$4M grant boosts arts facilities in Mississippi communities

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) awarded $4 million to 17 organizations across the state through the Building Fund for the Arts (BFA) grant.

The funding will help support the repair, renovation, expansion, or construction of Mississippi facilities that serve as sites for year-round arts programming in their communities.

“MAC and our grantees are grateful to the Mississippi Legislature for prioritizing funding for the Building Fund for the Arts grant each year,” said David Lewis, executive director of the mac. “Mississippi communities continue to demonstrate a strong need for this type of support, while maintaining the ability to execute projects at a high level and with high impact. We are excited to see these grant dollars put to good use through the investment in Mississippi’s creative communities.”

MAC has awarded the following arts organizations funding through the BFA grant:

• University of Mississippi Research Foundation (Lafayette) – awarded $500,000 to construct a writer’s studio at Greenfield Farm Writers Residency.
• Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Inc. (Lafayette) – awarded $500,000 to construct the Humanities Hub.
• Foundation for Mississippi History (Hinds) – awarded $500,000 to support phase one construction of Crigler Park.
• Arts Foundation of Kosciusko (Attala) – awarded $415,530 to complete the final phase of renovations to the L.V. Hull Legacy Center.
• Hattiesburg Tourism Commission dba Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art (Forrest) – awarded $400,000 to make ADA upgrades and renovate a flexible arts program space in the Hattiesburg Welcome Center.
• Kosciusko Foundation for Excellence in Education (Attala) – awarded $324,000 to rebuild accessible restrooms in the Skipworth Performing Arts Center.
• Walter Anderson Museum of Art (Jackson) – awarded $300,000 to support the Walter Anderson Mural Preservation Project.
• Byhalia Area Arts Council (Marshall) – awarded $270,000 to install a sound system, renovate restrooms, and restore classrooms in the Byhalia Old School Commons.
• Harrisburg Cultural and Social Services Center Inc., dba Link Centre (Lee) – awarded $225,000 to repair and preserve the Concert Hall.
• Cleveland Music Foundation dba GRAMMY Museum Mississippi (Bolivar) –awarded $172,313 to upgrade interactive technology and replace tiles on the front porch.
• Northwest Mississippi Community College Foundation (Tate) – awarded $150,000 to update sound and lighting systems for the Fine Arts Auditorium and the Black Box Theatre.
• Center Stage, Inc. (Harrison) – awarded $82,327 to replace the roof and correct the tech booth stairs.
• Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain (Harrison) – awarded $60,000 to replace electrical systems, make sustainability improvements, and improve accessibility at the Twelve Oaks Property.
• Brookhaven Little Theatre (Lincoln) – awarded $48,000 to continue renovations to the auditorium, sound system, and roof.
• Friends of Lexington Preservation, Inc. (Holmes) – awarded $48,000 to continue the restoration of the historic Lundy House.
• ArtPlace Mississippi (Leflore) – awarded $25,650 to repair bathrooms in the ArtPlace facility and the Elforts Building.
• The Arts Hancock County (Hancock) was awarded $25,080 to improve the functionality of the facility.

Those awarded the grant this year will have two years to complete their projects.