December 20 , 2007 - Jazz Pianist Will Thompson - Will Thompson is a jazz pianist and composer based in Jackson, Mississippi. MAC's Larry Morrisey talks with Thompson about his work with bassist London Branch and drummer Alvin Fielder, his work as a composer (including his recent CD "Baghdad Music Journal"), and the local improvisational music scene in Jackson. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (19MB)
December 13 , 2007 - Mississippi's Film Office - Nina Parikh from the Mississippi Film Office joins MAC's Diane Williams to discuss her agency's work as well as the state of filmmaking and film festivals in the state. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (24MB)
December 6 , 2007 - Documentary filmmaker Christie Herring - Christie Herring is a documentary filmmaker (and native of Canton, Mississippi) based in San Francisco. Malcolm White talks with Herring about her films and her recent participation in a national media institute held in Mississippi. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (27MB)
November 15 , 2007 - Bassist Nellie Mack: Nellie McInnis (aka Nellie Mack) has been working as a professional bass player for over 20 years. MAC's Larry Morrisey talks with McInnis about her beginnings and her recent work. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (27MB)
November 8 , 2007 - Ruby Elzy - A Mississippi Diva: Ruby Elzy (1908-1943) was a singer and native of Pontotoc, Mississippi who was in the original production of "Porgy and Bess." MAC's Judi Holifield speaks with David Weaver, Elzy's biographer, about her amazing career. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (27MB)
October 25 , 2007 - Mississippi Opera Presents "La Boheme": Mississippi Opera is beginning their 2007-08 season with Puccini's "La Boheme." MAC's Judi Pulliam visits with Alan Mann, Artistic Director of the Opera, and cast members from the production. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (27MB)
October 11 , 2007 - The Music of William Grant Still: Malcolm White speaks with Judith Anne Still, daughter of the late composer (and Mississippi native) William Grant Still, about his life and work. This program was in support of the statewide series of concerts featuring Still's music, sponsored by MAC and the Mississippi Symphony. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (25MB)
October 4 , 2007 - Fiddle Contests & Mississippi John Hurt: MAC's Larry Morrisey talks with fiddle music researcher about the upcoming Mississippi state fiddle contest in Jackson. Also, an interview with "Lost Jim" Ohlschmidt, a guitarist and singer who is presenting his show on the life and music of Mississippi John Hurt at the Hill Fire Theatre Barn in Winona. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (27MB)
September 27 , 2007 - Lil McKinnon-Hicks is a jewelry maker and recent addition to MAC's Artist Roster. Judi Pulliam talks with Hicks about her work and the workshops on jewelry making that she offers. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (20MB)
September 20 , 2007 - Diane Williams from MAC speaks with Carlton Turner, a Mississippi performing artist and staff member with Alternate Roots, a regional arts advocacy group based in Atlanta. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (26MB)
September 13 , 2007 - The Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale and the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany both provide their local communities with unique programming and special events. MAC's Larry Morrisey spoke with Shelley Ritter of DBM and Jill Smith from Union County to learn more about their organizations. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (26MB)
September 6 , 2007 - It's time again for Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. MAC's Kim Whitt speaks with Stacy Howell, the teacher of last year's statewide winner in the contest. She also previews the upcoming Poetry Out Loud teacher's workshop in Jackson. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (11.6MB)
August 23 , 2007 - Jackson-based writer and editor JoAnne Prichard Morris co-wrote Barefootin,' Civil Rights activist Unita Blackwell's recent biography. Morris reads from the work (late in the show) and discusses MAC's grant programs with staffers Judi Pulliam and Diane Williams. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (21MB)
August 16 , 2007 - Photographer Roy Adkins and glass artist Jerri Sherer opened Light and Glass Studio in downtown Jackson this past May. The studio currently features their work, but will soon play host to exhibits by other Jackson artists. MAC's Larry Morrisey spoke to the artists about their work and the development of the gallery. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (23MB)
August 9 , 2007 - Jazz singer and pianist Ora Reed of Jackson has traveled the world, performing for audiences in Japan, Brazil, Europe, and the Middle East. MAC's Diane Williams talks with Reed about her roots in Holmes County (Miss.), her various travels, and her distinctive sense of style. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (22MB)
August 2 , 2007 - Clarksdale is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its annual Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival. The event features a number of legendary Mississippi blues performers. MAC's Larry Morrisey speaks with some of the organizers of the event. (Note: abbreviated show -22 minutes long) LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (10MB)
July 26, 2007 - The Mississippi Writers Guild is a statewide association that works to support and strengthen the skills of writers from all levels of expertise. MAC's Diane Williams speaks to a number of the Guild's members, some of whom read from their recent work. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (22MB)
July 12 , 2007 - MAC's Judi Cleary gives a preview of the Whole Schools Institute and talks with John Howell from the Fondren Theatre Workshop about their upcoming productions. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (18MB)
July 5 , 2007 - The Natchez Little Theatre is beginning its 60th season. MAC's Diane Williams speaks with NLT's Education Director Layne Taylor about the history of the organization, their upcoming shows, and other programs. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (24MB)
