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Mississippi Arts Commission

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MAC is a state agency created in 1968 to support the arts in Mississippi. @mswholeschools @mississippifolklife

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The Mississippi Arts Commission, in partnership with the Governor’s Office, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2027 Governor’s Arts Awards.

The 2027 recipients and awards are as follows:

Alvin Shelby, Lifetime Achievement

Doy D. Gorton, Excellence in Photography

Duwane Pendarvis, Excellence in Dance

Square Books, Arts in Community

Wright Thompson, Excellence in Literature

The Governor’s Arts Awards are the highest award a living artist can receive in Mississippi. The 2027 recipients will be recognized at the award ceremony on Thursday, February 11, 2027, at The Westin Jackson. A public reception will take place at 4:30 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 6 p.m., at The Westin Jackson.

For more information about the Governor's Arts Awards and the 2027 Recipients, visit https://arts.ms.gov/gaa.

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MAC is pleased to announce that over $1.7 million was awarded through 322 grants to organizations, schools, and individual artists across Mississippi for Fiscal Year 2027.

In addition, for the first time in its 33-year history, the Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program increased its award amount from $2,000 to $3,000.

View the full announcement and the list of recipients by visiting https://arts.ms.gov.

Photo Credits:
– New Stage Theatre production of Ragtime, photo by Joey Nelms
– A.J. Haynes performing at an Across the Table event at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, photo by Emmi Sprayberry
– Installation image from Angi Cooper's exhibition, Our Wild Kin, Playhouse on the Square (Memphis, TN), June 2026, photo courtesy of the artist.
– Tools created during an apprenticeship with Shane Morrison and Palmer Robbins, featuring the apprentices' finished work. by @msartscommission

The deadline to apply for Mississippi Arts Commission Mini-Grants and the Artist and Teaching Artist Rosters is today at midnight!

Individual Mini-Grants provide up to $500 for professional development, marketing or art supplies. Organization Mini-Grants provide $200–$1,000 for professional development and capacity building and require a dollar-for-dollar cash match.

Mississippi artists can also apply for the Artist Roster or Teaching Artist Roster. The Teaching Artist Roster helps connect artists and arts educators with schools and community organizations, and qualified applicants may seek Mini-Grant funding to hire roster members.

Applications close today at midnight.

Learn more and apply at arts.ms.gov/grants by @msartscommission

2027 Governor’s Arts Awards Recipient Spotlight: Doy D. Gorton | Excellence in Photography

From documenting the Southern Civil Rights Movement to photographing the White House and Capitol Hill, Greenville native Doy D. Gorton has built a career capturing history as it unfolds.

While attending the University of Mississippi, Gorton became involved with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, where he decided to pursue photography. He later served as chief photographer of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Washington photographer for The New York Times. His work has also appeared in film, music and commercial projects.

Celebrate Gorton and the other 2027 Governor’s Arts Awards recipients on Thursday, February 11. Learn more at arts.ms.gov/programs/governors-arts-awards.

@dd_gorton by @msartscommission

Last chance to apply! Mississippi Arts Commission Mini-Grant and roster applications close November 2.

Individual Mini-Grants provide up to $500 for professional development, marketing or art supplies. Organization Mini-Grants provide $200–$1,000 for professional development and capacity building and require a dollar-for-dollar cash match.

Mississippi artists can also apply for the Artist Roster or Teaching Artist Roster. The Teaching Artist Roster helps connect artists and arts educators with schools and community organizations, and qualified applicants may seek Mini-Grant funding to hire roster members.

Explore the opportunities and apply by November 2 at arts.ms.gov/grants by @msartscommission

This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, host Kristen Brandt talks with Gilroy Chow of the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum in Cleveland about the history and traditions of Chinese American communities in the Mississippi Delta. From family stories and historic photographs to Chinese-owned grocery stores and generations of Delta foodways, Chow shares how the museum preserves this important part of Mississippi’s cultural heritage.

Meet Gilroy Chow and explore Delta Chinese food traditions at the Mississippi Folklife Area during the National Folk Festival, November 13–15 in downtown Jackson!

