Mississippi Folklife to be Celebrated at the 82nd National Folk Festival, Folklife Area Participants Announced

Legacies of Empowerment celebrates and honors the centennial brithdays of B.B. King and Medgar Evers

Jackson, MS — The National Folk Festival announced the performers, craftspeople, and demonstrators who will be featured in the Mississippi Folklife Area & Stage of the 82^nd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson, November 7-9, 2025, inside the House Chamber at the Old Capitol Museum today. This will be the first year of the event’s three-year residency in Jackson.

The Mississippi Folklife Area & Stage celebrates and showcases the traditions held deeply in the state's diverse communities. With a different theme each year, the Folklife Area will shine a spotlight on the distinctive music, rituals, crafts, occupations, foodways, and other traditions at the heart of Mississippi's cultural heritage, expressing both the state’s deep history and its evolving character. 

From the Gulf Coast to the Delta and the Prairie to the Hill Country, this area will present the best traditional musicians, artisans, and foods in Mississippi, in curated programs that celebrate the state’s rich, varied, and unique culture. Performances, demonstrations, displays, exhibits, and narrative presentations will explore a wide range of topics, including the traditions of its Native peoples, the cultural legacies of families who have called the state home for generations, and the expressions of the newest Mississippi residents whose cultural roots are in far-flung places around the globe.

Legacies of Empowerment

Mississippi folklife is celebrated in Legacies of Empowerment, a special program curated by the Mississippi Arts Commission. Paying tribute to the artistic, cultural, and social contributions of blues legend, B.B. King, and civil rights champion, Medgar Evers, on the 100th anniversaries of their births, hear today's blues, influenced by King, and gospel, the soundtrack to the civil rights movement. Listen to the soaring sounds of HBCU choirs, and take in expressions of deep community like hip hop, punk, Mexican huapango music, and Choctaw social dancing. Visit quilters, skateboard designers, sign painters, and local farmers. From the Delta to the Gulf Coast, each honors King and Evers's commitment to empowerment and sustainability through artistic expression.

“The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is proud to present the Mississippi Folklife Area & Stage this year, celebrating Legacies of Empowerment,” said David Lewis, Executive Director of MAC. “The area pays tribute to the profound influence of two Mississippi icons: B.B. King, known as the King of Blues, and civil rights leader and Jacksonian, Medgar Evers. We are excited to showcase Mississippi’s vibrant living traditions, ranging from gospel and quilting to blues and hip hop, in conjunction with the National Folk Festival.”

"Celebrating the centennial years of B.B. King and Medgar Evers through Legacies of Empowerment is a perfect way to launch the National Folk Festival's residency in Jackson, and the entire state of Mississippi. These two great Mississippians embody much of the state's contribution to our national story," said National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) Executive Director Blaine Waide. "Not only are we honoring their legacies, but the artists featured in this program are a testament to how these larger-than-life figures continue to influence and inspire generation after generation creatively, socially, and culturally."

The Legacies of Empowerment program will feature:

• Bessie Johnson (pine needle basketry) – Tibbee, Mississippi

  Bessie Johnson is a visual artist best known for her incorporation of natural materials into her signature coiled longleaf pine needle baskets, along with a new exploration into the artistry of burnt matchstick art.

• Betty Crawford (mixed-media sculpture and quilting) - Marks, Mississippi, by way of Alabaster, Alabama

  Betty Crawford is a mixed-media artist and quilter who draws inspiration from her family, ancestors, and the endurance of the Delta, all woven into her intricate quilts and sculptures that preserve the legacy of the Mule Train and Poor People’s Campaign.

• The Bland Family Farm (Black agricultural traditions) – Sledge, Mississippi

  For four generations, the Bland Family has been honing traditional agricultural practices, including seed saving, composting, and seasonal, hand-tended cultivation preserving the legacy of Black land stewardship in Mississippi.

• Bobby Whalen (sign painting) – Indianola, Mississippi

  Bobby Whalen is one of the last remaining practitioners of hand-painted signage in the Delta, whose painted works include portraits, murals, and hand-lettered signs, often depicting local musicians and activists.

• Change Skateboard Shop (skateboarding) – Tupelo, Mississippi

  Founded by Tupelo native Matt Robinson, Change Skateboard Shop serves as an oasis for the flourishing skateboard community that calls Northeast Mississippi home.

• Eleanor Chickaway (Choctaw basketmaking) – Conehatta, Mississippi

  Eleanor Chickaway of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is one of the living masters of Choctaw the basketmaking tradition, using vibrant colors and complex weaves to create beautiful basketry, a skill she has passed on to others in her community.

• Dr. J. Janice Coleman (quilting) – Vicksburg, Mississippi

  Dr. J. Janice Coleman sews quilts, cotton sacks, and other items that tell stories about her family and community by using scraps and remnants that reflect the past and present life and culture of the Mississippi Delta.

• Lucy Isadora & Justin Ransburg (punk zine making) – Jackson, Mississippi

  Artists Lucy Isadora and Justin Ransburg are part of Jackson's burgeoning punk zine community, helping others discover their creativity through this DIY medium.

• Motor Mouse Motorcycle Club (motorcycle club) – Indianola, Mississippi

  With more than five decades of riding together throughout the Mississippi Delta, the Motor Mouse Motorcycle Club supports charitable work and fellowship among its members, while maintaining, showcasing, and riding together at every opportunity.

