1 SPRING 2025
CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION What a remarkable 2024 and start to 2025! The MAX presented events featuring more than 40 artists and partnered with a dozen arts and cultural institutions from around the state last year. We realized a 50% increase in attendance and a 30% increase in memberships and welcomed double the number of students for school field trips in 2024 vs. 2023. I’m incredibly grateful to the dedicated volunteers and staff who made this all possible and to you, our patrons, who spread the word and brought your friends and family to The MAX. But the celebration doesn’t stop there. The January induction of our new Hall of Fame members—Bill Ferris, Shelby Foote, Bobbie Gentry, Mac McAnally, and Natasha Trethewey—was one for the record books. Frigid temps did nothing to chill the spirits of the 700+ in attendance to celebrate Mississippi’s creative legacy. Now we turn our focus to a new traveling exhibit by Mississippi native and nationally acclaimed photojournalist Kate Medley. Based on her awardwinning book by the same title, Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South features 25 photographs from Kate’s 10-year journey across the South. Highlighting gas station restaurants that serve up far more than food, Kate points to this uniquely Southern phenomenon as a source of sustenance for the human spirit, demonstrating how these filling stations act as vital community hubs. In that spirit, I invite you to come experience Kate’s work and contemplate the role of The MAX as a community hub. More than a tourist destination, what role can and should The MAX play in our community at large? Join me as we envision the future together. Be on the lookout for Meet Me at The MAX conversational events designed to explore how Mississippi arts and culture intersects with education, mental health, workforce development, and other areas of opportunities to build a stronger community. See you soon, Penny Kemp President + CEO The MAX P.S. If you are not already a member of The MAX, we invite you to join. And, if you’re a member but want to do more to support Mississippi arts and culture, consider upgrading your membership.
3 SPRING 2025
4 PLACE THE MAX STAFF Penny Kemp, President + CEO Benjamen Douglas, Director of Programs + Strategic Initiatives Heather LaCoste, Education Director Aaron Windham, Director of Operations Stuart Yarbrough Jr., Director of Finance + Human Resources Rose Cole, Housekeeping Supervisor Brittany Davis, Event Rentals Coordinator Margo Evans, Membership Manager Courtney Keith, Visitor Services + Asst. Store Manager Gabby Ortiz, Marketing Coordinator Ted Reynolds, Facilities Manager Reggie Smith, Maintenance + Security Coleman Warner, Historian + Staff Writer Wendy West, Visitor Services + Museum Store Manager Elizabeth Williams, Sipp & Savor Festival Producer Stanley Wright, Group Coordinator + Assistant Manager Board of Directors Dianne Walton, Chair, Meridian Marian Barksdale, Vice Chair, Oxford Barbara Thomas, Secretary, Meridian Michael Truelove, Treasurer, Meridian Eddie Kelly, Past Chair, Bay St. Louis Landry Adkins, Meridian Archie Anderson, Starkville Kim Caron, Tupelo Sheryl Davidson, Meridian Veldore Young Graham, Meridian Checky Herrington, Starkville Dustin Markham, Meridian Annie McMillan, Hattiesburg Lisa Rice, Madison Kerry Scott, Meridian Millie Swan, Hattiesburg Fred Wile, Meridian Duffee Williams, Meridian Alehandro Wooten, Hattiesburg Laura Carmichael, Visit Meridian (ex-officio) Craig Hitt, City of Meridian (ex-officio) 2155 Front Street Meridian, MS 39301 601.581.1550 msarts.org CONTRIBUTORS Writers Benjamen Douglas Penny Kemp Coleman Warner Photographers Mark Davis Rory Doyle Kate Medley Jerome Pickard Anthony Thaxton Marianne Todd PLACE is published biannually by the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience. Every effort is made to avoid errors and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our apologies and notify us at info@msarts.org. This email contact also can be used to request address changes or additional copies. On the Cover: Kate Medley, Nancy Valentine, Little Blue Store, Falcon, Mississippi, 2006.
