The
Southern Slate
Spring 2000
The Southern Slate derives its name from the rich educational history associated with the buildings of the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex. That teaching tradition continues today with our current mission as a cultural activities center.
Workshops, Workshops, Workshops...
Contact Us! to be added to our mailing list.
Central Heat/Air to be Installed in Auditorium, Academy
Moderate temperatures will no longer be required for the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation to offer public programming in its Auditorium and Academy Building classrooms. The SCHF Board of Directors voted in its February meeting to install a central heating and cooling system in these areas.
“This has been the highest priority for our organization since its creation in 1994, and we are thrilled to be able to fulfill this goal,” SCHF President Fred Farrell said after the meeting. “There will be no more uncomfortable temperatures experienced by visitors to our auditorium. It will be cool in the summer and warm in the winter.”
Installation of the new system will be completed this spring, opening up the areas for year-round use by both the Foundation and those interested in renting it for receptions, meetings, and conferences.
SCHF staff members especially welcomed news of the board’s decision, since they worked through the winter warmed only by coats and space heaters.
“This will allow us to greatly expand our programming, which is key to fulfilling our mission to preserve and interpret the diverse cultural heritage of this area,” SCHF Executive Director Ted Smith commented. “Additionally, we’ll be able to attract more rentals of our facility, which are vital in generating revenue to support our organization.”
“We hope that this bold step will be warmly received by the Vicksburg community,” he added.
Donations to help offset the cost of this capital expenditure would be greatly welcomed. A special box for such gifts can be found on the membership form on page 11 of this newsletter, or contact the SCHF office at 601-631-2997 for more information.
SCHF Kicks Off Spring Membership Campaign
The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation is kicking off a spring membership campaign aimed at getting 400 new individual members in the next three months.
“Memberships form the foundation of our organization,” Ted Smith, SCHF Executive Director, said in announcing the campaign. “They create a financial base and a community of support that are invaluable to our daily operations as a nonprofit organization.”
Memberships are available at a variety of levels, with a basic family membership costing $25. Benefits at all levels include reduced fees for SCHF workshops and classes, as well as invitations to special events.
Small business and corporate memberships, which offer additional benefits, are also available. Anyone interested in these should contact Ted Smith at 601-631-2997 for more information.
“We hope that everyone who values the services we provide and likes what they see in our newsletter will consider becoming a member at the level most comfortable for them,” Smith stated. “And to those folks who are already members, we offer our sincere thanks.”
A membership form can be found on page 11 of this newsletter or on the Foundation’s web site at www.southernculture.org
Letter from the Executive Director
It is with great pleasure that we announce our upcoming events and report on the strength of our accomplishments in this new and expanded issue of “The Southern Slate.” The depth and breadth of our programming continues to grow as we work with artists, historians, musicians, gardeners, and chefs to reflect and interpret the diverse cultural heritage of this region of the country.
Since taking my position here last year, it has been readily apparent that our auditorium represented one of our best assets with the greatest unfulfilled potential. It has been with great excitement that our organization has repainted its interior walls, stage, and doors as well as repainted its 66 exterior windows. In one month, after 115 years of almost unbearable summer heat endured by students, teachers, administrators, patrons, staff, and volunteers, we will have central heat and air in our auditorium. Now this historic building can achieve its fullest potential. We hope that you will visit us soon to experience the wonder of climate control in our auditorium.
Our membership campaign is equally important to the future of our organization, and I urge you to take a moment to join or renew your membership today. You may even decide to make a special contribution to help us offset the cost of the new air conditioning system. Nonprofit organizations can only thrive with great memberships as their base.
Please enjoy reading this newsletter as you ponder renewing your membership. We ask that you pay special attention to a new addition entitled “Spotlight on Southern Culture.” Local artist Daniel Boone gracefully pens our inaugural “Spotlight,” which we know that you will enjoy.
