May-June 2017

Arts Day at the Capitol

Arts advocates from across the state poured into Mississippi’s statehouse for MAC’s Arts Day at the Capitol on March 29, 2017. The marble halls were filled with dancers, painters, musicians, actors, writers and patrons of the arts, all there to celebrate and advocate for the arts in Mississippi.

Mississippi’s Bicentennial

As our state celebrates its 200^th birthday, the importance of the arts is perhaps more visible than ever. Events happening around the state this year celebrate Mississippi’s creative heritage in music, visual arts, dance and more. In a soon-to-be released bicentennial curriculum, students will learn about Mississippi’s history, 200 years in the making, through the lens of the arts. While studying our state’s history infused with its rich arts legacy, children in elementary school through high school can reflect on our state’s past and become inspired to create its future. Special thanks to our partners at Mississippi Museum of Art and Mississippi Department of Education for helping make this project a reality.

The bicentennial year is an auspicious time to plan for the future, and at MAC, we are finishing up our strategic planning process. We are excited to share both our strategic plan for 2018-2022 and the results of our statewide survey that informed the direction of the plan, scheduled to be published in late summer/early fall.

Whole Schools Initiative

Much planning and progress is taking shape behind the scenes at MAC. The Whole Schools Summer Institute will take place June 12-16 in Gulfport at the Jefferson Davis campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where educators will spend the week learning about fun and effective strategies for integrating the arts into their classrooms. MAC’s program staff has been diligently working through the grant-making process as we prepare to announce grantees for Fiscal Year 2018. Finally, MAC will soon launch an updated website that will better communicate MAC’s programs and services in the digital world.

We look forward to sharing more news and projects with you soon. Stay tuned, and as always, thank you for supporting Mississippi’s thriving creative culture.

Best,
Malcolm White, MAC Executive Director