From Field to Table: Rice, Land & Blues at A Bland Delta Farm

Join the Center for Community Engagement for a special day at Bland Delta Farm celebrating National Rice Month and exploring the connections between agriculture, food, culture, land, and community. Participants will tour Bland Delta Farm with Christi Bland, one of the few women rice farmers in the country, and learn about rice farming and the agricultural landscape of the Mississippi Delta. Following the farm tour, participants will enjoy a Southern brunch with live blues music, creating space to share a meal, listen to music, and reflect on the connections between food, land, and culture. The experience is offered in conjunction with SOIL, an exhibition by Justin Hardiman pays homage to the resilience, strength, and enduring spirit of Black farmers who have shaped the agricultural landscape of the Mississippi Delta. On display at the Barnard Observatory at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture from September 16–October 8, SOIL explores the profound connections between land and identity and the enduring legacy of Black farmers whose labor has sustained communities and shaped Mississippi.