5 SPRING 2025 A YEAR OF IMPACT Dramatic increases in attendance, school field trips, memberships, and statewide partnerships. FUELING STORIES & CULTURE Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South, an exhibition of photographs by Kate Medley. 6 10 Kate Medley, Fratesi Grocery and Service Station (detail). CELEBRATING EUDORA + FRIENDS Celebrating the remarkable stories of Eudora Welty and longtime board members. 12 THE MAX HALL OF FAME Five join the Hall of Fame. 14 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT + CEO Penny Kemp celebrates a remarkable year. 2 MEMBER RECOGNITION 19 of contents table REMEMBERING MARTY GAMBLIN 16
6 PLACE FUELING STORIES & CULTURE This spring, The MAX is excited to present Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South, an exhibition of photographs by Kate Medley. The exhibition offers audiences an opportunity to experience, firsthand, the photographs from Medley’s award-winning book by the same title. Featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, among others, Thank You Please Come Again was named a Book We Love in 2024 by National Public Radio, won the 2024 Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters prize in photography, and was a finalist for a James Beard Award. Kate Medley is a visual journalist who covers national news across the American South and focuses on storytelling and environmental portraiture, often exploring issues of social justice and the shifting politics of this region. She regularly contributes to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. A native of Mississippi now based in North Carolina, Medley traveled across the South, logging thousands of miles across 11 states over 10 years, making some 150 stops at gas station grills, buffets, and quick marts. Kate Medley, Gizzards and Livers Store, Wilson, North Carolina, 2018.
7 SPRING 2025 But, as Medley says, “This is not a book about gas, nor a guidebook. ... It’s a book about work, culture, and survival.” She continues, “The gas stations I stopped at compelled me to dig deeper and to wonder: Who lives here? What do they do for work? What do they eat? What do they believe? What is the pace of their day? What is important in their America? Their South?” In the book’s foreword, fellow Mississippian and celebrated author Kiese Laymon poignantly realizes that, as he was growing up in Forest, his favorite restaurant served gas. His appreciation for gas station restaurants is deepened when he learns Ms. Joyce–a decades-long worker at one of his favorite restaurants explained that it was the worst job of her life in terms of pay and labor while also providing the most fun because of the people she met and “got to love on.” In her work and this exhibit, Medley explores these stories; it isn’t just the gas, or the food—it’s about the people, and the communities that are sustained by these outposts. The photographs encapsulate stories of people—families, immigrants, farmers, cooks, proprietors, and customers—in places that offer sustenance in many ways. As she drove across the South, Medley found that gas stations are often the hub of rural communities, a cross section of society: “There is an egalitarian nature to the gas station, integral to the lives of people in every socioeconomic bracket if you live in the South, especially rural areas. I loved that we could get batteries and gizzards. I loved that we could get biscuits and Super Glue. I loved that we could get dishwashing soap, which was also bubble bath, which was also the soap we used to wash Grandmama’s Impala, and the good hot sauce in the same aisle. — Kiese Laymon, from forward to Kate Medley’s Thank You Please Come Again book “ ” Kate Medley, Big White, Starch Down, Prichard, Alabama, 2023.
8 PLACE Kate Medley Photo: Rory Doyle
9 SPRING 2025 Kate Medley, Fratesi Grocery and Service Station, Leland, Mississippi, 2023. Working as a photojournalist, it became my way of studying this complex region, the people who live here, and how the populations and priorities are shifting.” Growing up in Jackson, Medley took an interest in documenting the South in high school, when taking a summer course in photography at Millsaps College. She and her father would travel the rural roads of central Mississippi so that Medley could make images. After receiving her bachelor’s in photojournalism, Medley attended the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where she received her master’s. Penny Kemp, The MAX’s President + CEO, said, “As soon as I learned about Thank You Please Come Again, I wanted it to come to The MAX. Kate’s work captures something so unique about Mississippi culture, continuing the legacy of our great Mississippi photographers, journalists, and folklorists—like Bill Ferris, William Eggleston, Maude Schuyler Clay, and so many others.” Thank You Please Come Again is on display February 22-May 24, 2025, and features 25 photographs from Mississippi towns and communities: Oxford, Indianola, Leland, Gunnison, Rena Lara, Jackson, Clarksdale, Sunflower, Falcon—along with communities in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, and the Carolinas. But if you ask Kate, there are still many more restaurants that serve gas that she needs to get to—especially around Meridian. As a result, The MAX will be bringing Medley in as artist-in-residence for a week of leading workshops, creating new work—and, almost certainly, enjoying some good fried food. Members of The MAX are invited to preview the exhibit during an opening reception on Friday, February 21, 2025. For information about accompanying programs, please see the calendar of events, beginning on page 17.
