Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation

July 2007


Smithsonian New Harmonies Exhibit at SCHF for 6 Weeks

The long awaited arrival of the Smithsonian Roots Music Traveling Exhibit is over! Following a massive exhibit opening festival on June 28, the exhibit will be open daily, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Concerts, lectures and other special events are planned throughout the six weeks to celebrate Vicksburg's own musical heritage. Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend!.


William R. Ferris to Discuss Mississippi Blues Roots at SCHF Monday, July 2

SCHF is pleased to welcome home Vicksburg native William R. Ferris for a lecture titled Mississippi Blues Roots in coordination with our Smithsonian New Harmonies exhibit. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be in the SCHF Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 2.

William R. Ferris, a widely recognized leader in Southern studies, African American music and folklore, is the Joel R. Williamson Eminent Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Senior Associate Director of its Center for the Study of the American South. He is also an adjunct professor in the curriculum on folklore.

The former chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Ferris has conducted thousands of interviews with musicians ranging from the famous (B.B. King) to the inmates (Parchman Penitentiary inmates working in the fields).

He has written or edited 10 books and created 15 documentary films. He co-edited the massive "Encyclopedia of Southern Culture."

Bill Ferris's films include "Mississippi Blues" (1983), which was featured at the Cannes Film Festival. He has produced numerous sound recordings and hosted "Highway 61," a weekly blues program on Mississippi Public Radio for nearly a decade. He also has published his own poetry and short stories.

A native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Ferris was the founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where he taught for 18 years. He also taught at Yale University and Jackson State University. A graduate of Davidson College, he received a Ph.D. in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania (1969).

At the University of North Carolina, Ferris has been teaching classes on the history of music in the American South and its impact on the region's history and culture. His students have explored Native American songs, Appalachian folk ballads and Afro-American hymns, spirituals and work chants, and considered a range of forms including blues, country, gospel, jazz, rock, and rap.

Please make plans to join us for this special event. The lecture will be a multimedia talk featuring information to be included in Ferris's upcoming book, Mississippi Blues: Voices and Roots.


Mississippi Roots Music: FingerPickin' Good

Tuesday, July 10 at 7 p.m., SCHF welcomes Chris Goertzen to lecture on and perform roots music. The lecture will be an episodic survey of American roots music, emphasizing Mississippi tunes, drawing on a few video examples and more tunes picked and sung by Chris Goertzen.

Chris Goertzen teaches music history and world music at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has published books and articles on fiddling, Country Music, and powwows. The talk is as much concert as lecture.

The event will be in the Academy building. Please use the courtyard entrance. The lecture is free and open to the public.


Mississippi Traditional Music Today Lecture

Tuesday, July 17 at 7 p.m., SCHF welcomes Larry Morrisey of the Mississippi Arts Commission to lecture on folk roots music.

The talk will include an overview of folk and traditional musicians who are currently living and performing in Mississippi. Information on performers from the better known genres, such as blues and country, as well as examples of music from more recent immigrant groups, including Indian and Latino performers, will also be covered.

Larry Morrisey has served as the Heritage Program Director for the Mississippi Arts Commission since 1998. Through this position he works to build the awareness of the state's traditional art forms through a wide range of special initiatives, including a traveling exhibit, radio programming, and a web-site directory of artists.

The event will be in the Academy building. Please use the courtyard entrance. The lecture is free and open to the public.


Concerts You Don't Want To Miss

SCHF will present two live concerts in July in coordination with the Smithsonian New Harmonies exhibit, as well as a sacred harp singing for observation.

Straight from Clarksdale, SCHF welcomes Bill Abel and Cadillac John on Thursday, July 19 for a blues concert. The concert will be in the SCHF Auditorium at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Thursday, July 26, SCHF presents the Delta Mountain Boys for a bluegrass concert at 7 p.m.The free concert will also feature songs from the movie soundtrack of O Brother Where Art Thou, filmed in the SCHF Auditorium in 1999.

Saturday, July 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the SCHF Auditorium, SCHF will host over 75 shaped note singers from across the USA. Sacred Harp Singing is an early form of sacred music rarely practiced today. The event will offer a chance to listen in and learn about this unique style of sacred music.

All concerts are free and open to the public. The New Harmonies Exhibit will be open and available for viewing one hour before each concert.

For more information about SCHF events, please call our office at 601-631-2997, or email us at info@southernculture.org.


Children's Folk Art, Dance & Music Camp

SCHF is proud to bring back our children's arts camp this summer. This year's camp will incorporate the roots music theme of SCHF's summer programming and the Smithsonian Exhibit.

During this unique camp, children will discover folk art, dance and music.

By studying cultural differences and similarities through the arts, students, will learn new artistic techniques while developing an appreciation for the traditions and customs of others.

Experienced educators plan and oversee all aspects of the camp. This year we are pleased to welcome Nancy Mitchell, Karla McHan, and Jennifer Tillotson as instructors.

The camp will culminate with a public performance and exhibit on the last day in the SCHF Auditorium. All family and friends are invited to attend.

The camp will be July 23 - 27 from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. The camp is open to any child age 6 to 12. The $50 fee per child includes all supplies, materials, and a daily snack.

Space is limited and reservations are required. For more information or to register, please call the SCHF office at 601-631-2997.


Gospel Brunch with Patrick Smith

The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation in coordination with the Smithsonian Institution and the Mississippi Humanities Council invite you to celebrate the closing of the New Harmonies Exhibit in Vicksburg with a Gospel Brunch featuring Patrick Smith on Sunday, August 5 in the SCHF Auditorium. Brunch will be served at 12:00 p.m. and the concert will follow at 12:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10. Reservations are required by Wednesday, August 1. For more information or reservations, please the SCHF office at 601-631-2997.


Smithsonian New Harmonies Exhibit sponsored in part by

                 

                      


For more information about activities, membership, or rentals, please call or stop by the SCHF office, 1302 Adams Street, Vicksburg, MS  39180, 601-631-2997.


1302 Adams Street
Vicksburg, MS 39180
Phone: 601-631-2997
Fax: 601-631-3734
E-mail: info@southernculture.org

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