Mississippi Humanities Council

Native American Days 2019
2019-10-09 00:00 - 2019-10-11 00:00 (America/Chicago) | Winterville Mounds Park and Museum, 2415 Highway 1 North, Greenville, MS, 38703, United States
Native American Days 2019 connects contemporary southeastern Native American traditions to their pre-Columbian past through archaeology.
There will be 10 demonstration stations administered by Native Americans and/or other experts in traditional arts and crafts, including basketry, pottery, ancient games, mound building, archery, flint knapping, music and dance, primitive fishing, and herbal medicines. Native American food will be available for purchase.
October 9 and 11, 2019 -2p.m.
October 10, 2019 – 8p.m.

Graphic Novels and Cartoons across the Humanities
2019-10-07 - 2019-10-12 | University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi presents a week-long conference that incorporates graphic novels and cartoons from a plethora of humanities disciplines such as Philosophy and Religion, Art/Art History, Classics, Writing and Rhetoric, African American Studies, Southern Studies, Political Science, and the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies.
The conference will feature a week-long itinerary intended for the local Lafayette- Oxford- University communities as well as state-wide attendees. The schedule includes dedicated ‘reading rooms’ at the University and public libraries; various book clubs, movie nights, art exhibits, two workshops, and a weekend conference with renowned scholars and artists.

Hawkins v. Shaw: Wade Through the Waters
2019-10-05 15:00 - 16:30 | McEvans Elementary School, 601 Highway 61 N, Shaw, MS, 38773
The Shaw Civil Rights Project presents Wade Through the Waters, a play about Civil Rights. Performance takes place at McEvans school in Shaw, MS.

Mississippi Writers Trail: Elizabeth Spencer
2019-10-05 10:00 - 17:00 | Merrill Museum, jackson st., Carrollton, MS, 38917
Mississippi author Elizabeth Spencer will be honored at the Carrollton Pilgrimage & Pioneer Day Festival on Saturday, October 5th with the unveiling of a new Mississippi Writers Trail marker. Unveiling will take place in front of the Merrill Museum on the old Courthouse Square at 10am.

Ideas on Tap Biloxi: The Future of Public Education in Mississippi
2019-09-30 17:30 - 19:00 | Biloxi Visitors Center, 1050 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, 39530, United States
On September 30, join the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Phil Hardin Foundation in Biloxi at the Biloxi Visitors Center for the first in a special two-part Ideas on Tap series on public education in the state.
The free program will feature an ideologically diverse panel of education policy experts to discuss different approaches to improving public schools. Panelists include Rachel Canter (Mississippi First), Nancy Loome (The Parents’ Campaign), and Grant Callen (Empower Mississippi) MHC executive director Dr. Stuart Rockoff will moderate.
A follow-up program that addresses public education in Biloxi will take place on October 15. Both programs are part of a larger yearlong series on public education in communities around the state.
As always, snacks and great conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage
2019-09-30 | Fowlkes Auditorium, 198 Lee Blvd., Mississippi State, 39762
“UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage,” a first-of-its-kind multi-media installation, is opening next week at Mississippi State’s Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery.
Displayed Sept. 30-Nov. 1 on the second floor of MSU’s Welcome Center, the exhibition is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Humanities Council, National Endowment for the Humanities, Mississippi Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, and The Criss Trust. Co-organizers are the Department of Art in MSU’s College of Architecture, Art and Design, and the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences. Created during summer 2017, “UNPACKED” features the work of Syrian-born artist and architect Mohamad Hafez and Iraqi-born writer and speaker Ahmed Badr.
Gallery viewing hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and a public reception for the exhibition will be held Sept. 30 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the same location.
Sept. 30, 10 a.m., Fowlkes Auditorium in Colvard Student Union, “Communicating Migrant Identity” panel discussion featuring Hafez; Jenna Altomonte, assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Art; Milena A. Melo, assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures; and Keith Moser, professor in MSU’s Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures.

Historic Rose Hill Cemetery Costumed Tour
2019-09-28 10:00 - 21:00 | Rose Hill Cemetery, 631 40th Avenue, Meridian, MS, 39307
Rose Hill Company of Players dress in period costume and tell the documented stories of those buried in the cemetery.

