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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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“The Chitlin Circuit Review” exhibit narrates the progression of blues in the United States. Credit: Courtesy Smith Robertson Museum

• Smith Robertson Museum
• $4.50 admission; $3 seniors; $1.50 children

Featuring art by Rik Freeman, “The Chitlin Circuit Review” documents the development of blues music and culture in the United States. Freeman’s paintings are dramatic and surreal, like the blues, without sacrificing the raw, human characteristic of the culture. Based on actual events, the exhibit uses fictional characters to tell the story of the Chitlin Circuit, a network of clubs, juke joints and venues in the South where early black blues and soul musicians performed.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.