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11 SPRING 2025 The MAX reached new audiences, expanded programming and partnerships, and increased overall impact in 2024 over the prior year as follows: • Increased visitation by 50% • Increased memberships by 30% • Welcomed visitors from 43 states • Doubled the number of school field trips and exposure to students statewide • Featured 40+ Mississippi artists • Partnered with a dozen organizations from across the state on programming and cross-promotional initiatives A YEAR OF IMPACT
12 PLACE The MAX devoted the evening of December 5, 2024, to celebrating the remarkable artistic and personal story of the legendary Mississippi writer and photographer Eudora Welty as well as the vital roles played by founding board members Tommy Dulaney and Ann Alexander in establishing The MAX. CELEBRATING EUDORA + FRIENDS
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14 PLACE The fifth class of honorees joined the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience Hall of Fame during a joyous ceremony on January 23 at the MSU Riley Center, followed by a reception at The MAX featuring Mississippi School of the Arts student performances. The Hall of Fame, centerpiece of The MAX, now includes 38 marvelous musicians, writers, actors, and other artists. The newest are: • Folklorist, author, and educator William “Bill” Ferris • Novelist and historian Shelby Foote • Singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry • Musician and singer-songwriter Mac McAnally • Author, poet, and educator Natasha Trethewey McAnally also performed, as did singer-songwriter Tricia Walker and the Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, featuring Sharde Thomas and Chris Mallory. THE MAX HALL OF FAME
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16 PLACE The MAX honored long-time arts and entertainment executive, Marty Gamblin with a star on the Walk of Fame followed by a touching tribute at the January 23rd Hall of Fame ceremony. As the founding director of what would become The MAX, Gamblin brought vision, passion, and commitment to help ensure its creation and success. After serving on the organization’s board of directors, Gamblin was appointed as executive director in 2010. This was prior to the start of formal design work for The MAX, which he shepherded until 2016. During this time, Gamblin was instrumental in securing early support from Sela Ward, Faith Hill, and other celebrity artists. After stepping down as director, Gamblin served as Hall of Fame consultant, managing the nominating and selection process involving a panel of experts and public vote, leading artist relations, and helping prepare for induction ceremonies. A Philadelphia native who returned home after many years in Nashville and Los Angeles, Gamblin passed away in October 2024, just weeks after attending a MAX reception honoring two longtime associates, Meridian show promoters Tony Sansone and Ken Rainey. Gamblin, a lifelong music enthusiast who played trombone in the Philadelphia High band while also booking music gigs, began his formal career as a cultural worker supporting the Mississippi Choctaw Indians. He went on to advance the careers of many artists as a band tour manager and promoter, Nashville publishing company executive, and president of Glen Campbell Music Group. Dorothy Moore, B.J. Thomas, Jim Weatherly and Charley Pride were among his closest professional associates. Marty will be fondly remembered and greatly missed. REMEMBERING MARTY GAMBLIN
17 SPRING 2025 EVENTS FEB. 21 Member Preview Reception for Thank You Please Come Again 5 pm-6:30 pm Be among the first to explore the exhibit, mingle with friends, and meet the artist. FEB. 22 Opening Day for Thank You Please Come Again 9 am-5 pm 10:30 am: Illustrated gallery talk with artist Kate Medley 12:00 pm: Book signing for Thank You Please Come Again Bring your friends to the public opening of Thank You Please Come Again. While downtown, enjoy Meridian Mardi Gras, Meridian Downtown History Walk and Celebrating Black Music at Temple Theatre. MAR. 4 Jimmie Rodgers Festival Announcement at The MAX 5 pm-6:30 pm Join us for EMBDC Business After Hours to hear the Jimmie Rodgers Festival lineup. MAR. 20 A Taste of Blues with Chef Enrika Williams and Mark “Muleman” Massey 5:30 pm-8 pm Join Chef Enrika Williams and blues musician Mark “Muleman” Massey for a unique cultural experience inspired by the photographs of Thank You Please Come Again. APR. 5 Earth’s Bounty at The MAX 8 am-noon, first Saturday of the month, April through November Two local favorites join forces as Earth’s Bounty moves to The MAX. Enjoy fresh produce, artisanal goods, plants, kids’ activities, live music, plus free admission to The MAX.
