THE SITE IS OPEN AND UNDER REPAIR https://www.gofundme.com/savemargaretsgrocery
click link. below to see TV interview aired 8/2/17
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/36038436/mississippi-strong-suzi-altman?autostart=true&clienttype=generic&utm_content=bufferf9deb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Picture the difference if we all donated just $10 dollars we could save this Mississippi Treasure. Dennis and Miss Margaret were my friends. I met them in early 2000 and immediately fell in love with them and their Palace. I was compelled to visit them over the next 10 years while I photographed them and just listened to their wisdom they had to share. They shared their simple life lessons that are still relevant today- God has no white church, he ain't got no black church-He got one church- And ALL are Welcome. They also taught me to treat folks the way you want to be treated, and that everyone is equal. These simple lessons need to be shared for future generations to learn. Before Margaret's death on October 5, 2009 at the age of 94, I promised her I would look after Preacher and before he died on September 4, 2012 at the age of 96 I promised him I would protect his creation and their Palace. I attended both of their funerals and there isn't a day that goes by I do not think about them or what I have learned from them. I hope with your help we can save this Mississippi Treasure and restore this folk art icon to its original glory. The Mississippi Folk Art Foundation is dedicated to preserving, protecting and reinstalling folk art. Our first major project is to save Margaret's Grocery in Vicksburg Mississippi. Located north of downtown Vicksburg on old Highway 61, Margaret's Grocery is a unique vernacular art environment created by Reverend H.D. Margaret Rogers Dennis ran the former country store for years. When she met and married Reverend Dennis in the early 1980s, he promised her that he would transform her simple store into a place that the world would come to see. Although the site is no longer open as a store, the Grocery has attracted visitors from around the world to experience Reverend Dennis' creation. The site, described as a "theological park" by vernacular art scholar Stephen Young, is crowded with signs, gates, towers, and other items created by Dennis. The Reverend is constantly making changes and modifications to the site, adding new signs, repainting items with new designs, and adding more details to existing structures. In addition to the external work, the interior of the grocery is also ornately decorated. Dennis has used beads, Christmas lights, artificial flowers, and other inexpensive items to create a unique worship space inside the grocery. Donations can be mailed to the Mississippi Folk Art Foundation â„… Suzi Altman 103 Riverbend Drive Brandon MS 39047
http://www.arts.state.ms.us/folklife/artist.php?dirname=margarets_grocery
