SHOW DESCRIPTION

David Lewis, Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, joins Soul Sessions as board chair of the National Folk Festival, which returns to Downtown Jackson November 13–15. He explains what the slogan “Jackson has good folk” means for both the art form and the city’s people, and why folk covers everything from gospel and the blues to quilting and catfish noodling. David previews this year’s lineup, including Mavis Staples and Jerry Douglas, and the Mississippi Folklife area’s “Mississippi Flavor” theme. He also shares what goes on behind the scenes, the moment last year that showed him why the festival matters, and where he’d take visitors around Jackson when they’re not on Capitol Street.

TRANSCRIPT

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INTRO

There’s a phrase that captured Downtown Jackson last November during the National Folk Festival: it felt like someone had sprinkled pixie dust over the city. One man has been working toward that moment since day one. Today he chairs the festival’s board, and he’s giving us a preview of what’s to come this year. Hey, it’s Paul Wolf with the front row seat to conversations on culture from Jackson, Mississippi. We call our podcast Soul Sessions. It’s the people, places, and events that make the City With Soul shine. On today’s show, we’re talking with David Lewis, Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, about the festival’s return to Downtown Jackson November 13 through 15. It’s built on a simple idea that the slogan says plainly: Jackson has good folk.

Paul

Welcome, David Lewis to Soul Sessions. David, thanks for being here.

David

Thanks for having me, Paul. I’m glad to be here.

Why Did Mississippi Arts Commission Director David Lewis Become Chair of the National Folk Festival in Jackson?

Paul

You are here because most people know you as the executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, but you also have taken on this role as the chair of the National Folk Festival here in Jackson. What drew you to that role?

David

Great question. Yes. So many people may know me as the Executive Director of the Arts Commission, but it was a very natural fit for me to work in this capacity. Obviously folk and traditional arts are very close and near and dear to us at the Arts Commission. We have two staffers who have degrees in folk and traditional arts and we have a staffer who is dedicated entirely to that work. We have a partnership grant with the National Endowment for the Arts to do a lot of that work and

One of our roles at the festival is to curate and produce the folklife area, the Mississippi Folklife area of the festival. So a lot of that, you know, intermingling of arts and sort of a national scale and a statewide scale of kind of understanding how do we showcase who we are at the city, state, and national level made a lot of sense for me to be able to be plugged in on this. I’ve watched it and been a part of it since day one. And it’s just an honor.

What Is the National Folk Festival in Downtown Jackson Like?

Paul

The National Folk Festival takes over downtown Jackson on November 13th through 15th. David, paint a picture for someone who has never been. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell when you arrive?

David

Yeah, so one thing that I love about, especially the time in which the folk festival takes place, is it’s usually when Jackson’s really at its like fall peak, right? Last year we saw that in full form. And while the last day was a little windy, the colors of the leaves are changing downtown. There’s a crispness in the air. It makes for the perfect time to be outdoors all day, you know? And so it’s finally a time where I think Jacksonians and Mississippians are kind of like,

Wow, I want to be outside. I want to do something fun. And so when people get here, what I think is so great is that there’s sort of the experience of walking through downtown and getting to the heart of downtown on Capitol Street, where a lot of the action is happening. And it’s sort of, I was thinking about this, it’s sort of like a symphony starting up. You start to hear the sounds, but they’re not super loud at the beginning. It’s like they’re warming up. So as you get closer, you can start to smell the food of the food trucks or the food vendors.

And you start to hear the sounds, maybe the bass of the nearby stage. As you get closer, you see more and more people, and you’re starting to engage with folks that you’ve seen from your neighborhood or from work or somewhere else in life. And as you get to the heart of the festival, there is music, there is laughter, there is excitement, there’s dancing, and there’s always something for anybody to do.

What Does “Jackson Has Good Folk” Mean?

Paul

David, the festival’s slogan is "Jackson has good folk." So what does that phrase mean to you both for the art form and for the people of the city?

David

So the thing about folk is that sometimes people immediately associate it with a singular thing, let’s say folk music or folk art or just good people you’re around. And really what I think that I love about the phrase Jackson has good folk is that it really starts to unravel that and kind of get at the base of like who we are and why the folk festival is here.

