Tom Pich Exhibits National Heritage Fellow Portraits at MMA

Tom Pich brings National Heritage Fellowship portraits to Mississippi Museum of Art

A collection of portraits capturing the lives of America’s most distinguished folk and traditional artists will arrive at the Mississippi Museum of Art this November. The exhibition, titled Folk Masters: A Portrait of America, is scheduled to run from November 13, 2026, through January 3, 2027, in the museum’s Trustmark Grand Hall, according to msmuseumart.org.

The showcase features the work of photographer Tom Pich, who has spent the last twenty-five years traveling the United States to document the makers behind the National Endowment for the Arts’s (NEA) National Heritage Fellowship. These portraits offer a direct look at the specific artforms, cultural processes, and environments of a diverse group of American artisans. The exhibition includes images of Mississippi blues musicians alongside a wide geographic and cultural spectrum, ranging from an indigenous Alaskan weaver and an Appalachian storyteller to a Hawaiian cowboy singer.

This presentation coincides with the 83rd National Folk Festival held in downtown Jackson. It is a collaborative effort, presented in partnership with the National Folk Festival and the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA). The NCTA has maintained a long-standing role in the preservation of these traditions, working alongside the NEA to honor National Heritage Fellows since 1983.

The lens of a former Wall Street photographer

Tom Pich’s transition from the high-stakes corporate environments of Wall Street to the intimate studios of folk artists represents a significant shift in subject matter. A native New Yorker, Pich built a career specializing in the corporate sector before moving into high-profile assignments for the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the US Olympics. His work has since been displayed in major institutions, including the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Nea national heritage fellow wu man ceremony by tom pich

The photographs in this exhibition were originally published in the 2018 book Folk Masters: A Portrait of America, released by Indiana University Press. That volume includes commentary from Barry Bergey, the former Director of Folk and Traditional Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts. For those interested in the deeper context of these makers, the book is available for purchase at the Mississippi Museum of Art store.

The exhibition serves as a visual record of the NEA’s mission to recognize excellence in traditional arts. By placing these artists in their natural habitats—their homes and workspaces—Pich moves beyond simple portraiture to document the physical reality of cultural preservation. This approach provides a sense of the economic and social landscapes that sustain these specialized crafts.

The exhibition remains on view in the Trustmark Grand Hall until January 3, 2027.