Executive Director's Message
|
|
Dr. Stuart Rockoff
Executive Director
|
|
COVID relief and our Commitment to Serving Mississippi
I must admit that we were champing at the bit as soon as we received word there was funding for cultural organizations in the American Rescue Plan bill moving through Congress. Once the bill was passed and signed into law, we reached out to several of our partners around the state to learn about their needs one year into the pandemic. From these conversations, we thought hard about how we could craft a grant program that would serve the wide diversity of our state, from large museums with big budgets and numerous full-time staff members to small, all-volunteer humanities organizations. We wanted to be ready to launch our program as soon as possible to help get federal aid to our state’s cultural sector quickly.
|
|
While it took the National Endowment for the Humanities longer than we had hoped to provide us guidance and access to the ARP funds, we were able to launch our ARP grant program in mid-May, within a day of receiving our final instructions from NEH.
Based on our conversations with a wide array of partners, we created two different grant programs: one narrowly targeted for museums that sustained significant revenue loss and another designed to help cultural nonprofit organizations recover from COVID in a wide variety of ways, including operational support, program support, and even training. Our goal has been to use these federal relief funds to help our state’s cultural sector recover from the economic impact of the pandemic and thrive in the future.
|
|
"Although it’s usually not in my nature to brag, I would argue there is no organization in our state that is as efficient and effective in distributing federal funds as the MHC. The entire MHC staff deserves the credit for this tremendous accomplishment." |
|
Our deadline for the Museum Relief Grants was June 16th. By the morning of July 2, our grant review committee had met and made its decisions, grantees had been informed about their awards, all the grant packets and award agreements had been sent out, and the press release had been issued! We plan to be just as quick in responding to organizations that apply for our Humanities Recovery Grant deadlines on July 16th and August 16th. Although it’s usually not in my nature to brag, I would argue there is no organization in our state that is as efficient and effective in distributing federal funds as the MHC. The entire MHC staff deserves the credit for this tremendous accomplishment.
This same philosophy of being in service to the people of our state guides all of our regular work in addition to distributing these emergency COVID funds. As a regular grant maker, we work closely with our prospective grantees, offering guidance for their ideas and feedback on their proposed programs. Our grant decisions are always transparent and we rarely turn an application down flat; instead, we encourage them to revise and resubmit their applications after incorporating the suggestions of our review committee. While our grants are competitive, we try to support every worthwhile program that fits our guidelines.
This philosophy fits our state, the poorest in the union. Mississippi has no Fortune 500 companies; none of the country’s top 100 charitable foundations are based here. For many projects that come to us, we are the only potential funder. We were created in 1972 to serve the state, and this charge still guides our work. Whether it’s distributing COVID relief to cultural organizations, funding public humanities programs through our regular grants, supporting higher education in Mississippi prisons, or an array of other council-conducted programs, we are dedicated to helping bring the insights of the humanities to the people of our state.
|
|
MHC Awards $225,000 to Help Mississippi Museums Recover from COVID
The Mississippi Humanities Council has awarded $225,000 to fifteen different museums through its ARP Museum Relief Grant program to help them recover from the economic impact of the coronavirus.
With funding from Congress through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the MHC, along with 55 other state and territorial humanities councils, is offering ARP grants to support America’s cultural sector.
|
|
The MHC’s ARP Museum Relief Grants provided up to $20,000 in operational support to museums that sustained significant economic losses due to the pandemic. In addition, the MHC is offering ARP Humanities Recovery Grants for other humanities-focused non-profit organizations to help them recover from the coronavirus. Eligible organizations may apply for up to $15,000. Deadlines for ARP Humanities Recovery Grants are July 16 and August 16. These grants are open to nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments.
“Our state’s museums educate Mississippians about our rich history and culture and attract tourists from around the country and the world, said MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff. “They are vital contributors to our state’s quality of life and our cultural economy. We are so pleased to be able to help them in this time of great need.”
Funding for the ARP grants comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities. More information about these grants, including grant guidelines and application forms for the ARP Humanities Recovery Grants, can be found on the MHC website.
|
|
ARP Museum Relief Grants awarded:
B.B. King Museum (Indianola) - $15,000
Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum (Vicksburg) - $7,500
Delta Blues Museum (Clarksdale)- $15,000
Elvis Presley Birthplace (Tupelo) - $15,000
Grammy Museum Mississippi (Cleveland) – $15,000
Lynn Meadows Discovery Center (Gulfport) - $15,000
Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum (Jackson) - $20,000
Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (Meridian) - $15,000
Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum (Gulfport) $20,000
Mississippi Children’s Museum (Jackson) - $10,000
Mississippi Maritime and Seafood Museum (Biloxi)- $20,000
Mississippi Museum of Art (Jackson) - $10,000
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (Jackson) - $12,500
Two Mississippi Museums (Jackson)- $20,000
Walter Anderson Museum (Ocean Springs)- $15,000
|
|
Ideas on Tap Returns for In-Person Program
On July 27, the MHC will host its first in-person Ideas on Tap event since the COVID-19 shutdown. We are excited to be back in-person to have productive conversations on various topics that pertain to Mississippi.
There has been much controversy surrounding “critical race theory” throughout the nation. Parents are concerned and debates are swirling in the national media, but what does CRT mean in our state? The upcoming Ideas on Tap titled, “What does Critical Race Theory mean in Mississippi?” seeks to address the question in a broader sense. Education has been a main focal point of this hot button issue, but additionally, how does it effect policy making and the law? Bringing diverse perspectives to the conversation during the panel discussion will include Civil Rights attorney Vidhi Bamzai, educator Deidre Alexander, and Hunter Estes from the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. Kayleigh Skinner, managing editor of Mississippi Today, will moderate.
