Professional artists, creatives, groups, ensembles, and arts non-profits. Individual artists and creative groups are each required to submit their own separate applications. If you belong to a creative group, both you and the group must apply independently to be listed on the roster.

Professional artists, etc., are eligible if they:

• earn at least part of their annual income or operating budget in their artistic disciplines;
• consider their artistic endeavors as a career;
• maintain a high level of artistic quality;
• make a significant time investment in their artistic disciplines through practice, production, and public sharings;
• are a permanent, legal, full-time resident of Mississippi at the time of application and throughout the tenure period. Applicants may be required to show proof of residence (such as a driver’s license, proof of domicile, a homestead, or utility bills).
  • If you are a non-profit, you must be registered in Mississippi.

Eligible applicants cannot:

• be a full-time student, with the exception of those who are a part of an artistic group applying to the Mississippi Artist Roster, and a majority of the group members are not full-time students.
• Be under 18 years of age by June 1 or November 1; this includes artistic groups. No exceptions will be given at this time.

Mississippi Artist Roster applications are reviewed by at least two MAC staff using the following criteria:

• Mastery of your artistic discipline
• Documented history of artistic offerings to the public (three years)
• Ability to demonstrate and/or interpret your artistic discipline or tradition for audiences
• A demonstrated willingness to share your work beyond your local residence
• Quality of promotional materials (including digital and analog)

All applications—whether approved or denied—will receive feedback related to the review criteria after roster notifications have been sent.

MAC recognizes that artists engage with their communities and professional networks in multiple ways. While no specific activities are required, MAC encourages roster artists to maintain a healthy, self-directed level of engagement with the state agency and the public, as appropriate to their capacity and practice. This engagement may take many forms, including:

• Helping to share MAC programs and opportunities within professional networks and the public, including key data points about Mississippi’s arts and culture ecosystem.
• Attending the Mississippi State Arts Conference and/or State Artist Convening.
• Acknowledging MAC through official logos or tagging MAC on social media (@msartscommission) in relation to artistic events or projects, when relevant.
• Serving as a MAC grants panelist (paid).
• Participating in Mississippi Artist Roster gatherings.
• Sharing moments of pride or professional updates related to your artistic practice with MAC.

Engagement opportunities may evolve over time as MAC learns about needs and resources.

• Inclusion in the MAC Artist Roster directory on the MAC website, featuring a bio, artist statement, allowable contact information, and at least one photo. The directory is updated biannually (August and January).
• MAC provides non-representational referral support to organizations seeking specific artistic disciplines or professional expertise. Though MAC may provide general guidance to the public, MAC does not and cannot act as an artist’s manager, booking agent, or representative of the selected artist. MAC does not negotiate or secure engagements on behalf of any roster artists.

Each selected artist serves a three-year term. MAC will contact roster members regarding the end of their three-year commitment and to consider reapplying for another term. Reapplying does not guarantee membership for the next term, as the review criteria and process will need to apply to every application. If the roster member chooses not to apply for the June 1 deadline, their profile will be removed from the public directory. The MAC Artist Roster directories will be updated to reflect changes in August and January.

If an Organizational Mini-Grant application (May Round) wants to hire a Roster Artist set to roll off June 30, MAC will not decline the application based on that detail alone.

MAC represents the Artist Roster in its entirety. While roster artists may be publicly identified by MAC as part of the roster, as a state agency, MAC does not and cannot act as an artist’s manager, booking agent, or representative in contractual or professional negotiations. Roster artists retain full independence and responsibility for their artistic practice, professional decisions, and business relationships.

You can apply through MAC’s online grant system, known as E-Grant (arts.ms.gov/apply). Please contact MAC if you need any support in accessing the grants system.

MAC will provide paper applications upon request. Applicants must request a paper application no later than two weeks before the deadline. Please provide on the back of the envelope a date for when you’ve submitted your application to the post office. The date on the envelope must not be later than the application deadline.

Your legislative districts

Don’t worry! We provide links in the application to help you learn who your representatives are.

Artistic Discipline Overview

This section includes five questions to help us understand how you define your artistry. For FY27, all applicants are asked to identify and highlight one subdiscipline that best represents their specialization. This specialization should be reflected throughout your narrative and work samples.

• For example, if your major discipline is Media and Film Arts, you may be capable of working across multiple subdisciplines — but if your strongest work lies in investigative documentary filmmaking, that becomes your single specialization for this roster.

Uploads

Resume and Promotional Materials – Please make sure to read the required upload formats.

