Though the Mississippi heat is far from over, we are rapidly approaching the fall months, which for MAC, means State Arts Conference time! While we are still working out details, please save the date for Tuesday, October 19. We’ll also host a few pre-conference events geared toward specific groups on Oct. 18, the day before the conference. Stay tuned!

As I’m sure you are all aware, the Delta variant of COVID-19 is surging in our state right now, upending some festival plans, such as the Mississippi Book Festival. We are keeping an eye on the situation as it unfolds and as always, we are here for our arts community. If you have not already, please consider getting vaccinated so we can all enjoy the arts in-person and help artists and musicians rebuild their livelihoods.

MAC will receive American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds through the National Endowment for the Arts, and we will make an announcement in the coming weeks regarding the guidelines and process to apply for these funds.

We hope you get a chance to visit one of the seven participating arts institutions for FREE as part of Art Museum Month Mississippi. These art institutions are taking COVID-19 precautions such as limited capacity and masking. Plus, several feature outdoor arts experiences.

Thank you to all who submitted a nomination or wrote a letter in support of nominees for the Governor’s Arts Awards. The selection committee has 40+ deserving nominees to choose from this year, and five to seven recipients will be honored in February 2022.

As kids go back to school this fall, please encourage educators to take advantage of the free arts-based curricula on our website. Also, Mississippi Whole Schools, MAC’s arts education program, has a new website with great resources for teachers as well.

We appreciate your support of the arts, and hope to see one another again soon.

My best,

Sarah Story
MAC Executive Director   

Pictured: Sarah and Marlo Dorsey have fun with public art in Hattiesburg. Marlo is the president of the Mississippi Tourism Association and director of Visit Hattiesburg.