Please join us at The Ecoshed in Jackson on July 27 at 5:30 p.m. for a civil conversation about this issue. The MHC strongly suggests following CDC guidelines at this event, including wearing a mask if you have not been fully vaccinated.
For more information on Ideas on Tap, contact John Spann.
|
|
'Crossroads' Makes Final Stop in Waveland
The Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibit Crossroads: Change in Rural America is open at its final stop in Waveland before leaving the state in mid-August.
|
The exhibit opened with a ceremony on July 3 (pictured above) featuring MHC executive director Dr. Stuart Rockoff, Waveland Ground Zero Museum board chair Bernadette Cullen, state representative Brent Anderson, and Waveland mayor Mike Smith. A lecture and discussion program, "Port and Harbor: an Asset to Hancock County" kicked of a Summer series on July 14 from Port and Harbor CEO William Cotter, who discussed the past, present, and future of the port's contributions to the local community. Weekly programs will continue to take place at the museum in conjunction with Crossroads.
|
|
The free exhibit will be on display until August 14 alongside the Ground Zero Hurricane Museum's other collections that explore the humanity that can arise from a community calamity such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "Our museum is not a memorial to disaster," says the museum's home page, "but a tribute to the strength and beauty of the human spirit."
Visit the MHC web calendar for information about upcoming Crossroads programming in Waveland. For questions about Crossroads and other Museum on Main Street inquiries, contact Molly McMillan. |
|
The Mississippi Book Festival Returns for 2021 Celebration
Mississippi Book Festival Executive Director Holly Lange wants you to know that, “The Party is ON!” The 7th annual literary lawn party, celebrating authors and their books, will be live and in-person on Saturday, August 21, in and around the State Capitol Building.
The starting lineup of celebrated panelists includes a discussion between American educator, historian and author Lonnie Bunch and former U.S. Representative Gregg Harper, on the author’s book, A Fool’s Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama, and Trump. Bunch is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the founding director of the new museum.
Join biographer and former Time Magazine editor Walter Isaacson, as he visits with his friend Jim Barksdale, in review of the author's latest #1 New York Times Best seller, The Codebreaker. Hear from National Book Award finalist and 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award winner Deesha Philyaw, on her debut story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. Don’t miss Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown as he discusses his new collection, The Tradition, with former Mississippi Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly. Sit down with biographer, true-crime writer and Pulitzer Prize winner Kai Bird as he discusses his new biography of President Jimmy Carter.
Look homeward with some of Mississippi’s own: New York Times bestselling and groundbreaking YA author Angie Thomas presents her latest, Concrete Rose; the inimitable Kiese Laymon shares his genre-bending novel, Long Division; and Mississippi’s new Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce talks about her newest collection, Danger Days.
|
|
Upcoming Events Sponsored by the MHC:
Jackson Metro Area:
Evicted: An Exhibition
June 28– October 3, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Johnson Hall Art Gallery, Jackson, MS
In 2018, the National Building Museum opened an exhibition exploring the causes and impacts of eviction, based on Matthew Desmond’s award‐winning book Evicted. The exhibition, which runs June 28 to October 3, 2021, presents sobering statistics and personal stories, challenging adults and youth to face the enormity of a difficult subject, while providing context and a call to action.
Evicted Events:
Housing, Economic Insecurity & Activism Voices of Those Impacted
July 22, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Department of Urban & Regional Planning (JSU Downtown Campus), Jackson
Telling the Story of COVID-19 and Eviction
August 12, 6:00 pm
Margaret Walker Center, Jackson State University, Jackson
Impact of Eviction on Kids & Families, and The Resources Available
August 26, 6:00 pm
Blackburn Middle School, Jackson
Ideas on Tap: What Does Critical Race Theory Mean in Mississippi?
July 27, 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Ecoshed, Jackson, MS
Panel discussion exploring what Critical Race Theory means for Mississippi in the ways of education, laws, and policymaking.
South Mississippi:
Crossroads: Change in Rural America (Waveland)
July 3 – August 14
Ground Zero Hurricane Museum, Waveland, MS
Crossroads is a traveling exhibit offered by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. It consists of six free-standing display units incorporating photographs, text, and numerous interactive elements.
Crossroads events:
Agricultural Changes of Hancock County
July 24, 6:00 pm
Waveland Public Library, Waveland
African American History and Influence in Hancock County
July 28, 6:00 pm
Pearlington Public Library, Pearlington
Logtown to Infinity
August 4, 6:00 pm
Bay St. Louis Public Library, Bay St. Louis
Exploring Rural Mississippi Through Population Studies
August 11, 6:00 pm
Studio Waveland, Waveland
Statewide (Virtual):
Faulkner, Welty, Wright: A Mississippi Confluence (2021 Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference)
July 18--21
University of Mississippi
This Summer's conference will feature the grandson of Richard Wright, Malcolm Wright. Malcolm Wright will host a screening of "Almos' A Man," the 1976 film adaptation of his grandfather's short story, "The Man Who Was Almost A Man," will be screened on July 21 at 11:00am and will include a talkback following the film.
Speakers Bureau – White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America
August 6, 12:00 p.m. – 2:00pm
Mississippi Library Commission
Children growing up in the United States are living in a world with ongoing public debates about race, daily displays of racial violence, and for some, an increased awareness surrounding inequality. Based on two years of ethnographic research with affluent, white kids and their families, this talk from Dr. Margaret Hagerman examines how white kids learn about race, racism, inequality, and privilege in the contexts of their families and everyday lives.
Learn More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
