On May 1, 2020--the date of the Mississippi Humanities Council's last major grant deadline--organizers of longheld and beloved humanities programs in Mississippi could not predict how COVID19 would affect their events in the coming months. The MHC asked them to apply for support anyway, with contingency plans for restricted gatherings due to the pandemic.

 

With that in mind, lead organizer of the annual Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival, Jen Waller, forged ahead with a plan for October 15-17 in Clarksdale, that included both on-site and virtual programs. The festival, which explores the inspirations, themes and ongoing relevance of the Mississippi-born playwright's work, will go on next month with the same popular features, but offered in a virtual format to avoid social contact while COVID19 cases continue to emerge across the state.

 

"When we submitted our grant, we were planning to create a three-tier approach to festival programming that included one model for a traditional, face to face festival like in years past; a fully digital/remote festival if the COVID19 lockdown continued; and a blended in-person live/digital version that allowed festival goers to make the best choice to participate if the uncertainty persisted," Waller said. "We basically chose the second option to go fully online, with one physical access point--at the Cutrer Mansion--for audience members to attend and watch the festival online together on a large outdoor screen and in a very controlled environment outside (or in a very large gymnasium space if inclement weather occurs), with strict COVID19 guidelines in place."

 

Program highlights include selected scenes from featured play Summer and Smoke as well as workshops, presentations, performances, live music and digital extras like guided tours of the Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum and views of landmark locations around Clarksdale/Coahoma County that inspired Williams' work. The new online festival will include digital porch plays instead of in-person presentations, and pre-recorded scenes and monologues submitted by teachers and students for the annual Student Drama Competition, which normally takes place on the campus of Coahoma Community College.

 

A final schedule of all events will be released in the weeks leading up to October's festival.

 

Individuals interested in registering for events or signing up for subsequent information may email: deltawilliamsfestival@gmail.com or sign up for the Festival newsletter here.

 

As the world and our nation navigate the unchartered waters of a pandemic coupled with a racial reckoning, multimedia documentary producers Jon Winet and Allen Spore are developing "Oxford to the Ballot Box: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Elections" to engage citizens in the American democratic process.

 

The project is funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council and hosted by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and involves a broad range of Oxford stakeholders--from permanent residents to University of Mississippi students and faculty, creating a dynamic community engagement project with significant "shelter-in-place-friendly" online public digital elements at its center.

"It is our goal that the project encourage thoughtful, civic discussion about the election and democracy, reflecting on the vital issues for our country and this election--from participation in voting by young people and women to the history of voter suppression, to race, health care and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic--while providing an opportunity for a broad and diverse range of people in the Oxford and university communities to voice their ideas and creative expression, using digital and online tools," says Winet.

With the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, the change to a new Mississippi flag, and economic uncertainties, the project takes place in a challenging landscape and a "now more than ever moment," says Winet. "We see this as an opportunity for meaningful dialogue, greater community focus and collaboration, and a way, as individuals, families and organizations, to pull together to get through this time."

Public programs will include roundtables, lectures, panels and film screenings, and satellite displays. Depending upon COVID-19 public health directives in place at the time, scheduled programs may switch from live to virtual. Most events will take place at the Power House in Oxford and on the University of Mississippi campus. Both live and online programs will be publicized widely via the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council communications network and the networks of participating partners.

 

The first confirmed event will take place at the Oxford square on Monday, September 28, at 7:30 p.m., "Voting Matters" Drive-in Media Screening, a screening event in collaboration with the Oxford Film Festival featuring work from the project and community and university contributors.