The Mississippi Story invites readers to examine the connection between place and the visual arts of the state. Based on an exhibition from the permanent collection of the Mississippi Museum of Art, this book explores artwork produced within the state by artists who were native to or lived in Mississippi or by travelers who created work about the state.

Patti Carr Black presents the overall theme of place in four sections: the influence of the land on the art, Mississippi's people as depicted in its art, life in Mississippi as observed by its artists, and the exporting of Mississippi culture through its artists. Numerous artists' biographies are included as well as more than one hundred full-color illustrations.