRCCishelpinghimfulfillhisdreambygiving

himneededskillsandhelpinghimdevelophisportfolio.The

firstyear,hesaid,islearningwhatittakestoworkonacrew,

theneedforteamworkandtherealizationthatyoucan’tdo

everythingbyyourself.Inyeartwotheygetintoproduction,

includingafilmedthesis.

Benson,atage19,hasarealisticsenseofwhatitwilltaketo

makefilmacareer,andrightnowhedoubtsthatthiscanhap-

peninMississippi.HeplanstotransfertotheUniversityofNew

Orleansandthengowheretheworktakeshim,hopefullyinthe

South.Healsohashighhopesthatthestatewillbegintodraw

moreproductioncompaniesbecausehewouldliketocomeback.

Mississippiisbeginningtorealizethattogetthemostfromits

effortstoattractfilmproduction,thestateneedsaworkforce

withtheskills,knowledge,andexperiencestofillthemanypo-

sitionsneededtomakeamovie—thegrips,gaffers,bestboys,

stylists,andothercrewmembers.

TheMississippiFilmCommissioniscurrentlyworkingwiththe

state’sworkforcedevelopmentprogramtodevelopprograms

thatithopestopilotatcommunitycollegesinthefall.These

shortprogramsofaweekortwowouldhelpprepareMissis-

sippiansforasmanyofthe“trade”positionsassociatedwith

thefilmindustryaspossible,suchastheproductionassistants

andgripsthatcanbetrainedinanywherefromtwodaysto

twoweeks.Theeffortisstillintheearlystages,astheylook

forconsultantsanddevelopthecurriculum.Thesejobs,of

course,areshorttermandoftenfreelance,soindividualswho

workintheseareaswouldrequireastreamofmoviesmadein

stateortheywouldneedtobewillingtotraveltosurrounding

statestomakealivablewage.

Astructuredprogramthatprovidedmoretechnicalskills,such

asediting,andgreaterdepthinhowtheindustryworksmight

providesteadieremployment,butsuchprogramsarenotyet

availableinthestate’scollegesoruniversities.Universityof

SouthernMississippihasthestrongestfilmprogram,butit’s

aimedmoreatfilmmakingthantherelatedtechnologies.

PRCC’sPresidentDr.WilliamLewisbelieves“there’spotential

toturnthisintoafull-blown”program….oncethebudgetcrisis

isover.”Graduatescaneasilyreachtheburgeoningfilmindus-

tryacrosstheLouisianaborderaswellasbuildMississippi’s

owncapacityintheindustry,butcurrentbudgetconstraints

makeitdifficulttodevelopnewprograms.

Expandingtheprogramsto,forexample,matchthoseoffered

atPiedmontCommunityCollegeinNorthCarolina,Howard

CommunityCollegeinMaryland,orValenciaCommunityCol-

legeinFloridawouldgivethestatealegupinbuildingthefilm

andmediasectorsofitscreativeeconomy.Hagueishoping

forresourcesfromprivatesourcestobeabletoimprovetheir

equipment,possiblyaddingabettereditingbay,whichcould

taketheprogramtothenextlevel.

52

Students perform

at Pearl River

Community College


Embedding Arts and Design in the CurriculaAlthoughthecollegehasnooccupationalprogramsaimed

atpreparingstudentsforcreativeoccupations,manypro-

gramshavecoursesthatgivestudentsachancetoexplore

theircreativity.TheBusiness,Marketing,andManagement

degreeprogram,forexample,includesafour-hourcourseon

“visualmerchandising.”Studentslearnbothone-andthree-

dimensionaldesignand,throughtheprogram’stwodisplay

windows,theycreatethemeddesignsforvariousproducts.By

theend,studentshaveaportfoliooftheirdesignsthatcanbe

showntopotentialemployersorcustomers.Unfortunately,

theprogram’soccupationalcoursesarenotacceptedforcredit

intheInteriorDesignprogramatthenearbyUniversityof

SouthernMississippi,aresultofastatepolicythatprohibits

transferofoccupationalcoursestoanyspecializedfour-year

degreeprogram.

StudentsintheDraftingandDesigndegreeprogramcourses

alsohaveachancetobe“creative”intheirarchitecturecourse

whenaskedtodesignaphysicalstructureandina“special

projects”course.Butforthemostpart,designisaimedat

workinginindustryonprescribeddesigns.

Finally,thecollegealsooffersthemoretraditionalprograms

infineartandcommunicationsandnewerprogramsinweb

designandgraphicdesign.

Overall,theadministrationrecognizesandvaluesthecontribu-

tionofartandculturetoitscommunitiesandsupportsitwith

education—mainlyasapathwayintosomethingthatrequires

moreeducation.

53

mississippi’s creative economy Cemscreativeeconomy.com/docs/vignettes.pdf · Imagine today’s...

Documents

Transcript of mississippi’s creative economy Cemscreativeeconomy.com/docs/vignettes.pdf · Imagine today’s...