MHC and Visit MS Award More than $96,000 in Bicentennial Grants in April
April 13, 2017To support local celebrations of the Mississippi bicentennial, the Mississippi Humanities Council is partnering with Mississippi Development Authority’s Visit Mississippi to oversee a Bicentennial Grants Program. In April, the review committee awarded more than $96,000 to 19 different projects across the state, bringing the total awarded to date to over $376,000. Due to the overwhelming demand, May 1 will be the last deadline offered for the Bicentennial Grants Program.
The projects funded in April include:
Columbus Arts Council Mississippi Writers Series—Celebrating Mississippi 200!
A Mississippi writers series featuring talks by nationally published Mississippi authors, screenings of two films based on books by Mississippi authors, and concluding with readings by members of the Columbus Writers and Storytellers Guild and presentations by local theater students based on their writings about Mississippi history. Various dates.
Town of Carrollton Carrollton Walking Tour App for Smart Phones
Development of a walking tour app for smart phones focusing on local architecture accompanied by related historical content.
Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau “Tupelo Spirit” Video Production
Three-minute film project centering on Tupelo’s spirit of community development and incorporating the stories of three local residents who illustrate this spirit, to be shown at Tupelo’s new visitors’ center.
Bountiful Blessings Broadcasting, Yazoo City Celebration of the History of Black DJs
Recording and broadcast project highlighting the history of black deejays from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale
Monday Movie Nights Celebrating Mississippi’s Music History and Heritage
Monthly outdoor film series featuring films related to Mississippi’s music heritage, accompanied by panel discussions with filmmakers, historians and representatives from the music industry. May-September.
Mississippi Fiddlers Association
The Great Big Yam Potatoes Old Time Music Gathering and Fiddle Contest
Bicentennial spin on an annual fiddle music event at historic Jefferson College, featuring a selection of songs from various eras in the state’s 200 years of statehood. May 20th.
Woodville/Wilkinson County Main Street Association, Woodville and Wilkinson County’s Story: Prehistory to the Present in Photo Stories and Walkable Galleries
Workshop for local residents, who will create photo essays about various aspects of local history and culture that will be combined into a 30-minute video that will be screened publicly on September 22.
HealthWorks of North Mississippi, Tupelo
200 Years of Family Fun
Three public events focusing on the evolution of recreation and leisure activities in Mississippi, including a day of games popular among children in 19th century Mississippi, a day of 20th century leisure sports, and a day focusing on the contemporary activity of geocaching. Sept. 9, Oct. 7, Nov. 4.
Historic Ocean Springs Association Mississippi Bicentennial Public Art Mural by Chris Stebly, featuring the History and Culture of Ocean Springs
A public art installation depicting the history and culture of the Ocean Springs community.
City of Gautier
Mississippi Masterpieces
Art and songwriting competition for youths and adults themed around Mississippi’s history and culture. Winning entries will be announced and celebrated at a public reception on November 10th.
University of Mississippi
Bicentennial Publication Events for the Mississippi Encyclopedia
Scholarly presentations related to the publication of the new Mississippi Encyclopedia and multiple sites across the state from May to December.
Greenville Renaissance Scholars Scholars
Greenville Renaissance Scholars’ Bicentennial Performance
Creation and performance of a bicentennial drama by participants in a summer camp for 6th-8th-graders. The drama will touch on the history Delta blues, country music, and civil rights. June.
Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, Ridgeland Mississippi’s Craft Heritage
Living history presentations depicting Mississippi’s craft heritage over the past 200 years. The live presentations will be filmed and edited into a video about the role of craft in Mississippi’s development and cultural identity. October 14.
Philadelphia-Neshoba County Public Library Neshoba County Red Clay Hills Bicentennial Celebration Series
Eight-month series of community activities celebrating local, county, and state history, including art and music contests, film screenings, bicentennial picnic, time capsule, and an unveiling of a self-guided podcast tour of local historical sites. Various dates.
Museum of the Mississippi Delta, Greenwood Greenwood “Spirit of the Yazoo” Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration
Multiple programs in May-July, including a community music concert, a ceramic tile mural installation, a Juneteenth celebration, children’s programs, and a scholarly lecture series. Various dates.
Grammy Museum Mississippi, Cleveland Journey through the Soul of American Music
Public programming centered on the “Take Me To The River” documentary, including a museum gallery talk by Mississippi musician Charlie Musselwhite and a free live performance on the museum lawn by artists featured in the documentary. Sept. 26.
Olive Branch Arts Council Olive Branch Arts Council Historic Mural in Old Towne
Historians and artists will collaborate to create a mural depicting historic figures and buildings, as well as prominent events in local history.
Tishomingo County Historical & Genealogical Society
Bicentennial of Art—Portraits of the Past
Professional mural artist will work with local K-12 students to design and implement a historical mural.
Chickasa-Leaf Quilt Trail Committee, Leakesville Chickasa-Leaf Barn Quilt Trail
Development of a website and brochures depicting barn quilts in Mississippi and a public program on June 23rd featuring a scholar of the Mississippi quilting tradition.
The goal of the Bicentennial Grant Program is to inspire and empower local organizations throughout Mississippi to develop public programs documenting, interpreting and exploring community culture.
The Bicentennial Grant Program is made possible through the Mississippi Legislature in partnership with the Mississippi Development Authority/Visit Mississippi. See http://200.visitmississippi.org/calendar/ for a complete calendar of bicentennial events.