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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
“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
Red Hots & Deep Blues mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
“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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
“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
Red Hots & Deep Blues mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
“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.
mCe Red Hots & Deep Blues mississippi’s creative economy
20
Southern Miss dance program
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
Red Hots & Deep Blues mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
“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
Photo courtesy of Frank Ezelle
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
Photo courtesy of Frank Ezelle
mCe Red Hots & Deep Blues mississippi’s creative economy
30
Luxury and Revitalization in the DeltaViking Range Leads the Charge
in Greenwood
31
Viking Range Corporation, Greenwood, MS
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
Red Hots & Deep Blues
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!”
mCe Red Hots & Deep Blues mississippi’s creative economy
34
The Word from OxfordHow the Literary Arts Continue
to Shape a Community
35
The Literary Arts Tradition, Oxford, MS
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
Hot tamales and they’re red hot,
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
Hot tamales and they’re red hot,
yes she got’em for sale, I mean
Yes, she got’em for sale, yes, yeah
mCe Red Hots & Deep Blues mississippi’s creative economy
44
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
Red Hots & Deep Blues
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?”
mCe Red Hots & Deep Blues mississippi’s creative economy
48
Pearl River Community CollegeHelping Mississippians Reach Their Creative Potential
49
Pearl River Community College Campus, Poplarville, MS
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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.
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Students perform at Pearl River Community College
Red Hots & Deep Blues mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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.
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Students perform
at Pearl River
Community College
mCe mississippi’s creative economy Red Hots & Deep Blues
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.
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