Maybe in Idaho or Maine, the value of an arts community is less meaningful, but in Mississippi, where the arts rule supreme, an arts community is everything. 

You see, Mississippi is a soul-driven state. We express and feel art throughout our entire being. Whether the category is visual art, drama, music or dance, the arts and artists in Mississippi need an organization that is in love with the arts as much as the artists themselves.

It’s not just a whim. It’s a must. The business of the arts should not be a “bottom-line” endeavor, but should celebrate the richness of the arts of a unique state known as “Birthplace of America’s Music” and as well birthplace of literary artists: Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams and many others.

So it was with a broken heart that artists throughout the state read this week of a Senate bill pushed forward by Senator Lydia Chassaniol, R-Winona, to abolish the Mississippi Arts Commission and transfer the entire agency under the direction of the Mississippi Developmental Authority.

I’m not naïve enough to think the “bottom-line” doesn’t play a huge part with this decision. I know, as you do, our state struggles and resources are limited. The idea to consolidate with other agencies is a sound one. You know the routine: cut staff, limit programs, streamline, update, modify, etc. etc. Yes, that could work.

Indeed, in Idaho or Maine (and I’m only naming these two states as two out of the 50) perhaps throwing the arts in with state development could work, but not in Mississippi, where we thrive and sometimes jive, and live our lives through the arts. Where and students and adults alike are thrilled to participate and attend arts events.

Think about Meridian – we have the MSU-Riley Center, Meridian Little Theatre, Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian Council for the Arts, Symphony Orchestra, (MPAC) Stage 2 Theatrical Group, Jimmie Rodgers Foundation, Temple Theatre, Rose Hill Cemetery Costumed Tour and several others who are supported by the Mississippi Arts Commission. Our community has experienced an explosion of arts activities, just in recent years. With each new event, the Mississippi Arts Commission has been onboard.

OK, well maybe, MDA can possibly continue the good work MAC has accomplished during its 49-year history, maybe. But, you see artists and arts programs are afraid. Perhaps they think, why change a good thing? We are just reaching our peak of success and it has taken a long time.

I am one of those artists, listed on Mississippi Arts Commission’s Performing Artist Roster. MAC has supported my storytelling and writing career each step of the way. I am in my 12th year with this magnificent MAC relationship. I don’t want to lose it.

Just this morning, I reminisced about a wonderful time I had the great honor to work with third-grade students at Poplar Springs Elementary School. It was Meridian’s Sesquicentennial Celebration and I had written a play about Meridian’s history, “Meridian, a City that Would Not Die.” 

The play had 100 parts, enough for all students. From Choctaw history through present day, the students dressed in costume, presented the story of Meridian. Yes, we taught a local history lesson and the children will never forget, because the lesson was taught through the arts.

Mississippi – oh, how I love my birthplace, but dear friends, we’ve had a difficult road, at times. I truly believe we have survived mainly because of the arts. When our hearts were broken, we wrote songs and stories about it. When we were weary, we told the stories that got us through it all. When we needed a good laugh, we remembered our great-grandpaw, who played the fiddle like “nobody’s business” and when we needed a good cry, then we walked the pathway of those who had suffered but had the inclination to write or tell stories about it all.

Today we stand at a crossroads. Our wonderful Mississippi Arts Commission could miss its 50th birthday. Let your voice be heard. Call your local, state and federal officials. Our state must not lose a good thing. Let us keep the arts in Mississippi as important as any other state agency.

Anne McKee is a Mississippi historian, writer and storyteller. She is listed on the Mississippi Humanities Speakers Bureau and Mississippi Arts Commission’s Artist Roster. See her website: www.annmckeestoryteller.com