And also speak to like it’s for everyone, and it can be a lot of different things. While the festival has a sort of a larger representation of dance, performing and musical arts, there is also demonstrations of culinary arts and visual arts and fiber arts, whether it’s weavers or quilters or [FLAG: “Big Apple N” — unclear in audio; confirm]. You know, there’s so many different ways that we can see folk, and so.

It’s such a great way to really start to get people to think about what is folk and that it is for everybody.

Mavis Staples, Jerry Douglas, and What Counts as Folk at the National Folk Festival

Paul

Yeah, this year’s lineup includes Mavis Staples and Jerry Douglas. So how do big names like that fit alongside the rest of the performers in how does the festival decide what counts really as folk?

David

That’s a great question. You know, we are able to bring in some really remarkable acts this year because of our partnership this year with the Smithsonian Institute and the National Endowment for the Arts. Their Festival of Festivals program expands their annual folklife festival throughout the country. And the extra dollars we received this year allowed us to be able to go for and achieve getting some really incredible acts.

But I think when it comes down to what is folk, it is a lot about who we just are, just who we are. It’s about traditions, right? It’s like anything from honestly tailgate food, right? It’s like, what are the traditions that we pass down? What do we put a lot of stock into makes our culture that is like who we are? So we get every genre there is in Mississippi. A lot of that is not just food, but is blues music and

Our indigenous Americans like traditions of basket weaving and dancing and there’s so much of who we are in Mississippi that is actually informed who America is, right? And that’s also why it was so special this year, because as it is the nation’s 250th birthday, there is no better place than the birthplace of America’s music to bring all of that culture right back to Mississippi and celebrate.

Why Jackson? How the National Folk Festival Came to the Deep South

Paul

Yeah, so why Jackson then? And why downtown? And what does the city and this part of town bring to a festival like this?

David

It takes a lot of work to put on a festival like this. It is a behemoth, but it is a behemoth that I and many other leaders felt like not only did we deserve, but we could really make a strong run at. We having partners like Visit Jackson, Visit Mississippi immediately step up to the table and make commitments and say this is something we see the value in was tremendous. The city did the same exact thing. They’re the ones who put the application in. And so when

Someone like the National Council for Traditional Arts, the NCTA, who produces this festival for the three years, sees an application from a city like Jackson. Not only have they never been in the Deep South, but they also saw the partners that were ready to step up and be at the table and work together to make this festival something worthwhile.

What Is the Mississippi Folklife Area at the National Folk Festival?

Paul

David, your day job gives you a statewide view of Mississippi’s arts scene. So how does the festival show off traditions that are really rooted in Mississippi?

David

So, my favorite part of the festival, and I’m biased, is going to be and has been the Folklife area. Not only do we get to produce this, but it is a tremendous showcase of who we are. Last year, the theme was a celebration of the centennials of both Medgar Evers and B.B. King, where we looked at both civil rights and the blues and its impact on Mississippi and the nation. But this year is sort of an all out smorgasbord.

Quite literally. And the theme is Mississippi Flavor. And so that translates not just to culinary arts, but every other type of like for music, for visual arts. And so we have demonstrators and performers who are going to be in Smith Park and going to be activating space and showing off some of the most remarkable traditions. We have shipbuilding . We have catfish noodling. We have gospel. We’ve got... Everybody from all over this state on display. Now it’s not gonna be everybody, I just said everybody, but it’s gonna be the very

Paul

Ha ha ha.

David

Best of our state on display and really give homage to the fact that we’re not just a blues state. We are known for the blues, but we have so many incredibly talented people to show off.

Paul

David, your southern really came out when you were talking about what was gonna be in that area and you said catfish noodlin. What is catfish noodlin?

David

You know, I honestly couldn’t tell you. You’d have to ask Kristen.

Paul

Ha ha ha ha.

David

And Kristen Brandt has been the one in our office who has done a remarkable job of working to attract and secure these acts that showcase our state. And she knows more than I do about it, but it’s sure to be something to catch. Quite literally.

