The Mississippi Arts Commission, approaching its 50th year of operation, would be folded into the Mississippi Developmental Authority under the governor’s purview if a recently released bill is passed by the Legislature this session.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, R-Winona and chairwoman of the Senate Tourism committee, would transfer all Arts Commission power, responsibilities and assets, including employees, to the Mississippi Development Authority, which operates directly under Gov. Phil Bryant.
The bill was released this week with no prior warning given to the commission’s executive director or 15-person board.
The goal of the new structure would be “to promote Mississippi’s economic development through the arts,” according to the comprehensive 22-page bill.
“In my conversations with the governor and the officials at Visit Mississippi (the tourism division of the Mississippi Development Authority), I have learned that many business and industry recruits are looking for a more complete cultural experience as they consider locating in Mississippi,” said Chassaniol, who served on the Arts Commission in the 1990s.Under the bill, the current commission and its board would be abolished. The governor would appoint a new 15-member advisory board, which would meet at the discretion of MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough.
Bryant in recent weeks has floated the idea of consolidating certain boards and commissions, and in last week’s State of the State address, he mentioned his desire to consolidate or completely eliminate 16 boards or commissions to “generate cost savings” to the state over an extended period of time. He did not name specific boards and commissions, and his office did not respond to that question posed last week.
Bryant’s office also did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Malcolm White
“I don’t get it. We’ve been completely blindsided,” said Malcolm White, executive director of the Arts Commission. “I met with my board yesterday, and none of them saw this coming, either. They’re all in the same state of disbelief that this would be presented.”
The Arts Commission, established by the Legislature in 1968, provides assistance and distributes grants to support creative activity within the state, including projects sponsored by local governments, museums, schools, non-profit organizations and individual artists. The commission also has traditionally expended resources to improve public awareness of Mississippi arts inside and outside the state.
The commission is funded in part by the state, but also receives federal arts funds and private donations. Last fiscal year, the commission received $1.7 million from the state, which was 11 percent less than the previous fiscal year.
In his executive budget proposal released in late 2016, Bryant proposed appropriating $1.7 million next fiscal year to the commission, while the Legislature’s budget proposal, also released in late 2016, recommended giving the commission $1.6 million.
“At a time when our state’s resources are limited, it seems prudent to consolidate our agencies when possible,” Chassaniol said. “This bill will permit the larger goal of expanding and promoting Mississippi’s unique culture in a more fiscally responsible way.”Neither Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves nor House Speaker Philip Gunn were available for comment Tuesday evening.
“I don’t have any answers. All I’ve got are questions,” White said. “I’m just honestly baffled. We’re trying to figure out what on earth this is about. What’s political about the arts? We’re a nonpolitical agency. This proposal is to move us from nonpolitical structure to the executive branch. It’s not where the arts should be.”
Editor’s note: Mississippi Today donors Donna Barksdale, