2024 was a busy year for MAC. Our team traveled throughout the state, meeting with grantees, partners, and community members. Also, this year, our team moved into our new office space in downtown Jackson. The move was a great reminder that change often opens doors to new and better opportunities.

We started 2024 with a round of on-location filming in Starkville and Meridian for our new grantee spotlight series, which debuted this fall. The series examines a regional cross-section of grantees in each grant category to highlight our grant program’s impact and intention. We hope to continue making more of these in the future, as we have a long list of wonderful projects, artists, and organizations to highlight.

In late January, I was fortunate to be able to attend a summit held by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in Washington, D.C., that highlighted opportunities for the arts to work cross-sector with various government agencies, something that served as an influence for our upcoming collaborative Public Art grant, launching Summer 2025. While in town, I connected with staffers at our federal elected officials’ offices and educated them about the great work being done in the arts in Mississippi. They always remind me how much they love receiving the thank you notes that many of you send to them each year and note how well they stand out amongst the rest.

For the Inaugural Arts Week at the Capitol, we welcomed our arts community from various industries to show support during the Legislative Session. From theatre groups to museums and school groups, the arts were alive during the week leading up to the 2024 Governor’s Arts Awards.

If you were able to join us for the Awards this year, you know what a treat it was, especially to experience the excellent performances from the recipients themselves. The day began with a surprise appearance from Marty Stuart, a former bandmate with Earl Poole Ball for Johnny Cash, while in the Senate Chambers and ended with unforgettable performances by Earl, puppeteer Peter Zapletal, and recent Grammy-nominee Cedric Burnside.

We look forward to another great Arts Week on February 3-7, 2025, full of activations and celebrations and another extraordinary Governor’s Arts Awards on February 6, 2025.

In mid-February, Opera Mississippi graciously asked me to host the John Alexander Vocal Competition, and the audience put up with my ridiculous “dad jokes.” Additionally, a site visit to the Delta allowed for visits to some near-complete Building Fund for the Arts (BFA) projects at Delta Arts Alliance and the GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.

One of my favorite projects to work on and help develop this year has been the centennial celebrations for Medgar Evers and BB King. Two of Mississippi’s top titans will turn 100 in 2025. Working with Malika Polk-Lee, Keena Graham, and Reena Evers-Everett has been an absolute treat, a treasure, and a cherished time. These women who carry on their legacy deserve our full attention in 2025.

In February, we discovered that the MAC office would be relocated later in the year. Our team began to visit potential locations for the big move. The MAC office has been located in the Woolfolk Building since 2005. This gave our team an opportunity to clean out and start fresh in a new space.

March took Leslie Barker, Arts-Based Community Development Director for MAC, and me to the Creative Placemaking Summit in Atlanta, where we were inspired and filled with ideas on crafting what would become the upcoming Public Art Grant. Following the conference, we hosted another wonderful Poetry Out Loud state competition in partnership with MPB, showcasing the talents of high school students from across the state.

After our March board meeting, we took Commissioners to visit the nearly complete BFA project at the Mississippi Children’s Museum. Robin Whitfield also invited me to join the Citizen’s Institute for Rural Design (CIRD) project developing in Grenada, Mississippi, thanks to a grant from the NEA.

Springtime involved lots of grant application reviewing, office move prepping, and grant paneling. In the spring, we also launched our new ADA Accessibility Webinar series in partnership with the Southeast ADA Center.

I enjoyed spending the day with Suzi Altman in April, visiting the legendary Margaret’s Grocery and seeing the work done to preserve this vital folk landmark. Suzi’s unrelenting commitment to preservation is truly an inspiration!

April marked the end of a long but supportive legislative session and the final preparations for our big office move.

In May, we welcomed the National Folk Festival to Jackson, which will take place for the first time in Mississippi and the Deep South in November 2025-2027. Get ready for a good time. We also finally moved into the new office. We were fortunate to move into a newly renovated space that gives MAC a little more room and greater accessibility to the public. We appreciate the work Glen Kornbrek and DFA did to help us get into the new office location.

In June, I made a trip to McComb, Mississippi, to visit with MAC Commissioner Julie Shepherd. Ellie Banks, MAC Communications Director, and I continued to work on the Grantee Spotlight film series with a visit to Hattiesburg and the University of Southern Mississippi campus. Additionally, we hosted our Board of Commissioners in Ocean Springs for our annual June board meeting.

