The 2020 Crossroad Festival will be one-day event exploring Jefferson County and Southeast Arkansas's diverse cultural heritage through the interpretative lens of oral history, music and performing arts. The festival will focus on the historical and cultural contributions made by women of the Southeast Arkansas Delta with an overarching theme of “family ties.”

Events include a two-hour youth program from 1-3 p.m. focusing on family stories “uncovered” during ASC’s 2015 “Heritage Detectives” project. Family program will include hands-on “family movie maker” activity and interactive “family album” skits with participants.

The second afternoon program, from 3:30-5 p.m., “Women of the Arkansas Delta” focuses on the 1976 oral history project by the Pine Bluff Women’s Center. The project’s original photograph prints and final publication were discovered in the Arts & Science Center’s Permanent Collection in the summer of 2018. The Crossroad Fest program addresses the project’s history, discovery of the materials, interpretation of the collection for our 2019 exhibit, and forthcoming touring exhibition based on the oral history project.

The evening program from 6:30-8:30 p.m. will explore the area’s tradition of female gospel quartet groups featuring quartets from Jefferson County and Southeast Arkansas. Featured groups include The Spiritualettes, The Williams Sisters, and Sweet Melody.

More details to be announced in January 2020.