Hugh Addison was born and grew up in Tuna Puna, a small town on the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad. He went to school in nearby Port of Spain, the capital of the country. Addison’s father was an electrician and guitarist and frequently fixed radios for neighbors. The constant presence of the radios filled the […]
As far as he knows, Jackie Woods of Kilmichael is one of the two active chainsaw carvers in Mississippi. Originally from Webster County, Woods’ father was in the sawmill business for a time. But it was not until work took him to the Great Lakes region that he was exposed to artists who used chainsaws
Brian Willis brings a deep knowledge of Choctaw tradition to his job of Communications Editor for the monthly Choctaw Community News, the office of which is in the Pearl River neighborhood of Philadelphia. He was born in 1974 to Huey and Nancy Willis of the nearby Tucker community (there are eight Choctaw communities in Mississippi,
Edna White has had a life full of different experiences. She has worked as a florist, a furrier (fur salesperson), a cook on a Mississippi River towboat, and many other jobs. She has always sewn and done different kinds of needlework in her spare time. In the last ten years, she has become very active
Norma Thompson is a Choctaw basketmaker who lives in the Conehatta community in Newton County (Conehatta is one of the communities that make up the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Reservation). She carries on the tradition of making baskets from swamp cane that has been an important part of Choctaw culture for hundreds of years.
Frank Stewart comes from a long line of potters. Members of his family have been creating pottery in Winston County since his grandfather, Homer Wade Stewart, began the business in 1888. Frank grew up in the pottery shop, learning to throw pots from his father (Winford Stewart) and working to fill orders with his five
Mason is a native of Pensacola, Florida, but has been living in Mississippi since 1991. In the late 1980s, she met a first-generation Ukrainian American woman who was living in Pensacola and was a master of pysanky, the Ukrainian egg decorating tradition. Mason worked with the woman from 1986 through 1989 to learn the tradition
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
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