Thank you for your interest and support of our organization. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Ted J. Smith
SCHF Spring 2000 Calendar of Events
March 7, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Mask Workshop for Children
March 10-11 Stained Glass Workshop by Drew Miller
March 16, 1:30 p.m. Estate Planning Seminar
March 16, 7:00 p.m. Humanities Lecture Series
“You Can Come Home Again” by Martha Ferris
March 18, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Guided Tour Program Begins
March 24-25 Stained Glass Workshop by Drew Miller
April 4 - 26 Drawing for Beginners Workshop Series
April 6, 4:00 p.m. New Stage Theater Performance of Alice in Wonderland
April 11, 4:00-5:30 p.m. Sugar Egg Workshop for Children by Heather Burns
April 20, 7:00 p.m. Humanities Lecture Series
Local History by Gordon Cotton
May 14-28 Student Photography Exhibit
“Celebrating Community and Culture!”
May 18, 7:00 p.m. Humanities Lecture Series
“Lost Revolutions: The South in the 1950s”
by Dr. Pete Daniel
If Wishes were Horses…
The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation needs several items which would allow us to enhance and expand the programming and other services we offer to the community. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation of one or more of the following items: a slide projector, audio-visual cart, pottery kiln, potters wheel, or gas stove. Thank you!
Workshops, Workshops, Workshops...
Mardi Gras Mask Workshop for Children
It’s Carnival Time and the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex will celebrate by holding a Mardi Gras mask workshop for children on Tuesday, March 7, 2000, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. According to SCHC Program Coordinator Julienne Crawford, participants will make Mardi Gras masks after a brief discussion of the cultures that celebrate Carnival, including those found in the American South.
The workshop, which is free and open to children ages 6-13, will be held in the Academy Building on the Complex Grounds. Please call 601-631-2997 for reservations and more information.
Stained Glass Workshop
From Gothic cathedral windows to transoms in Victorian homes to delicate Tiffany lamps, stained glass has been a form of artistic and architectural expression for more than 1,000 years. In March, the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation will offer a two-day workshop on the basics of stained glass design and construction taught by local artist Drew Miller.
Those interested in attending the workshop may choose one of two sessions to attend. The first will be held Friday, March 10, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The second session will be Friday, March 24, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Participants in the workshop will learn the basics of cutting glass, working with lead, soldering, preparing simple designs, and constructing a leaded panel. The class will also include demonstrations of copper foil projects, evocative projects, fused glass projects, and restoration of antique pieces.
The cost of the workshop is $45 for SCHF members and $50 for non-members. All materials needed for the workshop will be provided except for a glasscutter, which participants can purchase at a hardware store for two or three dollars.
Space is limited, so please call 601-631-2997 for reservations and more information.
Drawing for Beginners
“Drawing for Beginners,” a series of eight classes taught by Barbara Faulkner, will be held during the month of April at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex. The classes will take place every Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., beginning April 4 and ending April 26, 2000.
Participants in the classes will learn the basic principals of drawing with emphasis on line and value using pencil and charcoal. No previous drawing experience is necessary.
Ms. Faulkner is currently an art instructor at Hinds Community College in Raymond and also works at the Attic Gallery in Vicksburg. Her previous experience includes five years teaching at Vicksburg High School and many years as a commercial artist.
The cost of the classes is $50 for SCHF members and $60 for non-members. A list of supplies needed for the class will be provided to participants before the first session.
Space is limited, so please call 601-631-2997 to make reservations and for more information.
Sugar Egg Workshop for Children
European-trained culinary chef Heather Burns will conduct a Sugar Egg Workshop for children ages 6-13 at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex on Tuesday, April 11, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
What are sugar eggs? They are egg-shaped concoctions made in two halves using a mold. The inside of one half is decorated and then the two pieces are put together with icing and decorations on the outside. A hole at the end of the finished egg allows you to see the secret world created inside.
“Eggs are a very traditional symbol for the rebirth of spring,” SCHF Program Coordinator, Julienne Crawford, said recently. “The Persians first began using colored eggs to celebrate spring as long ago as 3,000 B.C.”
The cost for the workshop is $6 for SCHF members and $8 for non-members. Space is limited, so please call 601-631-2997 for reservations and more information.