June 14 , 2007 - Summertime is the season for blues festivals in Mississippi. Featured this week are interviews with Jimmy "Duck" Holmes (Bentonia Blues Festival), Al White (Grass Roots Blues Festival, Duck Hill, MS) and Kenny Brown (North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic, Potts Camp, MS) about their upcoming events. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (22MB)
June 7 , 2007 - The Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center in Jackson provides a range of programming to the community, including an exhibit on the history of African Americans in Jackson, regularly changing art exhibits, and special events. MAC's Diane Williams speaks with Pamela Junior, the Director of Smith Robertson about their programming and history. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (21MB)
May 31, 2007 - Jackson-based gospel singer Cynthia Goodloe Palmer has performed throughout the U.S. and the world and has released four CDs of her music over the past ten years. Diane Williams speaks with Palmer about her singing career and her latest CD release. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (10MB)
May 17, 2007 - Dr. Johnnie Mayberry Gilbert talks with Judi Cleary about the 10th Annual Tougaloo Art Colony. She shared information on the artists who will be participating at this summer's Colony, as well as an upcoming art auction that will raise funds to build an art gallery that will house Tougaloo's art collection. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (18MB)
May 10, 2007 - Elizabeth Stevens with the Mississippi Opera visits with Diane Williams and talks about the organization's upcoming 63rd season of performances. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (20MB)
May 3, 2007 - Blues from "Gearshifter". James Arzo Youngblood (aka "Gearshifter") has been playing the blues around central Mississippi for many years, but he's now branching out to performances outside the state. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (24MB)
April 26, 2007 - Jackson-based jazz vocalist Rhonda Richmond has performed throughout the country. MAC's Diane Williams talks with her about her years growing up in Mississippi and her upcoming CD. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (24MB)
April 19, 2007 - Pianist George Winston (creator of the acclaimed "Seasons" albums) joins the show via phone, speaking about the years he spent in Mississippi and his upcoming performance in Hazlehurst. Also, Janet Schriver and Steven Johnson with the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation talk about their arts programming for local students and upcoming festival. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (19.3 MB)
April 12, 2007 - The Attic Gallery in Vicksburg, Mississippi has been showcasing the work of unique visual artists for over 30 years. Gallery owners Lesley Silver and Daniel Boone join Malcolm White for a discussion of the history of the gallery, Vicksburg's blooming arts scene, and their latest venture, the Highway 61 Coffee House. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (24MB)
March 29, 2007 -
The Mississippi Boychoir is a statewide choir program for boys ages 7-18 with satellite divisions based in communities throughout the state. On this show, Malcolm White visits with Boychoir director Margaret Thomas along with several current members of the group. Also included are live performances by the Boychoir members. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (26MB)
March 22, 2007 - MAC is the state-level organizer for Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation competition for high school students. MAC's Kim Whitt and Judi Cleary talk with teachers and a student from Rosa Scott Middle School in Madison about their involvement in the initiative. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (40MB)
Encore Show (September 21, 2006) - Judi Cleary visits with Richard Waters, a Gulfport-based multi-media artist and inventor of the Waterphone, a unique musical instrument (this show is new to the podcast feed). LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (22MB)
March 1, 2007 - Tour Around Mississippi, Part II. Larry Morrisey talks with staff from Mississippi Action for Community Education in Greenville (the producers of the Delta Blues & Heritage Festival), The Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage in Hattiesburg (producers of the "Roots Reunion" live radio show), and the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation in Vicksburg. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (35MB)
February 22, 2007 - MAC's Executive Director Malcolm White welcomes Francine Thomas Reynolds and Leslie Sheblak from New Stage Theatre, Mississippi's only not-for-profit professional theater company. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (49MB)
February 15, 2007 - Dr. Jerry Ward talks with Diane Williams about the fiction and poetry of legendary Mississippi writer Richard Wright. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (49MB)
February 8, 2007 - Harpsichordist John Paul of Jackson talks with Judi Cleary about the instrument, his recent recordings, and upcoming performances. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (50MB)
February 1, 2007 - A tour around the state. Larry Morrisey interviews Mary Beth Lasseter with the Center for the Study of Southern Culture in Oxford about their upcoming conferences, Jill Chancey with the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel about their current and upcoming exhibits, and John Ruskey with Quapaw Canoe Company in Clarksdale about their arts-related programs. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (38MB)
January 11, 2007 - Larry Morrisey talks with members of Latinismo, Central Mississippi's only Latin dance band. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (39MB)
January 4 , 2007 - Diane Williams welcomes woodturner (and member of The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi) Adrian Sturdivant of Brandon. LISTEN/DOWNLOAD (49MB)
Archive of 2008 "Arts Hour" shows
2009 "Arts Hour" shows
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