JACKSON, Miss. — The America250 Mississippi Commission and the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) are pleased to announce the recipients of the America250 Mississippi Public Art Grant.

The grant program celebrates Mississippi stories in recognition of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mississippi Legislature, $100,000 was dedicated to public art grants for 10 eligible applicants across the state.

The initiative provides $12,000 for eligible applicants with FY26 operating budgets over $250,000 and $8,000 for applicants with budgets under $250,000. At each level, a one-time grant of $12,000 or $8,000 was awarded in each of the state’s five regions: Delta, Capital-Rivers, Gulf Coast, Pines and Hills.

“The Public Art Grant program reminds us that Mississippi’s greatest strength has always been its people,” said First Lady and America250 MS co-chair Elee Reeves. “The awarded projects honor Mississippi’s dynamic and innumerable contributions to American history, enrich our smallest and largest towns, and demonstrate to America the talent that continues to thrive and elevate our great nation.”

“With this grant program, we are able to continue the activation and engagement of our phenomenal Mississippi communities through 10 new public art projects,” said Mississippi Arts Commission Director David Lewis. “As a way to celebrate Mississippi’s cultural legacy, the public art projects include murals, sculptures, and performances centered around our state’s contribution to the nation.”

Public Art Grant projects must reflect one or more of the following themes:

• We the People: The American Ideal and Fundamental Rights

• Power of People and Place: Mississippi in the American Story

• The Future of Mississippi: A World of Possibilities

The awardees and their project descriptions are as follows:

Delta Compass
Theme: Power of People and Place (Delta)
To create three large-scale bottle tree sculptures celebrating the rich folk traditions of Mississippi and the Deep South.

The City of Yazoo City
Theme: Power of People and Place (Delta)
To create a large-scale mural commemorating the medical and social history of the Afro-American Sons and Daughters Hospital, Mississippi’s first African American hospital.

Genesis and Light Center
Themes: We the People; Power of People and Place (Capital-Rivers)
To create the center’s first community-engaged public art mural honoring the community and Civil Rights history of Jackson that helped shape the nation.

Mississippi Cultural Crossroads
Theme: Power of People and Place (Capital-Rivers)
To create a community quilt and accompanying placemaking billboards highlighting the nationally recognized quilting legacy of Port Gibson, Miss.

Hattiesburg Landmark Preservation, Inc.
Themes: We the People; Power of People and Place (Gulf Coast)
To create a veteran-engaged mural in partnership with military mission-based organizations, honoring local veterans.

Lynn Meadows Discovery Center
Themes: Power of People and Place; The Future of Mississippi (Gulf Coast)
To create a youth-engaged, large-scale mixed-media public art tapestry celebrating the future of Mississippi’s children using Gulf Coast imagery and folk techniques.

Jimmie Rodgers Foundation
Theme: Power of People and Place (Pines)
To create and install a Jimmie Rodgers guitar sculpture celebrating the local influences that shaped his legacy for a global audience.

Town of Mantee
Theme: Power of People and Place (Pines)
To create the town’s first public art mural as the “Epicenter of the Natchez Trace” (Mississippi Legislature: SC 540), helping the local community preserve and share stories with families and visitors.

Noxubee County Historical Society
Theme: We the People (Pines)
To create a youth-centered, multidisciplinary patriotic initiative focused on U.S. fundamentals through public expressions, including a mural, dramatic readings, bell ringing, and more.

Saltillo Main Street
Theme: Power of People and Place (Hills)
To create a placemaking and wayfinding mini-mural trail depicting Saltillo’s artistic, cultural and historical contributions to the American experience.

America250 Mississippi is part of the national America250 partnership to ensure the broadest possible participation by Mississippians during the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the celebration of America’s best.

To learn more about America250 Mississippi programs, grants, and affiliated events, visit America250.ms.

The Mississippi Arts Commission is a state agency serving more than 2 million people through grants and special initiatives that enhance communities, assist artists and arts organizations, promote arts education, and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. MAC is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts,s and other private sources. For more information, visit arts.ms.gov.

To learn more about MAC’s America250 Public Art Grant, contact Simone Cottrell, special initiatives director at the Mississippi Arts Commission, at scottrell@arts.ms.gov, or visit arts.ms.gov/america250-mississippi-public-art-grant.