SB: Archie Who and Why? The Story and Significance of a Mississippi Icon
2019-09-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Sharkey Issaquena County Library, 116 Robert Morganfield Way, Rolling Fork, MS, 39159
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mississippi had a serious case of “Archie Fever.” University of Mississippi quarterback and Drew native Archie Manning took the state and much of the country by storm with his legendary exploits on the gridiron and his “all-American” persona off the field. At the Archie Manning Day celebration on February 27, 1971, Gov. John Bell Williams congratulated Manning for all of his success and thanked him for bringing the “hero-age” back, stating, “I thank him for giving this generation of America back to the young and old.” Lamont Wilson, the Mississippi postal worker who wrote the lyrics to “The Ballad of Archie Who,” called the redheaded signal caller “the best thing to happen to our great state of Mississippi in my life.” This talk explores the Archie Manning phenomenon by telling the story of one of Mississippi’s greatest sports legends and by placing his life within the context of 1960s and 1970s Mississippi. To understand why “Archie Fever” gripped the state when it did, we must understand who Archie Manning was and how his story fit into the broader political, social and cultural context of his times.
Speakers Expertise:
Dr. Charles Westmoreland Jr. teaches history at Delta State University. His expertise is in modern Southern history with an emphasis on the role of religion in public life and politics.

Let Us March On: Lee Friedlander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
2019-09-24 18:00 - 19:00 | Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, 1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS, 39217, United States
Let Us March On: Lee Friedander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom is a documentary photography exhibition that details the events and people who participated in one of the first mass protests of the modern civil rights movement in 1957. The exhibition will run at Jackson State from August 5 to November 1, 2019, and it will be featured at three major events including the opening reception of the 2019 Association of African American Museums meeting at JSU on August 7, a roundtable student discussion on September 10, a panel discussion on September 24, and a gallery talk by Eric Etheridge on October 29, 2019.

Ideas on Tap: Who Gets to Be American:
2019-09-24 17:30 - 19:00 | Hal & Mal’s, 200 Commerce Street, Jackson, MS, 39201, United States
On September 24, join the Mississippi Humanities Council at Hal and Mal’s in Jackson for the first in a three-part series on immigration and American identity.
The September 24 program will focus on the history of immigration and naturalization in the U.S. in order to help us better understand who gets to be an American. The program will feature small group discussions of key historical moments in our national debate over naturalization and immigration with help from facilitators Noel Didla, Dr. Stuart Rockoff, L Patricia Ice, and others.
As always, snacks and great conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

Ideas on Tap Meridian: The Future of Public Education in Mississippi
2019-09-19 17:30 - 19:00 | The MAX, 2118 Front St, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
On September 19, join the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Phil Hardin Foundation, and The MAX – Mississippi’s Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian for the first in a special two-part Ideas on Tap series on public education in the state.
The free program will feature an ideologically diverse panel of education policy experts to discuss different approaches to improving public schools. Panelists include Rachel Canter (Mississippi First), Grant Callen (Empower Mississippi), and Nancy Loome (The Parents’ Campaign). MHC executive director Dr. Stuart Rockoff will moderate.
A follow-up program that addresses public education in Meridian will take place on October 17. Both programs are part of a larger yearlong series on public education in communities around the state.
As always, snacks and great conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

Ideas on Tap Hernando: The Future of Public Education in Hernando
2019-09-17 17:30 - 19:00 | DeSoto Arts Council, 2465 Highway 51 South, Hernando, MS, 38632, United States
On September 17, join the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Phil Hardin Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi for the second in a special two-part series on public education in DeSoto County.
The free program will focus on the connection between public education and economic development in the area. Panelists include Corie Haynes (local realtor and DCSD parent), Cory Uselton (DeSoto County School District superintendent), and Dr. Michael Heindl (Northwest Mississippi Community College Northwest Rangers). Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi president Tom Pittman will moderate the panel.
This program is part of a larger yearlong series on public education in communities around the state.
As always, snacks and great conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

