Bill Graham / The Meridian Star Mark Tullos, CEO and president of the Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience, gives an update on the center at a meeting at the MSU Riley Center Tuesday.

The Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience on Front Street has added several new staff members to its roster.

President and CEO Mark Tullos, who took the helm of the MAEEx in September, gave an update on the center at an annual meeting Tuesday evening at the MSU Riley Center.

Joining the center as development director is Erica Parnell, who comes from the Salvation Army in Jackson, where she served as resource development director.

“She brings a significant amount of training from her work with the Salvation Army,” Tullos said.

Paula Chance, a Petal native and graduate of the Mississippi University for Women, has been named marketing director. Chance, who has worked at the Louisiana State Museum and Friends of the Cabildo, both in New Orleans, said the MAEEx is a “a remarkable opportunity for Meridian.”

Another addition is Dr. Tony Lewis, who will be in charge of finding artifacts to be displayed at the center. Lewis, who holds a doctorate in Art History from Northwestern University, has worked as an assistant professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and served as a curator at the Louisiana State Museum.

“He brings a real encyclopedic knowledge to this project,” Tullos said.

Dawn Hammatt, who has 15 years experience in the museum field, will serve as a consultant to the MAEEx. Hammatt, who holds a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, has also worked at the Louisiana State Museum.

The Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience aims to recognize the state’s arts and culture in five areas: visual arts, musicians, writer, actors and others. The proposed 58,000-square-foot museum will relate the story of Mississippi’s rich history in the arts. The Hall of Fame inside the facility will include such noteworthy Mississippi artists as Meridian’s “Father of Country Music” Jimmie Rodgers, international stars such as B.B. King and Elvis Presley and many more. An estimated 150,000 people are expected to visit the center each year, generating income for businesses and tax revenue for the community.

The estimated total construction budget, including building costs and exhibits, is just under $51 million. To pay for the project, more than $43 million has been pledged, including $29 million from the state legislature and $14 million from local and state sources. The city of Meridian has also approved the issuance and sale of $20 million in general obligation bonds to support the center. Other funding comes from a 2 percent tax on prepared food and beverages that went into effect Nov. 1. The tax is expected to raise approximately $2.5 million per year, according to city officials. The center is projected to be finished in the fall of 2017 and open in early 2018.