21c Museum Hotel Bentonville and Oxford American are excited to announce a live taping of the Oxford American’s Points South podcast. The intimate evening of music and conversation will take place on Monday, March 21st at 7pm. This event is FREE to the public, however, seating will be limited. Reservations are required. Reserve your spot by following this link.

Featured guests during the 75-minute program will include folk/blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Buffalo Nichols, playing a short selection of songs, and visual artist Oluwatobi Adewumi, both of whom will be in conversation with Oxford American editor, Danielle A. Jackson and OA Executive Director and Points South host, Dr. Sara A. Lewis. Seating is limited, and reservations are required.

The event is meant to celebrate the works of two accomplished Southerners while putting music and visual art in conversation, specifically the lived experiences that have informed and inspired both men in their respective crafts.

Oluwatobi Adewumi is a Contemporary artist who focuses on the sociocultural subject of Black Americans through his multimedia drawings. His work explores his personal journey of having been born in Nigeria then moving and assimilating into American Culture in conservative Arkansas. “My practice engages in a critical commentary of the past to learn and unlearn how history shapes our understanding of the present and, in turn, impacts our perception of the future. I represent in my work the expressions of the often-overlooked faces of Black African immigrants across the diaspora.” His drawings are between realism/ abstract figures and portraits layered out to make it simple for his audience by telling a story in a story. Some of his best tools are charcoal, and acrylic paint which he can manipulate and use freely to bring the depth of the subject as he tackles the story behind each artwork. Adewumi’s work is temporarily on view as part of 21c Bentonville’s Elevate program.

“Part of my intent, making myself more comfortable with [Buffalo Nichols], is putting more Black stories into the genres of folk and blues,” guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Buffalo Nichols explains. “Listening to this record, I want more Black people to hear themselves in this music that is truly theirs.” That desire is embodied in his self-titled debut album—Fat Possum’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years—released in October 2021. While acknowledging the joy, exuberance and triumph contained in the blues, Nichols looks intently at the genre’s origins, which harken back to complicated and dire circumstances for Black Americans. With this in mind, Nichols says there is a missing link, which he’s often used as a compass: Black stories aren’t being told responsibly in the genre anymore. To begin changing that, Buffalo Nichols gets the chance to tell his own story in the right way.

This is the first event of our 2022 Points South Live series. Other locations will include Austin, TX, Nashville, TN, and Durham, NC— more information on dates and featured artists to be announced.

Points South launched in September 2019 and is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. The podcast features thought-provoking stories and music from the South, reimagining works from the Oxford American magazine, engaging vital Southern writers, artists, and thinkers in conversation, and featuring live performances recorded at intimate concert series.