
Artists
The National Folk Festival presents the nation’s finest traditional artists from across the nation representing a broad array of America’s cultural communities. The National also strives to showcase the traditions of cultural communities historically identified with the host city, state, or region, as well as the arts of newer immigrant communities that are contributing to the state’s cultural landscape.
If you are interested in performing at the National Folk Festival, check out How to be a performer at the National Folk Festival.
Family Area & Street Performers
Mississippi Folklife Area & Stage

Betty Crawford
mixed-media sculpture and quilting
Marks, Mississippi, by way of Alabaster, Alabama
Betty Crawford is a mixed-media artist and quilter who draws inspiration from her family, ancestors, and the endurance of the Delta, all woven into her intricate quilts and sculptures that preserve the legacy of the Mule Train and Poor People's Campaign.

Big A & the Allstars with the Delta Blues Museum Students
blues
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Raised in Clarksdale, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod is part of a living lineage of blues legends. He will be joined by the students of the Delta Blues Museum Blues Class for his performance at the 82nd National Folk Festival.

Blue Monday Band
blues
Jackson, Mississippi
For nearly two decades, Blue Monday has been a staple of the live blues scene in Jackson. Hosted by legendary restaurant and musical institution Hal & Mal’s, this weekly open mic brings together seasoned performers, emerging talent, and die-hard blues fans under one roof.

Eleanor Chickaway
Choctaw basket making
Conehatta, Mississippi
Eleanor Chickaway of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is one of the living masters of Choctaw the basketmaking tradition, using vibrant colors and complex weaves to create beautiful basketry, a skill she has passed on to others in her community.

James "Super Chikan" Johnson
Delta blues and instrument making
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi Delta bluesman and visual artist James “Super Chikan” Johnson plays the guitars he makes himself, using repurposed materials from gas cans to ceiling fans, painting each “chikantar” with images from the Delta.

Motor Mouse Motorcycle Club
motorcycle club
Indianola, Mississippi
With more than five decades of riding together throughout the Mississippi Delta, the Motor Mouse Motorcycle Club supports charitable work and fellowship among its members, while maintaining, showcasing, and riding together at every opportunity.

Punk Showcase: Hartle Road, & Bad Anxiety
punk music
Jackson, Columbus, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Celebrating Mississippi’s boldest voices in punk rock, this showcase will highlight the region’s thriving DIY spirit, community-first ethos, and forms of social resistance featuring the bands Hammer & the Tools, Hartle Road, and Bad Anxiety.