Spring 2000 Workshop Schedule
March 7 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Mask Workshop for Children
March 10-11, 24-25 Various Dates/Times Stained Glass Workshops
March 16 1:30 p.m. Estate Planning Seminar
April 4 - 26 Various Dates/Times Drawing for Beginners Workshop Series
April 11 4:00-5:30 p.m. Sugar Egg Workshop for Children
Spring Offerings for Humanities Lecture Series
The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundations’s Humanities Lecture Series continues this spring with three offerings that look at various aspects of art, local history, and southern culture.
On March 16, 2000, renowned artist Martha Ferris will discuss her art, particularly of the Ferris Farm, and reflect on the impact of coming back to her home area to live and work.
Gordon Cotton, director of the Old Courthouse Museum in Vicksburg, will speak on a local history topic on April 20, 2000. Copies of Mr. Cotton’s recent book, Images of America: Vicksburg, will be available for sale and signing after the program.
And on May 18, 2000, Dr. Pete Daniel, curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, will present “Lost Revolutions: The South in the 1950s.” His talk will focus on rock and roll music and stock car racing as expressions of southern working class culture in the mid- to late-20th century. Copies of Dr. Daniel’s book on the subject will be available for sale and signing after the program.
The Humanities Lecture Series is held on the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The programs will take place at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex with a reception following. For more information, please call 601-631-2997 or visit www.southernculture.org
The Reverend C.K. Chiplin shares his memories of growing up in the Marcus Bottom area of Vicksburg during the 1950s and 60s with an appreciative audience at the Humanities Lecture Series held February 17, 2000, at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex. Rev. Chiplin signed copies of his book, Roads from the Bottom, following the program.
SCHF Representatives Meet with Washington Officials
The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation was the topic of discussion when SCHF Executive Director Ted Smith and Board Member Don Brown met with United States Senator Trent Lott during a visit to Washington, DC, in the fall of 1999. Smith and Brown also met with Dr. Bill Ferris, chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, US Representative Bennie Thompson, and staffers at Senator Thad Cochran’s office.
Spotlight on Southern Culture:
The Forest of the Wang Dang Doodle
By Daniel Boone
Can’t see the forest for the trees. That’s what they say, but for my generation it’s not so much the trees but the TVs. With the steady diet of pop culture we’ve been fed by television and all mass media, sometimes we don’t see the magic forest growing around us.
For us teenagers in the 1960s, our musical tastes included such "new" recording artists as the Doors, the Rolling Stones, Steppenwolf, Eric Clapton, and Led Zeppelin. When Jim Morrison bragged about being a "Backdoor Man;" Mick Jagger crowed about the "Little Red Rooster;" Clapton philosophized about a "Spoonful," and John Kay of Steppenwolf claimed to be the "Hoochie Cootchie Man," this was powerful stuff. They were more than just our musical heroes; they were icons of our time. Something special.
The Doors and Steppenwolf were based in California, and the Stones and Zeppelin did their work across the Atlantic in London, and we assumed the exotic images from these songs must come from those faraway, glamorous places. We were just too young to know all these songs had first been recorded in Chicago by musicians who were, almost without exception, from just up the road in the Mississippi Delta, including Muddy Waters of Clarksdale, and Howlin’ Wolf of West Point, Mississippi.
But the real revelation to me was Willie Dixon. Early on I noticed his name credited as the writer of more than one song on several Doors albums. It was years before someone pointed out to me that he was from just up the street - literally. Born in my hometown of Vicksburg in 1915, Willie Dixon wrote all those songs mentioned above and hundreds more. He played string bass on many of the original records, and eventually became a longtime producer for Chess Records in Chicago. Not only did he put the words into the mouths of real bluesmen (and those other guys), but his work helped define the sound of hundreds of classic blues recordings.
Mr. Dixon was a cornerstone of the blues and all those wild lyrics he wrote were indeed exotic, but the inspiration for all that imagery was here all around us. Without being able to see it, this forest we were living in was the natural habitat of the Backdoor Men, Little Red Roosters, Hoochie Cootchie Men, and even the Wang Dang Doodle (whatever that is). To us, Vicksburg and the South seemed an ordinary place, but to our musician-heroes, it was a place of magic and dreams. And, I guess they were right.
