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Bologna Performing Arts Center Receives Mississippi Arts Commission Grant

By July 13, 2011General

Students at the 2011 Janice Wyatt Mississippi Summer Arts Institute.

The Bologna Performing Arts Center at Delta State University has been awarded a $3,900 project grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC). This grant is a portion of the $1.5 million in grants the Commission will award in 2011-2012 and will be used to support the 2012 Janice Wyatt Mississippi Summer Arts Institute. The grants are made possible by continued funding from the Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.  

“We established the Mississippi Summer Arts Institute in 1998 to provide an excellent arts education for the young people of the Delta and the state of Mississippi,” said Janice Wyatt, arts education board member at the Bologna. “Since then, over 2,500 young people have studied the arts at the Institute. I am pleased the MAC has recognized the value of the program.” The grant will support a two-week residential camp in June 2012 for young artists ages 12-18.

“Organizations across the state who receive grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission continue to prove that arts programs are vital to the success of their community. The grants awarded by the Commission provide funding for the staging of festivals, theatre performances and many other arts-related activities,” said Malcolm White, Executive Director of MAC. “The arts provide a positive environment for learning, both in the classroom and in communities. Arts funding has a significant multiplier and for every dollar spent in the creative sector, eight dollars are realized in the local economy. That’s a good investment for any business.”

The Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, serves the residents of the state by providing grants that support programs to enhance communities; assist artists and arts organizations; promote the arts in education and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. Established in 1968, the Mississippi Arts Commission is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, the Phil Hardin Foundation, the Riley Foundation, 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.

For information from the Mississippi Arts Commission, contact Susan Dobbs – 601-359-6031 or sdobbs@arts.state.ms.us. For information about arts education programming at the Bologna Performing Arts Center, contact Laura Howell—662-846-4844 or lhowell@deltastate.edu.