November 13, 2026 –January 3, 2027
On view in the Trustmark Grand Hall
Over the past twenty-five years, photographer Tom Pich has traveled across the country to create portraits of folk and traditional artists who were awarded the National Endowment for the Arts’s prestigious National Heritage Fellowship. Pich’s photographs give us a glimpse into the unique artforms, processes, and cultures of a diverse range of American makers. Coinciding with the 83rd National Folk Festival in downtown Jackson, this exhibition showcases a selection of artisans in their homes and studios, from Mississippi blues musicians to an indigenous Alaskan weaver, an Appalachian storyteller, and a Hawaiian cowboy singer.
Pich’s photos were published in Folk Masters: A Portrait of America (Indiana University Press, 2018) along with commentary by Barry Bergey, former Director of Folk and Traditional Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts. The book is available for sale in The Museum Store.
This exhibition is presented in partnership with the National Folk Festival and the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). The NCTA has worked alongside the National Endowment for the Arts to produce events honoring National Heritage Fellows since 1983.
About the artist
Tom Pich is a native New Yorker and professional photographer who specialized in the corporate sector of Wall Street. In the late 1980s he covered assignments for the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and US Olympics for a variety of publications. In addition to his commercial work, he has photographed National Heritage Fellows and Jazz Masters for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and assignments for the Smithsonian. His portraiture can be viewed on the NEA website and has been exhibited at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Russell Office Building of the US Senate, and the Library of Congress.
