Artist participants in Merrehope's Plein Air event last weekend included Caleb Phillips (left), from the Meridian Museum of Art staff, and Lamar School art teacher Bob Purvis. Photo by Coleman Warner

Marketing slogans are everywhere it seems, provocative and entertaining. But they aren’t always legit. So I couldn’t wait to ask Malcolm White about the “unofficial cultural capital” boosterish tag sometimes applied to Meridian.

White, a longtime Jackson resident, is a retired former director of the Mississippi Arts Commission and Visit Mississippi. He grew up in other regions of the state (Perkinston and Booneville). A well-traveled author and former Jackson restauranteur, White is an expert on Mississippi arts and culture – from music trails to festivals – and, while friendly and often funny, seems quite a straight-shooter.

 

He and legendary sports journalist Rick Cleveland were at The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience in Meridian last weekend to talk about the often-overlooked intersection of entertainment and athletics. After their presentation, I cornered White to pose the question that nags at me: Can Meridian back up this claim to be most culturally rich community in Mississippi?

 

With a bit of qualification, his answer was: Yes.

 

“What I’ve always said about Meridian is, it has one of everything. It has everything every small town wish they had—a four-year college (campus), a two-year college, performing center/opera house, this MAX, Jimmie Rodgers,” said White, whose father was a community college president. “I mean, the assets are just overwhelming, what’s here, who’s from here, the story that Meridian has to tell. And so yes, it has all the assets, all the pieces that you could ever imagine needing to be successful.”

 

He noted that Meridian also can take pride in its children’s museum, its symphony, and “on and on and on.” While White didn’t mention them, that “on and on” might encompass museums smaller than The MAX that celebrate Meridian’s rail and industrial history, the Temple Theatre, the Meridian Little Theatre, and Meridian Community College’s longtime arts programs.

 

And beyond Rodgers, we’ve got lots of other musicians (including American Idol winner Jamal Roberts) and other notable creative figures, past and still active. Not to mention a walkable downtown with shops and restaurants, and the historic-restoration Threefoot Hotel, that help to complete an inviting picture.

 

Tupelo (home of Elvis), Oxford, Jackson, Vicksburg and Clarksdale all have major assets to take pride in, but each would face a tough competition with Meridian in a state contest, White said. “Once upon a time, you might have said Natchez (is the cultural capital), you may have later said Greenville, but not any more for either of those two.”

 

Sportswriter Cleveland, a Hattiesburg native who also lives in Jackson, was guarded in answering the cultural query, alluding to assets in the Delta, on the coast, and in Jackson. “It (Meridian) would be a finalist, that’s what I’d say. It would be in the top three.”

 

At the same time, Cleveland let everyone know he immensely enjoyed dining at the Rustler steak house and staying at the Threefoot during this Meridian visit, saying, “The hotel is as good as anything in Mississippi – the design, the rooms, the open-air (rooftop) bar.”

 

Meridian faces challenges in solidifying its status as a cultural capital, but endorsements from people like White and Cleveland help to make that happen.

 

Reinforcing their good reviews, last weekend I caught part of an impressive Plein Air (live outdoor painting) art event at Meridian’s historic Merrehope house, another cultural gem. I also learned that Randy Travis and the Marshall Tucker Band will be among performers in coming months at the MSU Riley Center opera house. Ornate, dating to the late 1800s, that downtown venue is among the more beautiful to be found anywhere.

 

Warner is a veteran journalist and cultural historian, and can be contacted at legacypress.warner@gmail.com.