RESCHEDULED: Interactive Site-Specific Slavery Tour
2019-09-15 17:00 - 18:30 | University of Mississippi
Participants in the workshop will learn how to combine physical movement with traditional theatre to create a Physical Theatre Work. The participants will learn about the history of the enslaved & Civil Rights at The University of Mississippi, and then use this information to create site-specific works on the campus in areas and on sites related to this history
September 15th – 5-5:30 pm – Public Performance
All sessions will take place on the campus of the University of Mississippi.
Meet at the Confederate Statue on University Circle.
Contact Professor Jennifer Mizenko for further information: 662-832-1407, jmizenko@olemiss.edu

OR

To register go to: https://oxfordarts.com/shop/product/1689-movement

SB: Personal Experience Writing
2019-09-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Crosby Memorial Library, 900 Goodyear Blvd., Picayune, MS, 39466
Richelle Putnam shares the power and therapeutic value of words and how to explore the future by visiting the past. She shares her personal experience stories from different anthologies, provides writing prompts to spur attendee recollections and teaches how to slip past the protector to reach emotional honesty. Other speaker topics are: “How to Create Three-Dimensional Characters,” “Pour Story Foundations onto Southern Landscapes” and “Developing Character Emotions.”
Speakers Expertise:
Richelle Putnam has been published in many print and online publications in adult and children’s literature and is the author of three regional history books. She is listed on the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Artist/Teaching Artist Roster.

Ideas on Tap Tupelo: The Future of Public Education in Tupelo
2019-09-12 17:30 - 19:00 | The Thirsty Devil, 202 Main St, Tupelo, MS, 38804, United States
On September 12, join the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Phil Hardin Foundation, and the CREATE Foundation in Tupelo for the the second in a special two-part Ideas on Tap series on public education in Mississippi.
The free program will focus on the state of public education in Tupelo, the relationship between public education and economic development, and how communities define success for their public schools. Panelists include Sean Suggs (Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi), Dr. Rob Picou (TPSD Superintendent), and a TPSD teacher. CREATE Foundation’s president Mike Clayborne will moderate.
The program is part of a larger yearlong series on public education in communities around the state.
As always, snacks and a great conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

Let Us March On: Lee Friedlander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
2019-09-10 18:00 - 19:00 | Johnson Hall Art Gallery, 1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson, 39217
Let Us March On: Lee Friedander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom is a documentary photography exhibition that details the events and people who participated in one of the first mass protests of the modern civil rights movement in 1957. The exhibition will run at Jackson State from August 5 to November 1, 2019, and it will be featured at three major events including the opening reception of the 2019 Association of African American Museums meeting at JSU on August 7, a roundtable student discussion on September 10, and a gallery talk on October 1, 2019.

Tennessee Williams Tribute
2019-09-05 - 2019-09-08 | Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main Street , Columbus , MS, United States
“Stella!” Shouting Contestant

The Tennessee Williams Tribute is an annual multi-day event honoring the life and works of Columbus-born playwright Tennessee Williams. This year’s Tribute will include four performances of an original play, a scholars’ reception, a poetry writing contest and reading, “Stella!” shouting contest, two one-act plays, and a memorabilia display.

SB: Kiss Me, I’m Italian — and Irish, Chinese, African, French — and So Are You: Ethnic Heritage in Mississippi
2019-09-03 19:00 - 20:30 | South Mississippi Genealogy & Historical Society, 307 2nd Ave , Hattiesburg , MS
Mississippians and outsiders alike have traditionally viewed the state’s population as basically two cultures, black and white, usually in stark contrast and conflict. However, recent attention and research have stressed the remarkable number of ethnic populations in the state and their broad and deep influences in our evolving culture. The indigenous population (primarily Choctaw) quickly mingled with the earliest European immigrants, including English, Scottish, Irish, German, and Jewish settlers. After the Civil War, Chinese and Italians were recruited into the Delta to replace slave labor, and by the end of the century a significant contingent of Syrians (Lebanese) were used in the same way. In the late 19th- mid 20th-centuries, came waves of Dalmatians, Cajuns, and Vietnamese. The state has also seen small but significant influxes of groups from the Philippines and India. Most recently, a second group of Spanish-speaking peoples, especially following Katrina, have settled in the Coast area, as well as throughout the rest of the state. We see developing patterns of interaction, influence, recognition and appreciation, all creating the unique culture that is the essence of Mississippi. Along the way Carpenter discusses terms such as race, ethnicity, nationality and other concepts used to discuss this extraordinary intermingling of peoples in our state.
Speakers Expertise:
Dr. Barbara Carpenter is former director of the Mississippi Humanities Council. Much of her career has been spent studying and discussing the importance of literature, history, art, and other insights into our own and other cultures in creating meaningful lives for ourselves and in understanding our roles and relationships within our own communities and society at large.

