In the fall of 2022, the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) announced a new look for the agency and some of its programs. The new brand style for MAC is similar to what you might find on a quilt square. Today, MAC is pleased to stitch the final square to the MAC “quilt,” featuring a new look for Mississippi Folklife and the Mississippi Folklife Directory. The new logo and branding for Mississippi Folklife feature a common design used in quilting. The Wheel of Fortune pattern used in the logo has been used to make memory quilts and can also symbolize the passage of time. The logo and the pattern ..read more

In a historic collaborative visit, the National Endowment for the Arts Chair, Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D., and the National Endowment for the Humanities Chair, Shelly Lowe, visited the metro-Jackson area earlier this month. The cross-sector visit allowed national, regional, state, and local leaders from the arts and humanities worlds, including General Nolen Bivens, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts (AFTA), to meet and experience the incredible work happening in Mississippi. The visit surrounded the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival, which occurred November 1 – 4 in Jackson. The Chai ..read more

By: David Lewis Thank you to everyone who came to our 2023 State Arts Conference presented by The Westin Jackson. You showed up, and it was incredible! We took some big risks this year – adding a full day with entirely new programming. In the week leading up to the conference, I had dreams that only six people showed up to the kick-off presentation from SouthArts. But over 100 of you came to hear about the amazing programming and grants they have available for our community. I thank Charles Phaneuf and SouthArts for participating in our week’s programming. The Westin Jackson proved to be the ..read more

At our upcoming State Arts Conference on October 11-12, 2023, you can watch the carving of one of the famous bears of Rolling Fork in preparation for the triumphant return of the Great Delta Bear Affair Festival, which takes place in Rolling Fork on October 28, 2023. We have partnered with the Lower Mississippi Delta Partnership to sponsor the carving of this year’s bear in an effort to assist with the rebuilding efforts in Rolling Fork in an artful way. Carved bear from Rolling Fork For years, the Great Delta Bear Affair Festival had a new towering bear carved to mark the annual festival and ..read more

I have long wanted to make an extended visit to Meridian. In college, I spent the majority of a day photographing modern works of architecture throughout the city as part of an exhibition that we created featuring modern architecture in Mississippi. The three-foot building was still a hope and a dream, as was the Meridian Police Department building. But City Hall had just been renovated, and word was circulating about the upcoming MAX. Since then, I had only ever stopped at Chick-fil-A on my way through or looped through downtown – if I had some extra time – to see if much had changed. But thi ..read more

Reaching out to our Commissioners has been an amazing opportunity not only to get to know each member but also to get to know their community. They know their towns well and are wonderfully connected to the people and organizations we serve or need to be serving. Roxy Theatre-Newton Little Theatre Reaching out to Ada McGrevey was a prime example of this. Ada told me to meet her in Newton, Mississippi, and we would just go from there. We met up at the Newton Little Theater, which is situated in a former Roxy theatre. But it took a hot minute for me to get there. I left for Newton soon after a l ..read more

Less than 48 hours before my Mississippi Delta trip, tornados ripped through Rolling Fork, Silver City, and other communities. I reached out to any grantee in our system in the affected areas to offer immediate assistance and pledged to be supportive after the dust settled to help stand up our beloved communities once again. To help support those in the affected areas, please consider giving to the Community Foundation of Washington County South Delta Disaster Recovery Fund. On Sunday, I began my journey to the Delta. Of course, it was also conference report filing day for the Legislative Sess ..read more

Hello! Welcome to my travel log. As I travel all around the state and country in relation to my new role at the Mississippi Arts Commission as Executive Director, I want to bring you along. Sketching has been a part of my creative expression since refining it in architectural school, and I love to sketch when I travel. I have been so inspired by all that I have seen and the people I have met. I want to share that with you through this series. I hope you’ll enjoy the journey. Having only been on the job for less than three weeks, I found myself headed on my way for my first trip in my new role ..read more

Jackson, MS – On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, the Mississippi Arts Commission hosted the 2023 Arts Day at the Capitol. MAC, partner agencies, arts advocacy groups, and grantees visited the Capitol to share the importance of the arts with state-wide leaders.  “Mississippi is so arts-rich, and I am so proud of the people in this room that make that happen,” said Senator Jeremy England of Vancleave, who spoke at the Arts Day at the Capitol.   This year, national, state-wide, and local leaders spoke about the impact on community investment and economic development through shovel-ready proje ..read more