July 1 may seem like an insignificant date to most people, but it’s a big deal at the Mississippi Arts Commission. The first day of July each year is the start of a new fiscal year, and for us, that means awarding grants, one of the most important and gratifying things we do.

Congrats to the many deserving grantees!

This year, we were able to award more than $1.4M to artists and arts organizations around the state. Thanks to increases from the Mississippi Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, we were able to give more to the arts sector than in previous years. We are grateful for the support of our lawmakers.

In the past month, we held MAC’s first in-person event in over a year! A capacity-limited gathering was held in the new Ecoshed in Jackson on June 24 where I spoke about the State of the Arts in Mississippi, and we enjoyed a performance from our 2021 Governor’s Arts Awards recipient Nellie ”Mack” McInnis. I had the opportunity to meet many leaders in the arts in the area, and in many cases, finally matched faces to names. Many thanks to the Ecoshed for hosting us and providing refreshments and entertainment.

As we look forward to August, be sure to take advantage of Art Museum Month in August! Seven of our state’s major arts institutions are offering FREE admission for the entire month. Check out visitmississippi.org/artmuseums to learn more and get free admission. Also, the Mississippi Book Festival will be held August 21 and the Mississippi Invitational exhibition at the Mississippi Museum of Art will be held August 14 to November 7.

I look forward to seeing you all around Mississippi.

My best,

Sarah Story  

MAC Executive Director