According to Greenville writer David L. Cohn, the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The geographically isolated “Delta”, as called by locals, is an alluvial plain used historically for cotton plantations in northwestern Mississippi along the Mississippi River. It is deeply complicated place – home in the nineteenth century to hundreds of white millionaires who created their wealth on the backs of African Americans. In the twentieth century, socioeconomic inequity and Jim Crow hamstrung Black communities, the effects of which are still felt today. Blacks and whites often are educated in unequal institutions, worship and socialize in different locations, and often lead separate lives in many Delta communities.
The beauty and the cultural richness of Delta are palpable. The proximity to the Mississippi River attracted Chinese, Lebanese, Italian, and Jewish immigrants, which in turn shaped the local cuisine and the regional economy. Many of the most celebrated blues musicians of the twentieth century were born in Coahoma, Issaquena, Tunica, Yazoo, and Sunflower counties. Established by former slave Isaiah T. Montgomery in 1887 as an autonomous, resilient, visionary all- Black community in the middle of Mississippi, Mound Bayou served as a beacon for African Americans during Jim Crow and was influential to Medgar Evers’ evolution as a civil rights activist. Tennessee Williams based much of his work on his childhood experiences in and around Clarksdale, and mentioned Moon Lake Casino in nearly every play. Storytelling and folklore are hugely important in Mississippi communities, and the best storytellers I know are Mississippi Deltans.
Mississippi has over 130 cypress swamps dotted throughout the landscape. These magical swamps provide refuge to large animal populations, as well as sites of eco-tourism for paddlers and fishermen.
Magical in their own right, many of these ancient Mississippi cypress trees are over 1000 years old. They are super trees: they trap pollutants; suck up floodwaters (up to hundreds of gallons a day per tree); are rot and pest-resistant; house black bears in their hollow cavities; provide good living for alligators, amphibians, waterfowl, and raptors; and they look cool as hell.
In 2019, I spent several weeks traveling around the Delta interviewing folks about what’s good in their communities. My process is simple: I connect with residents by asking them to consider and share with me “what’s good” where they live. Some participants I know prior, but many I don’t, having been recommended to me by friends, or friends of friends. A few interviews transpired after coincidental meetings. I transcribe these interviews, transform these conversations into drawings and paintings, and upload them to this website. Each participant receives a signed print of a painting from our conversation and identifies a local non-profit organization to receive a portion of sales of any sold artwork. In the coming months, I’ll be sharing the stories and art inspired by these conversations.
Like what you see? Invest in a painting or a limited edition print of the Delta.