Willie Dixon (Drawing by Kenny Boone)
In Memoriam
The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation lost a special friend and the City of Vicksburg a cultural treasure when Walter Osborne, Sr., passed away November 23, 1999, at the age of 96. He was a founding member, manager, and drummer of the Red Tops dance band, and we will be forever grateful for the memories of Mr. Osborne’s unforgettable presence at the 1998 and 1999 Red Tops Reunions.
SCHF Web Site Features Online Exhibit of 1930s Photographs
A family in a field, ferries on the river, a store stocked with merchandise…these are among the scenes of Vicksburg and Warren County during the 1930s featured in a new online exhibit co-sponsored by the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation (SCHF) and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.
The exhibit can be found at
http://www.southernculture.org/exhibits/exhibits.htm
and includes 44 photographs taken for the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression by Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Marion Post Wolcott. Evans, perhaps best remembered for his photographs in James Agee’s book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, is currently the focus of exhibits at both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
The photographs in the Vicksburg and Warren County exhibit are part of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture’s collection of over 1200 images made in Mississippi by Farm Security Administration photographers. The Center is currently producing a CD-ROM containing these images that will be available for use in Mississippi schools and for distribution to the general public. An event to launch the CD will be held at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex in the late spring of this year. For more information, call the SCHF at 601-631-2997.
“New technologies are allowing us to provide a museum-type experience to anyone in the world with internet access,” SCHF Executive Director Ted Smith said recently. “Our web site is an important resource for our patrons, providing photos of our property, information on upcoming events, and links to over 500 web sites on southern culture.”
Space for the SCHF’s web site at www.southernculture.org has been provided by Cruisenet.
Washington Street as photographed by Walker Evans
Volunteers Needed!
Are you looking for ways to meet new people, contribute to your community, or just get out of the house? Consider being a volunteer for the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation! Volunteer help is needed with a variety of activities, including…
Greeting visitors, gardening, labeling and sorting for bulk mail-outs, cleaning and upkeep of buildings, helping with events, providing a food item for events, assisting with children’s activities, doing archival research, and distributing flyers in the community.
Whether you can volunteer one time or on a regular basis, for 30 minutes or for several hours, the SCHF needs your help! For more information, please call 601-631-2997. You’ll be glad you did!
Student Photography Exhibit Set for May
Visitors to the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex this spring will have the opportunity to see Vicksburg through a new set of eyes. An exhibit in May will feature photographs taken by a group of elementary and high school students from four Vicksburg schools as part of a special project, entitled “Celebrating Community and Culture!,”developed by Randy Jolly, an artist and art teacher at Warren Central High School.
The project is made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Department of Education as part of the Learn and Serve America program.
Students selected to participate in the project are from Dana Road and Sherman Avenue Elementary Schools and Warren Central and Vicksburg High Schools. The high school students will take black and white photos and will mentor the younger students, who will be using disposable color cameras.
Students in the project will photograph buildings and locations in Vicksburg and will interview senior citizens for their knowledge of these sites. The exhibit will include students’ photographs and historical photographs for comparison of architectural changes that have taken place in Vicksburg and Warren County.
“This project offers students a chance to explore their community,” Jolly said in a recent interview. “Many of them had never been to the port, the waterfront, or even downtown.”
For more information, please call 601-631-2997 or visit www.southernculture.org
“This project offers students a chance to explore their community. Many of them had never been to the port, the waterfront, or even downtown.”
—Teacher Randy Jolly
Student Group Tends Herb Garden
“A garden is the purest of human pleasures. It is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man…” — Sir Francis Bacon, 17th century English philosopher
As the students of Susan Price’s botany class at All Saints’ School are discovering, the herb garden located near the Sisters of Mercy Convent on the grounds of the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex was important for refreshing both the spirits and the bodies of those who tended it. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the Sisters used herbs grown in the garden in preparing meals in the Convent kitchen.
Under the direction of Ms. Price, the All Saints’ students are continuing a project begun several years ago by the Master Gardeners to restore the herb garden, keeping it clean and well-maintained with the changing of the seasons. In the process, the students get hands-on gardening experience to go along with some local history and botany lessons.
