JACKSON, MISS. – March 23, 2021 – The Mississippi Arts Commission’s annual Arts Day at the Capitol will take place as a virtual event this year with several online arts advocacy opportunities in lieu of the traditional in-person event. In keeping with its original purpose, the virtual event on Thursday, March 25 will highlight the ways in which the arts enrich Mississippians’ quality of life and will provide an opportunity for artists and arts organizations to share how the arts have impacted their lives and their communities.  

The Mississippi Arts Commission will offer an arts advocacy webinar with Americans for the Arts, a social media campaign using #msartsday2021 and a virtual performance by blues musician Grady Champion as Virtual Arts Day 2021 programming.

“Arts Day at the Capitol was the last in-person event MAC held in 2020 before COVID-19 made a tremendous and lasting impact on the arts community of our state,” said Sarah Story, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission. “Arts Day 2021 represents a way for the arts community to once again come together to communicate the importance of the arts and support one another at this critical time. The arts sector was among the first affected by COVID-19 and may be among the last to fully recover. It is imperative their voices are heard.”

Recorded earlier in the week, MAC’s Arts Advocacy Webinar with Jay H. Dick of Americans for the Arts is posted on arts.ms.gov/artsday. The webinar presents tips and strategies to effectively communicate the value of the arts to key decision-makers. 

On Thursday, March 25, a day-long social media campaign will kick off to illustrate the role of the arts in Mississippi and offer a platform for the state’s arts community to tell their arts stories. Participants will respond to the prompt, “How have the arts made an impact in your community?” and post their answer on social media using #msartsday2021. MAC will share impactful posts taking part in the campaign throughout the day. 

Additionally, MAC will offer a virtual concert by blues musician Grady Champion that will be available at arts.ms.gov/artsday on Thursday, March 25.

For more information and to learn how you can participate, please visit arts.ms.gov/artsday. Please contact MAC Communications Director Anna Ehrgott at aehrgott@arts.ms.gov or (601) 359-6546 if you have questions about Arts Day 2021.