By Kristen Brandt, Special Initiatives Director Each year, I anticipate the arrival of the Christmas season. The holidays have a tendency to embolden our artistic side, even those of us who protest a lack of ability or talent! People adorn their homes with the colors and symbols of the season, serenade strangers, and eagerly await […]
By Malcolm White, MAC Executive Director At this time of year when gifting is heavily on the minds of many, I’m reminded that one of the greatest gifts we can give children is that of a quality education, which of course, includes arts education. The benefits of arts education are innumerable, and we now have […]
By Charlotte Smelser, MAC Arts Education Director At MAC, we believe every child deserves to be taught in and through the arts. But we also understand the realities and challenges of modern-day education with standards to meet, paperwork to complete, assignments to grade, etc., etc. That’s why we strive to develop quality arts curricula teachers […]
By Larry Morrisey, MAC Deputy Director This past July, MAC awarded grants to 14 Mississippi artists through the Artist Fellowship Program. The grant program provides up to a $5,000 award to individual artists who demonstrate a high level of excellence in their work. This year’s recipients are from nine different communities and represent several different […]
By Malcolm White If it weren’t for a Mississippi Freedom Trail marker, you might not know that a section of Jackson’s Capitol Street was once the scene of a significant civil rights protest, Woolworth’s sit-in. If it weren’t for a Mississippi Blues Trail marker, you might not know that Club Ebony in Indianola was once […]
The Mississippi Arts Commission believes the state’s greatest asset is its story. Now, along with our partners, we have embarked on a project that honors our greatest storytellers. Similar to the Mississippi Blues Trail and other cultural trails, the Mississippi Writers Trail will pay tribute to the state’s most acclaimed and influential writers by recognizing […]
By Larry Morrisey, MAC Deputy Director Bluegrass musician and bandleader Alan Sibley of Ackerman is taking his music to a national audience through a new cable TV show. Sibley and his group The Magnolia Ramblers are the hosts of “The Bluegrass Trail,” a new music show on RFD-TV, the national cable channel that focuses on […]
By Maria Zeringue, MAC Folk and Traditional Arts Director One of my favorite parts of my job as the Folk and Traditional Arts Director is managing the online journal Mississippi Folklife. The journal features original writing and documentary work focused on present-day folklife and cultural heritage throughout the state. Mississippi Folklife publishes new articles, interviews, photo […]
The Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative is hosting a two-day conference in Tupelo beginning Friday, February 2 and continuing into February 3. The “WSI Winter Institute: Creatively Cultivating Curricula,” is a powerhouse, hands-on event designed to give teachers all the tools they need to effectively transform their teaching through arts-integration strategies. Arts integration is […]
For the second year in a row, MAC’s regional partner South Arts is accepting entries for the Southern Prize and State Fellowships, offering nine individual artists cash awards of up to $30,000; the contest is open to visual artists living across the southern states. Last year, Mississippi fiber artist Coulter Fussell was named finalist for […]
