Mississippi Humanities Council Announces Host Sites for Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition “Crossroads”

Jackson, Mississippi (January 25, 2023) — Through a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) division, the Mississippi Humanities Council is bringing “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” an interactive multimedia exhibit, to Mississippi in 2023. This tour of “Crossroads,” generously sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority, will visit six Mississippi communities from August 2023 through June 2024, including Brookhaven, Marks, Pontotoc, Rolling Fork, West Point, and Wiggins.

Stone County Economic Development Partnership (Wiggins), Lincoln Lawrence Franklin Regional Library (Brookhaven), Quitman County Arts & Culture Museum (Marks), West Point Clay County Community Growth Alliance (West Point), Mississippi’s Lower Delta Partnership (Rolling Fork), and Pontotoc Historical Society (Pontotoc) will each host the exhibition for six-week periods from August 2023 through June 2024. In addition to hosting the exhibition, each site will develop a local complementary exhibit and a series of public humanities programs in conjunction with “Crossroads.”

“Crossroads” takes a broad look at the characteristics of rural America. It explores how interaction with the land formed the basis of rural America, and how rural communities and small towns have evolved through demographic and economic changes. Designed for small-town museums, libraries, and cultural organizations, “Crossroads” will serve as a community meeting place for conversations about how rural America and rural Mississippi have changed. With support and guidance from the Mississippi Humanities Council, the six Mississippi host sites will develop complementary exhibits and host public programs to raise people’s understanding about their own history, the joys and challenges of living rural, how change has impacted their community, and goals for the future.

“We are thrilled to bring ‘Crossroads’ back to Mississippi for the second time due to popular demand,” said MHC program officer and “Crossroads” state coordinator Molly McMillan. “As one of the most rural states in the U.S., the themes of the exhibition resonate with these six new host sites and Mississippi in general.”

Leah Kemp of the Fred Carl, Jr. Small Town Center at Mississippi State University will serve as the state scholar for “Crossroads.” In her capacity as state scholar, Kemp will serve as a resource for each host site as they plan for the exhibition’s tour. Kemp will also lead public discussions on various “Crossroads” themes in each of the communities.

The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about “Crossroads” and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit the MoMS website. For more information about the “Crossroads” Mississippi schedule, visit the MHC website.

Support for MoMS has been provided by the U.S. Congress.