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Arts Commission News

Endangered Folk Art Environment

Preservation Initiative

DATE:          September 21, 2009 

CONTACT:    Susan Dobbs, Public Relations Director

601/359-6031, sdobbs@arts.state.ms.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

JACKSON - The Heritage Program of the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) recently received a $3,000 grant from the American Folklore Society to support the Endangered Folk Art Environment Preservation Initiative.  The funds will be used to bring in folk art environment consultant Fred Fussell to two of Mississippi’s most notable folk art environments, Margaret’s Grocery in Vicksburg and L.V. Hull’s home in Kosciusko. 

“The Mississippi Arts Commission is honored to work with the American Folklore Society, Fred Fussell, and our community partners in Kosciusko and Vicksburg, said Malcolm White, Executive Director of MAC.  “This important and diverse work in preserving folk traditions, building community identity, and promoting economic development is fundamental in the process of telling the Mississippi Story”.

Margaret’s Grocery, home of the Rev. H.D. Dennis and his wife Margaret, is a one-time country store that has been transformed by Dennis into an extension of his ministry. The home features towers, signs, gates and sculptures, most inscribed with scripture or excerpts from one of Dennis’ sermons.

The late L.V. Hull’s home and yard are full of her brightly colored artwork.  She was popularly known for painting found objects such as shoes, televisions and hubcaps with dots and sayings (many original turn of phrase). She also worked in multi-media, using discarded jewelry to create a more ornate series of found-object art.

Both Margaret’s Grocery and L.V. Hull’s home challenge the conventional ways in which art is created, making them highly valuable as grassroots artists, but also complicating how these environments can be preserved and experienced.  These factors present a need for a knowledgeable and practiced folk art environment consultant to evaluate the sites. 

Fussell’s evaluation and report will provide the community with a professional account of the environments at hand, and provide options for an action plan to gather resources, build membership support, and initiate the preservation process.  He will also deliver a statement on the accessibility and structural soundness of the site, as well as input on site upkeep and management. 

Among his many experiences with folk art environments, Fussell is recognized for the successful project planning of Pasaquan in Buena Vista, Georgia, the home of folk artist St. EOM, which has been preserved and is now accessible to the public. He also served as a consultant for the Gertrude “Ma” Rainey House and Blues Museum in Columbus, Georgia, as well as the Shoals Area National Heritage Corridor Study in Florence, Ala.

Mississippi is home to a wealth of cultural and artistic traditions that demonstrate the deeply held community values.  The Heritage Program of the Mississippi Arts Commission works to increase the awareness and foster the continuation of the state’s traditional art forms through its grant program and special projects.

The Mississippi Arts Commission is a state agency, funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Wallace Foundation, Donna & Jim Barksdale, The Phil Hardin Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, and other private sources.  MAC is the official grants-making and service agency for the arts in Mississippi. The agency serves as an active supporter and promoter of arts in community life and in arts education

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