Special thanks to Susan Price and her class for their excellent volunteer work!
Pictured above during a recent spring workday in the herb garden are (l-r) William Clifford, Rusty Bandera, Bronson Smith, Lera Sweeney, Julie Smith, Michael Furr, Brennan Kemp, & Susan Price.
Tour Program Begins March 18
The Southern Cultural Heritage Complex features some of the most architecturally and historically significant buildings in Mississippi. Four of these buildings, the Sisters of Mercy Convent, the Cobb House, and the St. Francis Xavier School Auditorium and Academy Building, will be featured in a new tour program to be initiated Saturday, March 18, 2000.
The Convent, built in 1868, is one of the largest and best-preserved examples of 19th Century Gothic Revival architecture in Mississippi. The tour will visit the first and second floors of the Convent, allowing visitors to see the parlors, chapel, community room, offices, and cells used by the Sisters of Mercy for more than a century.
The oldest building on tour, the Cobb House, is a Greek Revival home built around 1830. It was acquired by the Sisters of Mercy in 1860 and was occupied by both Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War.
Built in 1885 in Italianate style, the Auditorium is the best preserved of the four buildings and has been used in recent years for many events, including lectures, dances, wedding receptions, and even filming of motion pictures. The Academy Building, built in the 1930s, currently houses the SCHF offices.
Tours will be available every Wednesday through Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. or by appointment. For more information or to volunteer as a greeter, please call 601-631-2997 or visit
The Auditorium is one of four historic buildings featured in the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation’s guided tour program.
Memories of Christmas Past...
It was a very happy Holiday Season at the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex! The first annual Christmas on Crawford Street, held December 4th in cooperation with the Balfour House, Pemberton’s Headquarters, Baldwin House Victorian Tea and Coffee Parlor, and Crawford Street Studios, drew lots of folks, many of whom stopped by the SCHC Auditorium for the Jingle Bell Junction Arts and Crafts Fair (pictured below), sponsored by the River City Business and Professional Women. Special thanks to Deposit Guaranty National Bank for their support of Christmas on Crawford Street.
On December 11, both children and adults got in the holiday spirit by attending Gingerbread House Workshops in the Convent Parlors (above) led by Heather Burns. And with the help of Mary Nell McMaster, panels painted by local artists and depicting holiday celebrations from various cultures adorned the windows of the Auditorium during the holiday season.
If you like what you see in this newsletter…
Please consider joining the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation today!
Membership
Levels
Founder
$1,000.00+
Benefactor
500.00
Patron 250.00
Sponsor
100.00
Contributor
50.00
Family 25.00
Other
Benefits include reduced fees for SCHF workshops and classes, invitations to special events, and the satisfaction of supporting an outstanding cultural activities center!
Make checks payable to:
The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation
1302 Adams Street
Vicksburg, MS 39183
It’s tax deductible as allowed by law.
Name:
Address:
Phone:
E-mail:
Please print this form out and mail it in today or Contact Us! and we will send you membership information.
Contact Us!
The Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation
1302 Adams Street
Vicksburg, MS 39183
Phone: (601) 631-2997
Fax: (601) 631-3734
E-mail: info@southernculture.org
Web Site:
Ted J. Smith
Executive Director
Julienne Crawford
Program Coordinator
Elizabeth Nichols
Secretary
Board of Directors:
Fred Farrell, President
Landman Teller, Jr., Vice President
Nancy H. Bell, Secretary
Shouphie Habeeb, Treasurer
Todd A. Boolos
Lonnie L. Boykins
Joy Brabston
Don Brown
Carol Eaton
Molly Eidson
Hobbs Freeman
Dorethea Gholson
Linda Harris
Anita Houston
Betty B. Jackson
Bettye Sue Kline
Glenda LaGarde
Laurence E. Leyens
Don S. Miller, Jr.
George F. Roesch
Dr. John C. Stepan
The Southern Slate derives
its name from the
rich educational history associated with the
buildings of the
Southern Cultural
Heritage Complex.
That teaching tradition
continues today with
our current mission as
a cultural activities center.