Mississippi Arts Hour

• Jason Smith
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 05/12/13
  Mary Margaret White talks to musician Jason Smith.
• Jerry Jenkins
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 05/05/13
  Diane Williams talks to performance artist Jerry Jenkins .
• Trials of the Earth
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 04/14/13
  Mary Margaret White talks to Kerry Hamilton and Sheliah Hamilton Pantin about the re-published autobiography Trials of the Earth.
• Mark Howell
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 03/31/13
  Larry Morrisey talks to musician and composer Mark Howell.
• Como Mamas
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 03/24/13
  Mary Margaret White talks to members of the acapella gospel group the Como Mamas.
• C.Liegh McInnis
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 03/17/13
  Diane Williams talks to author and poet C. Liegh McInnis
• Jimbo Mathus
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 03/10/13
  Mary Margaret White talks to Jimbo Mathus about his latest CD.
• Water Liars
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 03/03/13
  Larry Morrisey talks to Andrew Bryant and Justin Kinkel-Shuster, members of the new musical group Water Liars.
• Katrina Estes-Hill
  
  Excerpt (50:30) | Air date 02/24/13
  Diane Williams talks to artist and story teller Katrina Estes-Hill.

Meet the Hosts

Diane Williams

Diane Williams is the Arts Industry Director for the Mississippi Arts Commission and works with nonprofit arts and cultural organizations to expand their capacity to carry out their programs, assure the adequacy of critical resources, strengthen management skills, and participate as full partners with other civic institutions in the lives of their community.   Diane is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers and the Network of Biblical Storytellers.  She has been called a story weaver, a keeper of treasured tales, and a collector of phrases. Williams weaves her tales from books, history, myths, legends, and folktales, and many of her stories are original. She has traveled across America telling stories in her unique and creative way.

Larry Morrisey

Larry Morrisey has served as MAC's Director of Grants Programs since August 2008. Prior to this, he was the agency's Heritage Program Director.  In addition to his duties as one of the hosts of the Mississippi Arts Hour, Morrisey serves as the podcast producer for the show. He holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Webster University and a Masters degree in Folk Studies from Western Kentucky University.

Mary Margaret White

Mary Margaret White brings a wealth of experience to her position as Heritage Director for the Commission.  She received an MA in Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi.  She has been trained by the Library of Congress and the American Folklife Center in documentary fieldwork and oral history technique. She is a native of the Mississippi Delta.  Her writing and photography has appeared in The Clarion-Ledger, The Tennessean, Living Blues Magazine, Delta Magazine and The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.

More about the Mississippi Arts Commission

In 1968, the Mississippi Legislature created the Mississippi Arts Commission as the official grants-making and service agency for the arts. Since then the Commission has broadened its role as an active supporter and promoter of the arts in community life and arts education.

The Commission is funded in part by the state but also receives substantial funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. With these funds, the Commission provides financial support in the form of grants for eligible arts programs and for the work of individual artists.

The role of the Commission, however, goes beyond grants-making. The executive director, hired by the Board of Commissioners, heads the 11-member staff, which not only administers grants but implements policies and provides services.

Through the arts, diverse communities of all sizes can better identify shared values, create vibrant public spaces, and enhance the effectiveness of schools. The arts also attract visitors who leave with a strong, positive image of Mississippi. Fostering excellence in the arts provides the inspiration to generate a higher quality of life for all citizens.

Click here to visit the Commission's web page.