New Awards Program Seeks to Highlight Impact of Arts on Local Communities

Jackson, MS, October 14, 2023 --(PR.com)-- Mississippi is recognized internationally as a creative place. The music, literature, and food created by Mississippians has made it a destination for travelers, inspired individuals to relocate to live in the state, and contributed to popular culture world wide. The Mississippi Presenters Network, a non profit organization that supports arts presenters, has launched a new awards program that seeks to highlight how the Arts contribute to thriving Mississippi communities. “Many people when you mention the arts think of the fine arts, museums, or the ballet,” shared Carrie White project coordinator with the network. “The goal of this project is to show that community festivals, cultural events, or special events are also equally important arts efforts that contribute to the economic growth of towns, bridge issues of diversity, and build a sense of community.”

The Present Mississippi Awards were developed as part of the MSPN networking initiative. “Our mission is to provide support to arts presenters, such as your local arts council, and encourage arts organizations to think about how what they do in their local community is part of a statewide effort. We, as a network, create programs that are collaborative and build upon the work being done in communities,” shared Rori Herbison MSPN Program Manager. The awards came about in discussions at the quarterly professional development workshops offered by the network. The awards seek to document the number of arts and cultural events produced in Mississippi, the role of community organizations in organizing the events, and the impact these events have on community and economic development.

“Our Arts Council recently completed an economic impact study and documented that Arts programs in our community reach 223,000 people and generate $2.9 million of economic impact for our county,” shared Wayne Andrews of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council in Oxford. “Imagine if we could document the economic impact of all the arts events in every community in Mississippi from blues festivals to theater performances?” The award nominations are the first step in collecting this data, while simultaneously being able to recognize the outstanding programs that are impacting our state.

Nominations for the awards are now open through the organization's website: presentmississippi.org. The application invites community members, including the organizers of the arts events, to nominate their community programs. Programs can be nominated in one of three categories: New Art Events, Community or Economic Impact, or Event on a Budget. We have made the application very simple and quick. Our goal is to document the number of events that occur, highlight how events large and small impact the community, and share great ideas between communities. “Maybe someone has successfully implemented an idea in their community that would help another community,” added Herbison