Chairmaker Greg Harkins of Vaughn, Mississippi builds rockers and straight chairs from local woods in a style he distilled from a long apprenticeship and association with the traditional furniture makers of the Thomastown area. Born in 1952, Harkins came to chairmaking in the ‘60s and ‘70s just in time to learn from several old-time craftsmen, […]
Milton Gross of Sardis comes from a family known for its basket making, though he is the last active craftsman among his relatives. Born in 1931, he learned the craft from his grandfather and uncles. His baskets are made of split white oak and come in several sizes, from small ones measuring twelve inches across
Tammy Greer, a member of Southeastern Louisiana’s United Houma Nation, was born in New Orleans. Her parents parted before she was born, and her mother, due to lack of education and resources, felt unable to care for Tammy and her older brother. They were adopted by a traveling minister and his wife, but Tammy was
Master instrument builder M. B. Green was born in Soso (Jones County) in 1930, into a family of farmers. When his father died in 1945, the family moved to be around his mother’s relatives in nearby Louin. He married in 1951 and his family would eventually include six children. He worked as a baker (including
I arrive at Mr. Gipson’s place of residence at approximately 4 pm. Canterbury Crest is an assisted living facility; when I arrive, I notice two elderly African American gentlemen sitting outside, one of whom is in a wheelchair. As I approach them, I ask the man in the wheelchair if he is Mr. Gipson because
Unlike those who carve walking sticks or canes, Vernon Errington of New Hebron finds gnarled, unique pieces of wood in the woods surrounding his home and converts them to walking sticks. Most of them come from small tree trunks that have been twisted and deformed by honeysuckle vines that grow and wrap around them. Errington
McArthur Chism was born in Glendora, Mississippi in 1942 and grew up in Water Valley. As a child, he became interested in drawing and sketched many aspects of his community, including houses, trees, cars, and other objects. During this time period, his grandmother gave him a couple of vases that had been made by wiring
Claudia Cartee is a skilled potter with an eclectic background. Her father’s family was and is based in Seminary, Mississippi. Claudia was born in Orange County, California, where her father cultivated the craft of mold making for pottery and her mother painting pieces. They soon collaborated in the making and sales of slip-cast earthenware. (Slip-casting
Jessie Burge lives near his family’s “old home place” in Lamar County; his father was a sharecropper there. He first handled a guitar when his father bought one for an older brother in 1955. Jesse started playing regularly at the age of ten, then played bass and bluegrass guitar during and after a four-year stint
Long known as a center of chair making in the state, Thomastown lies south of Kosciusko in Leake County, Mississippi. Thirty years ago, there were up to a dozen builders in and around Thomastown, but Jett “Bubba” Biggart may be the last active chair maker in the area. Born in 1975, Biggart is the third