• Sew Every Wednesday (quilting) – Jackson, Mississippi

  S.E.W. (Sew Every Wednesday) is a community quilting group dedicated to preserving and sharing the traditional art of quilting and has become a creative and social hub for quilters of all backgrounds and skill levels.

• Stephany Brown (quilting) – Jackson, Mississippi

  Stephany Brown is a traditional hand quilter from Jackson, Mississippi. Her work is inspired by history, incorporating the resilience and ingenuity of her ancestors into each piece she creates.

• James “Super Chikan” Johnson – (Delta blues and instrument making) – Clarksdale, Mississippi

  Mississippi Delta bluesman and visual artist James “Super Chikan” Johnson plays the guitars he makes himself, using repurposed materials from gas cans to ceiling fans, painting each “chikantar” with images from the Delta.

• Dr. Tammy Greer & Robin Whitfield (native plant traditions, pigments, and dyes) – Hattiesburg, Mississippi

  Dr. Tammy Greer and Robin Whitfield specialize in medicine wheel gardens, a gardening technique rooted in traditional Native American planting and healing practices.

• Big A & the Allstars with the Delta Blues Museum Students (blues) – Clarksdale, Mississippi

  Raised in Clarksdale, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod is part of a living lineage of blues legends. He will be joined by the students of the Delta Blues Museum Blues Class for his performance at the 82^nd National Folk Festival.

• Blue Monday Band (blues) – Jackson, Mississippi

  For nearly two decades, Blue Monday has been a staple of the live blues scene in Jackson. Hosted by legendary restaurant and musical institution Hal & Mal’s, this weekly open mic brings together seasoned performers, emerging talent, and die-hard blues fans under one roof.

• Hip Hop Showcase: Vitamin Cea, DevMacc, & Phingaprint

  Mississippi is known for its rich music scene, and its hip hop community is no exception; Vitamin Cea, DevMacc, and Phingaprint will showcase what hip hop in the state looks like.

• Jimmy “Duck” Holmes (Bentonia blues) – Bentonia, Mississippi

  Jimmy “Duck” Holmes is the greatest living proponent of the Bentonia blues, a highly localized style known for its haunting and eerie sound.

• Keith Johnson (blues) – Greenville, Mississippi

  Born in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Keith Johnson is a rising force in contemporary blues, known for blending deep Delta roots with a modern edge.

• La Nueva Generacion (huapango huasteco) – Kosciusko, Mississippi

  La Nueva Generación (Spanish for “new generation”) brings the vibrant sounds of huapango huasteco to life, honoring the deep-rooted traditions of Mexico’s Huasteca region through song, strings, and rhythmic dance.

• Mighty Gospel Warriors (gospel) – Bruce, Mississippi

  In a career spanning four decades, the Mighty Gospel Warriors have brought together several generations of the Judon family, along with other singers and musicians, to create one of Mississippi’s iconic gospel sounds.

• Punk Showcase: Hammer & Tools, Hartle Road, & Bad Anxiety (punk music) – Columbus, Hattiesburg, and Jackson, Mississippi

  Celebrating Mississippi’s boldest voices in punk rock, this showcase will highlight the region’s thriving DIY spirit, community-first ethos, and forms of social resistance featuring the bands Hammer & the Tools, Hartle Road, and Bad Anxiety.

• Oka Homma Alla Hilha Alhiha (Choctaw social dancing) – Redwater, Mississippi

Wearing traditional dress and guided by a chanter’s song and percussive sticks, Oka Homma Alla Hilha Alhiha walk in the footsteps of their ancestors and foster fellowship and community through Chahta Hihla (Choctaw dancing).

• Tougaloo College Choir (gospel) – Jackson, Mississippi

The Tougaloo College Choir represents the rich tradition of gospel music found in Jackson and throughout the state by embodying the transformative power of the tradition through performance, education, and community engagement.

• The Wilkins Sisters (gospel) – Bruce, Mississippi

The Wilkins Sisters, once backing singers for their renowned blues and gospel singer father, now honor that legacy and deep tradition of faith and family, backed by a soul-shaking band.

For more information on the Festival, visit nationalfolkfestival.com. To engage on social media:

• Facebook: facebook.com/NFFJackson

• Instagram: instagram.com/NFFJackson

Performer assets may be downloaded here: bit.ly/NFFPressKit.

The National Folk Festival is a partnership of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Jackson, Visit Jackson, Downtown Jackson Partners, the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, the Community Foundation for Mississippi, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Mississippi Humanities Council, Visit Mississippi, and the National Park Service. The festival is FREE to the public.

The National Folk Festival is sponsored in part by: Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Mississippi Department of Archives & History, The Foundation for Mississippi History, Levitt Foundation, Atmos Energy, MWB, C Spire Foundation, Hilton Jackson, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Hinds County Economic Development Authority, Gertrude C. Ford Foundation, Hope Credit Union/Hope Enterprise Corporation, Renasant Bank, Cadence Bank, Trustmark Bank, Entergy, Fox40, The Phil Hardin Foundation, Capital Area Tourism Association, City of Flowood, City of Vicksburg, Visit Vicksburg, Explore Ridgeland, Explore Louisiana, Jackson Redevelopment Authority, Volunteer Mississippi, Southern Beverage Company, Fertile Ground Beer Co., Hal & Mal’s, Clarion Ledger, LocaliQ, Thomas Consulting Group, StateStreet Group, Amazon, The Music Performance Trust Fund, South Arts, and the Pecan Tree Park Neighborhood Association.