Artistic Resume – 2 pages max that includes documentation of arts activities in the last three years. Include dates, locations, and any partners/hosts for these activities. You may include relevant college-level study, classes, trainings, special artistic skills, apprenticeships, or other advanced artistic training that you have completed. Education can be included, but it isn’t necessary.

Promotional Materials – Upload as one document the promotional materials you use to get seen by potential clients. This can include brochures, flyers, posters, business cards, screenshots of effective social media posts, logos, and examples of merchandise. An additional space for uploading is provided should you need it.

Supplemental Licenses and Certifications – Upload as one document if you have multiple active licenses and certifications directly relevant to your work and the people you wish to work with. For example, if you claim arts therapy as part of your work, please upload your state license.

Information for the MS Artist Roster Public Directory

This section will be what MAC uses for the MAC Artist Roster Directory that will be made public should you be selected for the roster. Though what is being requested is normal professional contact information, please do not include any information that you deem to be sensitive. Consider finding alternative phone numbers and a professional email address that are not personal. There is a question about your willingness to travel.

Professional Profile Image – 800 x 800 pixels. Color. Must show your artistry. A headshot is not needed at this time. Examples include:

• Literary Artist – Artist holding their book(s), or images from public reading
• Musician – Artist with their instrument(s) and/or equipment
• Visual Artist – Clear image of their work, with or without the artist
• Performing Artist (non-musician; dance, theatre, etc.) – Action shot from a performance or a staged photo that clearly conveys their discipline.

Description for the Artist Roster – 250 words/1000 total characters. First, briefly list what you can and want to be contracted for (no more than 4 or 5 options, please). Second, add your artist bio. For example:

• Public readings
• Commissioned writings for special events
• Creative Writing Workshops for ages 50-80
• Jane Doe is the author of the short fiction collections I Love Being on the Artist Roster and Why Mississippians Are Creative. She is the editor of the Magnolia Times Book Review and a full-time professor at University. Doe’s stories explore the intersection of fragmented memories of Mississippi’s aging population. Her awards and recognitions include X, Y, and Z. Doe volunteers her time working with Organization A, which promotes adult literacy across the South.

Description of Offerings – Should be 6000 characters. This is where you’ll describe what you would like to be contracted for based on the items listed in the previous question. For example:

• Public Readings – With over 15 years of public speaking and training in vocal technique, I am available to read and/or perform to numerous audiences in various settings. Readings of my own material are at a minimum of 30 minutes with a Q&A period and book signing. Can travel to the site as well as use video webinar settings.

Technical Requirements, Promotional and Marketing Descriptions

5000 characters. This section is how we understand and learn about your business skills from a big picture perspective.

• Technical Requirements – 5000 characters. Referred to as a “technical rider,” this is commonly a document that clearly outlines for any client your technical and logistical needs for your performance, sharing, exhibition, etc. Please include your fee structure(s) for the types of offerings you listed in the “Information for the Roster Artist Website” section.
• Promotions and Marketing – 2000 characters. Describe how you promote and market your work to current and potential clients. This can include materials used (newsletters, PSAs, social media), timelines, and preferred communications.

Work Samples

This section will vary depending on your major discipline. Your work samples should represent your specialized artistry and/or the types of offerings you can present to clients and the public. Work samples must be from within the last three years. Each work sample entry will include instructions for work sample description (500 characters). This includes describing in 1 – 2 sentences what MAC staff is viewing. If you submit a protected link, please include the password in the body of the work sample description box.

Visual Arts – 6 high-resolution images (JPEG, PNG) of your work. If the images are too large, include accessible weblinks directly associated with your work sample (one link per image).

Film and Media – 5 – 10 minutes TOTAL of your work in MP3, MP4, MOV, WMV, OR WMA format or an accessible weblink directly associated with your work sample (one link per sample). Minimum 1 work sample required, 3 max.

Literature – Published work must be in Word or PDF format, not the published format. If your sample is an excerpt from a longer piece, please include a one-page brief synopsis. This page will not count toward your page count.

• Poetry – 5 – 10 pages TOTAL. Minimum 1 work sample required, 3 max.
• Other Literature (including fiction, screenwriting, playwriting, etc.) – 10 – 15 pages TOTAL. Minimum 1 work sample required, 3 max.

Performing Arts – Please include names of key performers and their roles as part of your work sample description for MAC staff when reviewing. 5 – 10 minutes TOTAL of original or licensed work in MP3, MP4, MP3, MP4, MOV, WMV, OR WMA format, or include an accessible weblink directly associated with your work sample (one link per work sample). Minimum 1 work sample required, 3 max.