Listen by subscribing to the Mississippi Arts Hour podcast through your favorite podcast app, or listen online at http://msartshour.mpbonline.org/ by @msartscommission

The Mississippi Arts Commission is welcoming team members from the National Endowment for the Arts and SouthArts to present a grants workshop at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 13, 2026. The public is invited to attend the event, which will highlight grant opportunities for artists and arts organizations at the state, regional, and national levels. The workshop will be held at 11 a.m. in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium at the Two Museums in Jakson.

Panelists:
Lauren Rhoades, Deputy Director, Mississippi Arts Commission
Hillary Crawford, Interim Vice President, Programs, South Arts
Erin Waylor, National Endowment for the Arts
Jennie Terman, National Endowment for the Arts

Seats are limited! Registration in advance is encouraged to guarantee your seat!

To register visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arts-grants-workshop-tickets-2003839231082?aff=oddtdtcreator by @msartscommission

New Teaching Artist Spotlight: Angi Cooper

Mixed media artist Angi Cooper has joined the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Teaching Artist Roster. With 20 years of experience teaching across the South, she uses murals, mixed media, and 2D and 3D visual art to connect hands-on learning with math, science, language arts and cultural studies.

Her professional work includes exhibitions at The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience and the Meridian Museum of Art, along with public art projects in Mississippi and beyond.

Cooper is available to travel throughout Mississippi for school residencies, half-day professional development for Pre-K–12 teachers, adult education and programs tailored to schools and organizations.

Explore the MAC Teaching Artist Roster to learn more about working with her at https://arts.ms.gov/artist-roster by @msartscommission

2027 Governor’s Arts Awards Recipient Spotlight: Alvin Shelby | Lifetime Achievement

For more than 40 years, Alvin Shelby has shared music as an educator, director and performer. He spent 35 of those years teaching at Cathedral Catholic School in Natchez, inspiring students who went on to pursue careers in music.

Shelby’s work spans inspirational music, jazz, film and music for children. He has performed around the world, collaborated with artists including the Mississippi Mass Choir and served as a band leader and musical director for numerous recordings.

The Mississippi Arts Commission and the Governor’s Office will recognize Shelby at the 2027 Governor’s Arts Awards on Thursday, February 11, at The Westin Jackson.

Learn more about this year’s honorees and the event at arts.ms.gov/programs/governors-arts-awards

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MAC is pleased to announce a new Creative Aging Grant!

MAC is one of 28 state arts agencies awarded $77,550 in funding through a national grant program from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) to pilot a Creative Aging Grant for older adults in Mississippi.

MAC’s grant program will support organizations in hiring teaching artists to lead creative classes in a range of art forms for adults aged 55 and over. Non-profits, units of local government, libraries, county, and municipal agencies in Mississippi may apply for matching funds for artist fees, supplies, and other related expenses. These experiences will be hands-on, sequential, and rooted in a curriculum designed and led by professional teaching artists. Such experiences promote mental alertness, emotional fulfillment, and physical activity. They also serve to combat isolation and encourage self-expression in ways that foster dignity, joy, and community.

The Creative Aging Grant is made possible by a grant provided by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies in partnership with E.A. Michelson Philanthropy and awarded by the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency.

Applications for MAC’s Creative Aging Grant will open February 1, 2027, and be awarded until all available funds are awarded. For detailed information about the MAC Creative Aging Grant, visit https://arts.ms.gov/grants-for-organizations/creative-aging-grant/.

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This week on the Mississippi Arts Hour, Leslie talks with interdisciplinary artist A.J. Haynes. Both a solo artist and lead vocalist for the nationally and internationally acclaimed band Seratones, A.J. recently performed on the Grammy-winning album, A Tribute to the King of Zydeco. She is a Louisiana native but has lived and created art in Mississippi. Join us for our conversation that covers everything from teacakes to community building.

Listen by subscribing to the Mississippi Arts Hour podcast through your favorite podcast app, or listen online at http://msartshour.mpbonline.org/

Photo by @emmispray

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