I joined the Mississippi Whole Schools team in Hattiesburg for the annual Summer Institute in mid-July. I was honored to connect with school administrators during their track and talk to them about how to cultivate community partnerships. I enjoyed attending the ground ”seeding” event in late July to kick off Sipp Culture’s BFA project, the Main Street Cultural Center, in Utica, Mississippi. At the end of the month, we began conducting interviews for the short films we create for the Governor’s Arts Awards. Interviewing at the Mississippi Museum of Art and even on the front porch of the Groovy Garden at the Neshoba County Fair.

August started strong as Lauren, Leslie, and I attended the wonderful Rural Placemaking Summit in McComb, Mississippi, hosted by the Community Foundation for Mississippi. I had the pleasure of moderating a session in conversation with Mayor Toby Barker and Visit Hattiesburg Director Marlo Dorsey about the ways Hattiesburg has used public art to promote civic pride and tourism. Lauren, Leslie, and I attended the ribbon cutting of the mural project at the Margaret Walker Alexander Library, which is an Organization Project grantee through the Friends of the JXN Libraries. Governor’s Awards filming continued, taking us on the road to Natchez, Churchhill, and Lorman, Mississippi.

Picking back up in September, we traveled across the southern part of the state for more filming at the Crosby Arboretum and the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. We take pride in showcasing so many excellent places and sites across Mississippi through these short films. I can’t wait for you to see them in the new year. A few weeks later, I joined Leslie to present at the Destination Downtown conference in Vicksburg. This was followed by the wonderful celebration of the Mississippi Book Festival’s 10th Anniversary, where we unveiled a new Mississippi Writer’s Trail marker honoring the festival! We also hosted the inaugural announcement of SouthArt’s Southern Prize for Literature. Additional Governor’s Art Awards filming took place for Eddie Cotton Jr and at the Little Big Store in Raymond, Mississippi.

As we set course for a strong finish to the year, we began October with a wrap-up filming for the awards with a visit to Jane Hiatt in Georgia. I also had the pleasure of presenting to the Madison Ridgeland Rotary Club at the invitation of MAC Commissioner Frances Nelson. Kristen Brandt and I joined MAC Commission Julie Shepherd at the opening of a new art gallery displayed on the rooftop of the Sheraton Hotel in Flowood, organized and managed by Keri Davis at Pacesetter Gallery.

Mid-October brought us our wonderful State Arts Conference, which has its own recap here. John T Edge, Nina Parikh, and I had the pleasure of hosting the South Arts Board on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and it was a spectacular few days. Our partners on the coast helped us roll out the red carpet and truly show off all that the Mississippi Gulf Coast has to offer.

As November began, I made my way to Starkville, Mississippi, to connect with partners and artists in the area. Chris Misun and I met to discuss the Magnolia Film Festival and its wonderful programming. Leah Kemp joined me for lunch at Stromboli’s (boy, am I glad they reopened!) and a tour of the Carl Small Town Center, which I had never stepped foot in despite having spent 4 years of my life in that building for architecture school. Gabe Smith and I caught up at the Starkville Community Theatre. Then, I journeyed out to Joe MacGown’s place and artist residency to see the inspiring space that he has been crafting. I enjoyed a lovely dinner with Holly and Robert Ivy in Columbus. In Tupelo, I visited with Brady, Brad and Sarah with the Chickasaw Inkana Foundation to hear about their remarkable project, the Chickasaw Heritage Center, opening in late 2026. I also visited the Del Rendon Foundation, saw their wonderful art gallery, and discussed the meaningful work they do with their artist residency program. I wrapped the trip with a fantastic visit to Juliette Reid with the Starkville Area Arts Council in their new space downtown and an excellent meeting with Paige Hunt with Visit Starkville. Before I left, I stopped by the architecture school and offered some desk critiques to students about their work.

November closed out with a presentation at the Jackson Medical Mall Rotary Club, a visit to the new quilting exhibition at the Mississippi Museum of Art, and the official Kickoff to the National Folk Festival.

While we still have December to adventure through, I look back on a year that was full of witnessing the continuation of such outstanding work by our grantees and partners. You are so inspiring with the work you do. I look forward to a new year full of more site visits, connecting with more of you across the state, launching some exciting new programming, and continuing to provide grants and programming. See you all in 2025!