Who Is Performing in the Mississippi Folklife Area This Year?

Paul

Very good play on words there, David. Do you have a favorite coming to the Mississippi Folklife area?

David

I’ve got a few. I’ve got some great friends, people that have become friends of mine through this work. The Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band and Cedric Burnside, who will both be there on Saturday, bookending the day. But I’m also so excited about on Sunday, we have Lady Truckerand we also have Kingdomology. And Kingdomology is this big gospel group, electric kind of contemporary gospel group out of Oxford, Mississippi.

And I remember the day that we got to see their work samples when we were reviewing them for the roster in the office. And the whole team just got so lifted and so excited hearing them perform. It’s just been a pleasure to see them sort of come into this space and to be able to be acknowledged for the wonderful work that they do. And it’s sure to be a great show.

What Does the National Folk Festival Board Do to Prepare?

Paul

David, as a part of the board for the National Folk Festival here in Jackson, what is the board’s role for getting things ready for November? And what might we be most surprised about?

David

So there are many things that the executive committee and the board do, and there’s a lot of committees that have some executive committee members and some other broader community members involved from programming to fundraising. These are people who are active in our communities and in our state, bringing their very best knowledge to making sure this festival is what it becomes. And it is a lot of hard work. We start the day after the festival thinking about the very next festival.

I would even venture to say we’re thinking about it beforehand. And so we are meeting monthly, if not more, to talk about all the different ways we can get the word out more, the ways that we can bring new partners to the table. And in the intermediate, we are actively working with marketing committees to get the word out. We’re working with each other to find the best way to make sure that people have great reasons to come to the festival and that that experience

Is the best experience. We have a remarkable local festival team led by Thabi Moyo who are on the ground responding, reacting, planning, and activating community and getting us ready for this festival.

Where to Find David Lewis at the Festival and the Family Zone in Smith Park

Paul

Where do we find David Lewis during the National Folk Festival? Are you sitting in the chairs and listening to music or watching dancers or are you running around trying to make things happen?

David

It is gonna be hard to find me in one spot. There are some great

Paul

Mm-hmm.

David

Shows that I want to make sure I catch. At the same time, we have some remarkable guests that are going to be in town. Our friends from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Smithsonian, South Arts, the Levitt Foundation, the Music Man Foundation, Mellon Foundation. There are national and regional funders who want to be here because they believe in what we’re doing and we’ve got their attention. So I’ll be chauffeuring a lot of them around.

But we’re also gonna be, you catch me on those stages at the end of each night at the Folklife area, introducing our last acts of the day.

And I’m excited to bring my kids. I’m a dad of two littles under four. And one of the best parts about the festival is not only that it’s free, but it’s for everyone. And that there’s not only a dedicated family area, but all of these places and all these spaces and all these stages are for everyone. And so there’s gonna be at Smith Park, right next to the Folklife area, a dedicated family zone with games and activities and performances specifically geared to younger audiences. And so I think kids seeing

Downtown active like that is going to be transformational for our community as well as for those that visit and come to the festival.

Paul

So David Lewis is entertaining behind the scenes and on stage too.

David

Yes, everything that they need me to do, I will do.

How the National Folk Festival Fills Jackson’s Hotels and Restaurants

Paul

Beyond the stages, the festival kind of spills over into the rest of Jackson for the weekend. The nearby restaurants and hotels and nearby neighborhoods, what does that look like?

David

That’s such a great aspect of this. This festival is advertised as Friday to Sunday, but stuff starts on Thursday with an activation at the National Park Service with the Medgar Evers Home or Thacker Mountain Radio doing a satellite show at Hal & Mal’s on Thursday night. People are gonna be in town early. That was one of the best things that was that early kind of preview night almost of the festival at Thacker Mountain, and the room was so electric.

And so people are going to be in and around this city. They’re filling up the hotel rooms, they’re going to these restaurants, and everyone’s going to be excited about it. And not just in town, but from all over the place. And so it’s something not to be missed. It is most importantly free for everyone. So there is no reason to not bring 15 people. So bring everybody that you know, fill up the car, come down. Parking is so easy. We’ve got great inroads to parking garages.

