JACKSON – The Starkville Area Arts Council (SAAC) has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC). This grant is a portion of the $1.34 million in grants the Commission will award in 2014-2015 and will be used to partially fund the arts events, grants, and scholarships provided each year by the SAAC. The grants are made possible by continued funding from the Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“The creative economy has never been more vibrant than it is today in the communities across Mississippi,” stated Dr. Tom Pearson, Executive Director at MAC. “This agency is honored to play a small role in assisting these organizations to continue their work of reinforcing the value of the arts and the role they play in creative place-making and economic development.”
The Starkville Area Arts Council presents the Cotton District Arts Festival, Magnolia Independent Film Festival, Arts Gala and Forks and Corks each year. It also sponsors activities and programs such as the Starkville Art Walk, Art Partners, pumpkin decorating at Pumpkin Palooza, the Oktibbeha County Barn Quilt Trail and fine art exhibits and receptions. The SAAC awards grants to community arts organizations and to teachers for innovative arts projects in the schools. In addition, the SAAC awards scholarships for higher education study and for summer study in the arts.
Established in 1968, the Mississippi Arts Commission is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and other private sources. The agency serves as an active supporter and promoter of arts in community life and in arts education.
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