Ideas on Tap Tupelo: The Future of Public Education in Mississippi
2019-08-15 17:30 - 19:00 | The Thirsty Devil, 202 Main St, Tupelo, MS, 38804, United States
On August 15, join the Mississippi Humanities Council and the Phil Hardin Foundation in Tupelo for the first in a special two-part Ideas on Tap series on public education in the state.
The free program will feature an ideologically diverse panel of education policy experts to discuss different approaches to improving public schools. Panelists include Grant Callen (Empower Mississippi), Nancy Loome (The Parents’ Campaign), and a representative from Mississippi First. MHC executive director Dr. Stuart Rockoff will moderate.
A follow-up program that addresses public education in Tupelo will take place on September 12. Both programs are part of a larger yearlong series on public education in communities around the state.
As always, snacks and great conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

Ideas on Tap Hernando: The Future of Public Education in Mississippi
2019-08-13 17:30 - 19:00 | DeSoto Arts Council, 2465 Highway 51 South, Hernando, MS, 38632, United States
On August 13, join the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Phil Hardin Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi in Hernando for the first in a special two-part Ideas on Tap series on public education in the state.
The free program will feature an ideologically diverse panel of education policy experts to discuss different approaches to improving public schools. Panelists include Grant Callen (Empower Mississippi), Nancy Loome (The Parents’ Campaign), and a representative from Mississippi First. MHC executive director Dr. Stuart Rockoff will moderate.
A follow-up program that addresses public education in Hernando will take place on September 17. Both programs are part of a larger yearlong series on public education in communities around the state.
As always, snacks and great conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

Let Us March On: Lee Friedlander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
2019-08-07 18:00 - 21:00 | Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, 1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS, 39217, United States
Lee Friedlander, Untitled, from the series Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom, 1957, printed later. Gelatin silver print. Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Maria and Lee Friedlander, Hon. 2004. Courtesy of Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco. Photo courtesy of Eakins Press Foundation

Let Us March On: Lee Fieldander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom is a documentary photography exhibition that details the events and people who participated in one of the first mass protests of the modern civil rights movement in 1957. The exhibition will run at Jackson State from August 5 to November 1, 2019, and it will be featured at three major events including the opening reception of the 2019 Association of African American Museums meeting at JSU on August 7, a roundtable student discussion on September 3, and a gallery talk by Lee Fiedlander himself on October 1, 2019.

Let Us March On: Lee Friedlander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
2019-08-05 | Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, 1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS, 39217, United States
Let Us March On: Lee Fieldander and the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom is a documentary photography exhibition that details the events and people who participated in one of the first mass protests of the modern civil rights movement in 1957. The exhibition will run at Jackson State from August 5 to November 1, 2019, and it will be featured at three major events including the opening reception of the 2019 Association of African American Museums meeting at JSU on August 7, a roundtable student discussion on September 3, and a gallery talk by Lee Fiedlander himself on October 1, 2019.

SB: The Asylum Hill Cemetery Project
2019-07-31 18:00 - 19:00 | Library of Hattiesburg, Petal, and Forrest County, 329 Hardy Street, Hattiesburg, MS, 39401
The Mississippi Insane Asylum was established in Jackson in 1855 and operated in this location until 1935. During this period, a cemetery was maintained on the asylum grounds in which several thousand deceased patients were interred. This site is now occupied by the University of Mississippi Medical Center, for which mission-critical needs have raised numerous administrative, ethical, cultural and practical challenges in the long-term management of these burial sites. This presentation provides an overview of the history of the asylum and describes a proposal to memorialize those buried in the Asylum Hill Cemetery in a manner that also creates a research and education resource.
Speakers Expertise:
Dr. Ralph H. Didlake is associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief academic officer for the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is also a professor of surgery and director of UMMC’s Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities. Dr. Didlake’s focus is on the integration of biomedical ethics and professionalism across Mississippi clinical, educational and research efforts.