And so we hope to see absolutely everybody down there over the weekend.

The Moment That Showed Why the National Folk Festival Matters to Jackson

Paul

Was there a moment at last year’s festival where you just stopped and thought, okay, this is why we do this?

David

I had so many of those moments and it was quite powerful. I remember specifically Rickey Thigpen telling me at one point, he said that somebody stopped him and said it felt like somebody had sprinkled pixie dust over the city. And so many people were so positive about things, it almost felt like we were all being lifted kind of out of the air. I think the atmosphere, the weather, the music, the sounds, and really the sort of community that came out, one of the most special things

Was watching everyone march with the (JSU Sonic) Boom (of the South) last year down Capitol Street. We never get to march with the boom. And so people just moved with them from one stage to the other. And I sat at the main stage where they were headed and just watched this sea of people come down Capitol Street towards the stage. And I’d seen nothing like that in our community. And it was so powerful.

What Not to Miss at the 2026 National Folk Festival in Jackson

Paul

David, if someone is planning a trip to Jackson for November thirteenth through fifteenth for the National Folk Festival, what should they make sure not to miss?

David

Yes, I would say don’t miss the Folklife area, obviously. That is gonna be so remarkable. We’ve actually got some remarkable posters we’re gonna be handing out for free. Don’t miss the merch. I’m a merch guy. I love this merch. It’s so much fun. They have so many great creatives working on it. Don’t miss the markets. That’s where our artisans are gonna be set up to sell their works. And I would say also don’t miss Mavis Staples. I mean, she is such a like icon and a national treasure.

She has ties to Mississippi. Her father is from Mississippi. He got a governor’s award even. And so to see her and her wonderful, soulful self on that stage is gonna be a memory that I’ll remember forever.

Where David Lewis Would Take Visitors Around Jackson

Paul

And then if you want to show folks around town when they’re not at the festival, where are you going to take them?

David

I’m for sure gonna take them to Elvie’s. It’s my favorite spot. I got to have lunch there with Kate McKinnon before the (Mississippi) Book Festival. But you know, Belhaven Town Center has all these now three MICHELIN recommended or Bib Gourmand restaurants,

Poppy Pies and Pulito. But there’s so many phenomenal spots in Mississippi. So food is so important. You’re gonna get that at the festival, but beyond that, brunches, you know, at Manship or you know, lunch at La Presa. Like there’s so many phenomenal spots to eat.

But I also want to take them to see the public art and the trails, especially that new section heading into downtown, because people love to see a city in action and a city in motion. And that’s one of the best ways to experience that, to see the ways that we’re rethinking and reinvigorating our city through a connected trail system that goes all the way from downtown to the museum district. We might even stop at the Natural Science Museum and the Children’s Museum, which are not only the best in the nation,

But always thinking about the next thing and ways to attract people and make sure they have a good time.

OUTRO

That is the Mississippi Arts Commission’s David Lewis, whose story is about how the traditions we pass down become the culture we share. He reminded us that folk is bigger than any one song or craft. It’s gospel and catfish noodling, weavers and quilters, fife and drum and the blues. And in the year the nation turns 250, it’s the birthplace of America’s music bringing that culture back home. He also left us with an image worth showing up for: a sea of people following the music down Capitol Street, moving together from one stage to the next.

The National Folk Festival is November 13 through 15 in Downtown Jackson, and it’s free, so as David says, bring everybody you know. We’ll have links in our show notes to the National Folk Festival at visitjackson.com/soulsessions.

Soul Sessions comes to you from Visit Jackson, the destination organization for Jackson, Mississippi — the City With Soul. Our executive producers are Jonathan Pettus and Dr. Rickey Thigpen, and I’m Paul Wolf, managing editor and your host for these conversations. Everything Jackson — events, stories, places to go — lives at visitjackson.com.

Know someone we should be talking to? Drop us a line at pwolf@visitjackson.com.

Thanks for listening. I’ll talk to you again soon.

Listen to previous episodes of Soul Sessions