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 PERFECT spot to host our event, and they were the most gracious hosts we could have ever asked for. Thank you to their fantastic staff for the support and for being the title sponsor of the conference. The rich collection of commissioned works of art made it feel like the Mississippi Museum of Art had just extended itself into the lobby of the Westin Jackson. We even got to hear from some of the artists from the Jackson area and had several pieces on display within the halls of the hotel. Thank you to Anne Robin Luckett and William Goodman for sharing your work with the 17 attendees who strolled the ArtWalk activity on Wednesday evening.

Another big risk we took was with the networking breakout sessions. As an entirely new concept – that will still need some polishing – we aimed to dedicate time and space for you to connect directly with the people across this state who do exactly what you do. And from what I heard from you all, it sounds like you did just that. One group is scheduling monthly Zooms together. Other artists told me that he walked away with a new group of artist friends that he didn’t have before. I loved hearing how you each made that space and dialogue your own. We will continue to find ways to foster that opportunity for you all. I want to thank the MAC staff and other group leaders for getting everyone to their respective locations across the city of Jackson.

In the evening of Wednesday night, we all gathered at the lovely Mississippi Museum of Art for our ArtTalk Dinner. With a delicious meal and some remarkable music by the Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, the conversations from the breakouts seemed to flow quickly into the conversations at dinner. General Nolen Bivens and former Congressman Gregg Harper delighted us with a thoughtful dialogue about the state of the arts and answered some audience questions, leading to wonderful insight.

The first day was new. Your buy-in and belief in what we set out to achieve made the day a success. Thank you!

On Thursday, we started the second day of the conference strong with an inspirational keynote from Adam Trest and a surprise announcement as the featured artist for the 2024 FestivalSouth. Adam talked us through creating The Lantern House children’s book – using the experience as a case study on how storytelling can happen across all mediums. He showed us how layered and detailed storytelling can get and how to use those skills in our work.

We wrapped the opening with an important series of announcements, which I’ll recap and link out here:

1. Upcoming Grants:
   • MiniGrant and Artist Roster applications are currently open until November 1, 2023.
   • Our annual grant round will open on February 1, 2024, and close on March 1, 2024.
2. We are finalizing and announcing our next round of Meet the MAC events across the state.
3. The Governor’s Arts Awards will occur at the 2 Mississippi Museums on February 8, 2024.
4. The NEA and NEH Chairs will be in Jackson for the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival for a panel on November 3, 2023, at 6:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public.
5. MAC and MHC are hosting the NEA and NEH Chairs for a public reception at the Smith Robertson Museum on November 2, 2023, at 4:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public and a great way to engage with the NEA and other federal and regional arts leaders.

Then the sessions began! We started with an Encore performance from Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band, and attendees made their way to panels discussing public art, art/work balance, individual project grants, accessibility, and creative writing. We all broke for lunch and returned to hear music from the Andrew Dillon Band. In the second break out, we heard about social media, independent filmmaking, the business of art, and strong boards. Our final art break featured the Jackson Irish Dancers. We closed the conference with sessions focused on improv, the real meaning of the Day of the Dead, earned media, getting an MFA or not, and how to get into the music business. With a robust, content-heavy day of panels, it took a lot of work to pick where to go and what to hear.

Throughout the conference, we all saw a bear carved out of wood and make its way up to Rolling Fork for the Great Delta Bear Affair Festival on October 28, 2023. Eighteen artists were able to get headshots taken for free. And many of you were able to participate in our quilting exercise. The arts were alive throughout the entire event.

Thank you to all 50+ presenters and performers for showing us why Mississippi continues to generate a leading culture of creativity. Thank you to The Westin Jackson and the remarkable staff. Thank you to the MAC staff, commissioners, and event planner for organizing a remarkable conference. Thank you to each participant who drove in, stayed in town, visited for a day, attended events, attended panels, ate in town, and joined us throughout this experience.

We hope that you learned a great deal from the conference. We hope that you feel encouraged, inspired, and invested in. And we hope to see you next year.