As we try to wrap our minds around plans for a $10 billion investment in a data center campus in coming years – the big opportunities and impacts – it would seem wise to also not take our collective eye off a part of the Meridian economy that seems more important than ever: arts and culture.

 

When business experts discuss industrial and tech jobs, new retail developments and changes at local military bases and hospitals, all too often there’s little or no mention of arts and museum entities that accomplish far more than put on a good show.

 

While past studies have shown that the arts and culture sector contributes $2.6 billion to Mississippi’s economy annually, supporting more than 27,000 jobs, recent data reflecting this sector in Meridian is often elusive. With better numbers in hand, the Queen City’s cultural economy will be taken far more seriously.

 

One 2023 report showed that the “arts, entertainment and recreation” category accounted for 266 jobs in Lauderdale County. And a recent Mississippi Theatre Association conference in Meridian, with about 1,000 participants, brought nearly $500,000 in local tourism spending, according to one estimate.

 

We should know more about the combined economic impact of The MSU Riley Center’s Grand Opera House, The MAX, the Meridian Little Theatre and Temple Theater, the Meridian Symphony Association, and other museums (children’s, art, Jimmie Rodgers, railroad, industrial), as well as Meridian Community College arts programs. And there are good returns from entities that complement arts attractions, including the redeveloped Art Deco Threefoot Hotel and the “oldest restaurant in Mississippi,” Weidmann’s, along with other shops and restaurants – and of course, the train station.

 

Investments in these entities and in art-themed festivals pay off, and should be applauded.

 

“We really are a cultural hub,” said Visit Meridian Director Laura Carmichael. “It’s not just one thing, it’s a combination of a lot of things.”

 

Almost without exception, singers and other artists who perform in the opera house, built in the late 1800s and beautifully restored, express admiration for the venue and the fans who fill its seats. Among the latest was Drew Holcomb, from the “You & Me Tour,” who noted from the stage that while he relishes entertaining big crowds in Atlanta or Nashville, “It’s another thing when you can come to a small town in Mississippi and fill up a place like this.”

 

The “creative economy” brings real career opportunities and training (think musicians, chefs and curators), innovative educational programs, and steady spending by visitors on hotel rooms and meals, meanwhile delivering huge community marketing value.

 

These activities – many of them within a short walk of one another downtown – are also critical to persuading business and medical professionals to accept job offers here, helping to answer any quality-of-life concerns.

 

“If you think about downtown Meridian’s revitalization (in recent years), it started with the investment in the MSU Riley Center and the preservation of that Grand Opera House theater,” said MAX President and CEO Penny Kemp. “Downtown’s redevelopment is really built on arts and culture. Yes, we’ve had our businesses move in, you have Castle and the banks that have been here the whole time, etcetera, but the resurgence of downtown is one of arts and culture … It’s at the core of what’s happening.”

 

The arts represent a real industry and reinforce other sectors. They also strengthen our collective self-identity and civic pride, planting the seed of desire for far-flung Meridian natives, myself included, to one day return, buy a house, and find ways to give back.