Participants To Be Recognized for Their Participation in Yearlong Cultural Preservation Workshop Series
After nearly a year of training, collaboration and community engagement, participants in the Smithsonian’s Mississippi Community Cultural Conservation Program will gather Thursday, Nov. 12–Saturday, Nov. 14, during the 83rd National Folk Festival in Jackson, Mississippi, to be recognized by Monique Chism, the Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for Education, and Barry White, the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, to mark the final in-person workshop as part of the program.
Launched in February 2026, the program brought together 30 participants representing 15 museums, historic sites and cultural organizations across Mississippi. Through a series of virtual and in-person workshops, participants received training in collections care, digitization, preservation, disaster preparedness and community-centered storytelling while getting the opportunity to meet with peers across the state. The initiative engaged experts from around the Smithsonian, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History, the Museum Conservation Institute, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and Smithsonian Affiliations as co-teachers, alongside experts in Mississippi.
The Mississippi program is the first project launched through the Smithsonian’s Regional Collaboratives, a nationwide initiative designed to deepen partnerships with communities across the country by aligning Institution resources with locally identified priorities. Rather than introducing a predetermined program, the Smithsonian works with community partners to identify priorities and build activities around local needs.
“One of the most important things we heard from community partners was that they wanted opportunities to connect, learn from one another and build capacity for the work they’re already leading,” Chism said. “This program celebrates the people and organizations across Mississippi who are preserving local history and culture every day.”
Throughout the program, participants took part in hands-on learning opportunities tailored to community needs. The initial workshop at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, focused on digital technologies that can aid museum professionals in preserving material culture, led by Jackson State University’s Margaret Walker Center staff.
At another workshop, participants traveled to the University of Mississippi to learn about conservation and collections care, observing the way the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Barnard Observatory has developed an ecosystem that connects heritage sites, institutional archives, university research and local businesses to create enriching learning experiences.
The latest workshop on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art focused on disaster preparedness, where participants practiced emergency response techniques for museum collections and learned strategies for protecting cultural resources before and after emergencies.
The culminating event, taking place Thursday, Nov. 12–Saturday, Nov. 14, will overlap with the National Folk Festival in Jackson Friday, Nov. 13–Sunday, Nov. 15, to provide an opportunity for participants to learn about different approaches to public expressions of culture through folkways, traditional arts and storytelling.
“Partnerships like this demonstrate how national resources and local knowledge can come together to create new opportunities,” White said. “The Smithsonian brought resources and specialized expertise, while participants helped shape the program around Mississippi’s unique history, communities and cultural traditions. Together, we’ve built relationships that will continue to strengthen this work in the years ahead.”
The Smithsonian will also have a significant presence at the National Folk Festival, including programming from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Together, these activities reflect the Smithsonian’s commitment to engaging with communities outside of Washington, D.C., and across the country.
As the Smithsonian continues its work to engage communities across the nation, lessons learned in Mississippi will help inform future partnerships. While the nation’s 250th anniversary has provided the catalyst for this work, the relationships and knowledge built through programs like this are intended to serve communities for years to come.