Gail Morton
Diamond Girl with Chicken
“Diamond Girl with Chicken” is based on a true story about Seymour Prater from Pontotoc County. Dubbed “the Seer of Pontotoc”, Prater could tell people where to find what they had lost. He died in 1945 and said he’d been given the “gift” when he was 12 years old. This is how the story goes:
There was a woman from Tupelo who lost the set out of her diamond ring. After looking high and low for it, she convinced her husband to drive her to Pontotoc to visit Seymour Prater in the Woodland community, hoping he could give her a clue of where to find the precious set of her ring. After hearing her problem, Seymour put his hand over his brow, closed his eyes, and said, “I see, I see…that you lost the set out of our ring when you threw out the dirty wash water.” He told her that one of her chickens ate it and advised her not to sell any of them until she found the stone. The woman went home and slaughtered all her chickens. She carefully checked the innards of each one and did not find it. On her second visit to Seymour Prater, she learned that she had overlooked a hen sitting on eggs. He told her that she was the one who had what was lost. Sure enough, the woman found the hen on the eggs, killed her, and found the diamond in the gizzard.
Don Jacobs
Cassandra
One of several paintings displayed from his Blues Series. TED is about bringing community together through shared ideas to create thoughtful conversation. As an artist/musician who’s lived most of his life in Mississippi, I’ve always been fascinated by the place Blues music holds in our society. It started right here but has had global influence. As a state we have a mixed and sordid history which affects us today, but I see music as a bridge to aid in understanding between cultures. Where politics can divide us, music can bring us together through shared emotions. My Blues series started as an homage to some of the Blues greats and will hopefully eventually encompass a wider range of musicians who’ve been inspired by andcontinued this tradition.
Renee Wofford
Urbanidad Rural
The young girl pictured here has no idea how truly unique her situation is. She lives in Bruce, MS, her father’s hometown, but her mother is originally from Miami, FL and is of Cuban descent. The culture this little girl experiences at home is a beautiful marriage of two completely different parts of America. Her meals are sometimes soul-food inspired, and othertimes they are recipes passed down from talented Cuban grandmothers and aunts. She hears both Spanish and English spoken in her home every day and understands them both equally. Her mother loves reading and encourages her daughter to read as well, buying her daughter books in both languages to no doubt strengthen the cultural connection with their roots. One day this little girl will likely realize the importance and beauty of her childhood situation, but that won’t be today. Today she’s just a kid, enjoying some time reading her books.