SB: A Look at Mande Culture through Traditional Music
2019-07-27 17:00 - 18:30 | China Grove AME Church, 1060 Mannsdale Road, Madison, MS, 39130
This presentation will give the listener a glimpse of the Mande Culture of West Africa. In the tradition of the Mande, the history and culture is orally preserved in the minds and through the music of the Djeli (oral librarian/mandenka hereditary professional musicians). The establishment of the Mali Empire can be recalled and retold in the musical piece of the legendary Densoba (great warrior) Sunjata. This discussion explores the function of the Mande music and musical instruments, Mande class system, songs, ceremonies and stories. The discussion also examines the influence of West Africa on American culture and why the djembe was outlawed during slavery. Participants will learn about the djembe, its introduction by drummers like Babatunde Olatunji in 1950 and Ladji Camara from Guinea, and how it spread throughout America.
Speakers Expertise:
Jerry Jenkins is a musician and educator trained in the music of West Africa.

SB: A Look at Mande Culture through Traditional Music
2019-07-26 09:00 - 12:00 | O.B. McClinton Foundation grounds, 2106 Gravel Springs Rd., Senatobia, MS, 38668

SB: A Look at Mande Culture Through Traditional Music
2019-07-19 15:00 - 17:00 | Clinton YMCA, 400 Lindale Street, Clinton, MS, 39056

Old Asylum History Days
2019-07-19 - 2019-07-20 | School of Health Related Professions Building, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
Are you the descendant of someone who was a patient or employee at the Mississippi State Insane Hospital between 1855 and 1935? You are invited to tell your story!
This free event is open to the public and will include the following activities for attendees:

Have your stories about the Old Asylum recorded to video.
Enjoy presentations about the history of the Old Asylum and plans for the Asylum Hill Project.
Learn how to archivally preserve your own family photos, documents and memorabilia.
Receive free high-resolution scanning of your photos and documents.
Receive a free archival sleeve for your photos and documents.
**Sign up ahead of time or just drop in!**

Ideas on Tap: Look At Me: Image and Identity in the Digital Age
2019-07-16 17:30 - 19:00 | Coffee Prose, 1619 N West St, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
On July 16, join the Mississippi Humanities Council and Millsaps College Visiting Writers Series at Coffee Prose Midtown for a conversation on identity in the digital age.
The Ideas on Tap program, “Look At Me: Image and Identity in the Digital Age,” will explore how we define identity and how photography and technology have changed the way we define and present ourselves.
Hear from comedian and social media influencer Rita Brent, photographer Imani Khayyam, and Mississippi Museum of Art Center for Art & Public Exchange director Monique Davis. As always, snacks and great conversation are on us, and drinks are on you.

SB: A Look at Mande Culture through Traditional Music
2019-07-12 12:00 - 14:00 | Kemetic Institute of Mound Bayou, 205 N. Edwards Ave., Mound Bayou, MS, 38762

SB: Mississippi Telling
2019-07-10 09:00 - 12:00 | O.B. McClinton Foundation grounds, 2106 Gravel Springs Rd., Senatobia, MS, 38668
The presenter provides an overview of the storytelling Renaissance in America with emphasis upon the oral tradition in Mississippi. The literary tradition of Mississippi owes much to the rich storytelling legacy that riddles the tales of our families and our communities as reflected in the works of many of our best authors: Welty, Wright, Faulkner, Henley, Williams. As part of the presentation, Dr. Jernigan performs as a story teller calling upon on her rich repertoire of original tales and literary masterpieces gearing her choices of tales according to her audience and offers material for children and adults.
Speakers Expertise:
Rebecca Moore Jernigan is an internationally recognized scholar and professional storyteller who resides in Oxford.
