State Arts Conference

Interactive Lobby: Engage with fun activities or learn more about the projects and resources available from MAC and our partners.

Kinetic Etchings in the Rotunda: Kinetic Etchings, a contemporary dance and theatre company based in Jackson uses movement to tell stories, create images and connect with audiences. As part of the morning break, dancers will perform a selection of their contemporary repertory that introduces the audience to different styles, choreographers, motifs, storylines, gestures, and other elements of dance.

Dr. Michaela Merryday will lead this session as half presentation, half interactive brainstorming session that seeks to examine the cultural and aesthetic dimension of sustainability and the role art and culture can play in developing a sustainable future. This session will introduce the audience to artists working in this realm and will raise questions about the strategies often used as well as the ethical responsibility of artists, such as raising awareness about humanitarian crises and capturing an audience’s attention without exploiting the victims. Attendees are encouraged to think about how they can use their work to draw attention to and provide resources for using the arts as a way to tackle the sustainability issues that affect Mississippi.

This hands-on session will explore the ways in which teaching artists, administrators, educators, and others can promote living well through arts-integrated learning.

Part 1: Using MAC’s online curricula The Blues Trail and Beyond, MS History through the Arts: A Bicentennial Journey, and Footprints in the Dust: The Natchez Trace, attendees will learn how to structure arts-integration activities and events to connect with children, young adults, and seniors. Led by Dr. Mark Malone.

Part 2: Learn how to use the elements of dance (body, energy, space, and time) along with simple
improvisational structures to create dances and design simple performance experiences. These movement compositions can be used to build community within a collective, to utilize evidence learning and application of academic concepts in a classroom, and to foster a collaborative process among diverse artistic disciplines. Led by Julie Hammond.

Rory Doyle will discuss his ongoing photo project “Delta Hill Riders,” focusing on the cowboys and cowgirls of the MS Delta. This project was funded by a MAC visual arts fellowship. Chris "Big Yayo" will be presenting alongside Rory.

Eddie Johnson and Ty Issac will discuss their work on the Choctaw Tribal Elders Oral History Project (CTEOHP). The aim of the project is to capture oral histories of Tribal elders born and raised in Mississippi Choctaw communities in the 1930’s – 1960’s. Elders were interviewed on different dimensions of Choctaw culture, and the recorded interviews are utilized to create topical multimedia presentations and learning materials for young Choctaws. 

Jasmine Stansberry’s presentation will explore protest movements at two Mississippi institutions of higher learning in 1970.

Looking for a different, interactive conference experience? Introverts and extroverts alike are invited to engage in this intentional space provided for conference attendees to make new connections, share ideas, ask questions, or have casual conversations with new friends. This room provides a place to meet up with other artists working across the state, to share resources, network, or simply learn how you can plug into MAC’s grants, programs and opportunities. While this is time is geared toward individual artists, ALL ARE WELCOME! 

This session will explore the business of being an artist living and working in Mississippi. Attendees will hear from artists who have successfully marketed their businesses, their projects, and their personal brand. Each working artist will share their experiences, and attendees are invited to participate in thoughtful conversation, asking questions and learning actionable steps to help push their own work forward.  

Through a Creative Placemaking approach, Mississippi Main Street communities and many communities across the state have tapped into the arts as a way to create vibrant downtown areas. Learn how Mississippi communities have been successful in placemaking efforts and how your community can use the arts as a transformative tool.

This interactive team presentation will showcase the innovative statewide partnership between Walter Anderson Museum and the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Using visual art to ignite engagement in fields of science, conservation, and the humanities, the partnership has included an artist residency, interpreting environmental threats through sculpture and exhibitions, and in-gallery experiences for K-12 students.

The City of Hattiesburg has partnered with the Hattiesburg Arts Council, Visit Hattiesburg, Downtown Hattiesburg Association as well as local artists, groups and community partners to begin the transformation of the former Hattiesburg American building into a functioning city-wide community arts center. Representatives from the project will share their plans and lessons learned from the project.

Looking for a different type of interactive conference experience? Representatives from both arts and non-arts focused organizations are invited to participate in this intentional space provided for attendees to make new connections, share ideas, ask questions, or have casual conversations with potential collaborators. This room provides a place to meet up with others who are exploring ways to incorporate the arts into their work, to share resources, network, or simply learn how to plug into MAC’s grants, programs, and opportunities.

While this time is geared toward networking for organizations, ALL ARE WELCOME! 

Interactive Lobby: Engage with fun activities or learn more about the projects and resources available from MAC and our partners.

Networking in the Rotunda: Don’t forget to pick up information about MAC grants, programs and other resources from others working in the arts across the state!