18 PLACE APR. 12 Sipp & Savor 6 pm-9 pm Sipp & Savor is the major annual fundraiser for The MAX. Sip on cold beers, fine wines, and craft cocktails. Savor irresistible bites by the South’s top chefs. Experience the culinary traditions of the South like you never have before. APR. 24 MPSD Festival of the Arts Tentative time: 5 pm-7:30 pm Extended Museum Hours Enjoy performances and a variety of artwork by Meridian Public School District students. APR. 30 The Beautiful Mysterious World of Color Photography 5:30 pm Extended Museum Hours Maude Schuyler Clay and Ralph Eubanks explore the legacy of MAX Hall of Fame photographers William Eggleston and William Ferris and ways they are impacting new generations of Mississippi creatives—like Kate Medley. MAY 12-18 Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival America’s longest-running music festival returns to beautiful downtown Meridian. The weeklong festival features live music every night of the week, including a musical history seminar, outdoor concerts, a talent competition, and more. Event details to be announced. MAY 24 Closing Day for Thank You Please Come Again 9 am-5 pm Last chance to experience, firsthand, Kate Medley’s award-winning photography. We’re constantly adding new events. For the latest info and to register, visit msarts.org/events.
19 SPRING 2025 MEMBER RECOGNITION Ann and Jimmy Alexander Sandra and William Arlinghaus Marian and Claiborne Barksdale Marsha and Eldean Boyken Rainey and John Breaux, Jr. Shawn and David Brevard Lou and Clayton Cobler Susan and Robert Coffin, III Kerry and Jeffrey Cook Crow’s Nest Properties Holley and Michael Davis Ouida and Wayne Drinkwater Rebecca Combs-Dulaney and Tommy Dulaney Mary Clare and Daniel Evans Elizabeth S. Frohse and Thomas T. Tischer Shannon Crowe and Courtland Gray Sally and Lloyd Gray Judy and Bill Hammack Chellie and Checky Herrington Alice James Dianne and Larry Johnson Lucy and Maurice Kahlmus Kemp Associates, LLC Robert Kennedy Dixie and Ken LaBruyere Lou Ann and Alan Lamar Frances and Sam Long Angela and David Majure Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music Ann Maynor and Carrol Ann Maynor Shelley and Evan McDonald Margaret and Stacy Nicholson Hallie Phillips Rhonda and Edward Poole B.J. and David Ray Elizabeth Rice Nancy and Harry Robinson Mary and Don Rogers Carolyn Smith Kathy and Kyle Temple Barbara and Buck Thomas Kristi and John Voss Peg Wahrendorff Sue and George Warner Cindy and Coleman Warner Alatha and Duffee Williams Terry Winstead Stu Yarbrough Corliss Atterberry Monica and Hardy Graham Julie and Bruce Martin Lawrence Primeaux Atlas Roofing Corporation Sheryl and Jay Davidson Duff Capital Investors Leading Edges of Mississippi Magnolia Beverage Company Mississippi Power Melanie and Manny Mitchell Gina and Randy Sharman Southern Pipe & Supply Helen Abraham Melanie and Ric Alexander BankPlus Sharon and Bob Barham Castle Jamie and Bob Cater Ann and Duncan Chalk Beth Clay Katie and Douglas Coleman Donna and Greg Creel Linda and Marty Davidson Lindy Deen Thomas Dobbins Suzanne Douglass-Jones EMBDC Freddie’s Fine Spirits Cathy and Maurice Hall Rose and Scott Hudson Judy and Condon Hughes Gina and Buddy Laughlin Lisa and Larry Love Kathy and Bob Luke Jean and David Makey Vicky McDonnell Mary and Archie McDonnell, Jr. Dana and Phillip McLain Kelly and Scott McQuaig Meridian Airport Authority Helen and Wade Sims Thomas Singley Stifel Nicolaus Insurance Advisory Group, LLC Elyse and Jim Thompson Helen and Lee Valentine Visit Meridian Waters International Trucks Inc. Anna and Daniel Wile Sissie and Fred Wile Karie and Brad Woodall CORPORATE CIRCLE BENEFACTOR CIRCLE GRAND PATRON PERFORMER CIRCLE
THURSDAY, MARCH 20 5:30-8 pm Join Chef Enrika Williams and blues musician Mark “Muleman” Massey for a unique cultural experience inspired by the photographs of Thank You Please Come Again. Tickets are $25 for MAX Members $35 for Non-Members Not a member? Not a problem! Join today by emailing margo@msarts.org. 2155 Front Street Meridian, MS 39301 with Chef Enrika Williams and Mark “Muleman” Massey A Taste of Blues
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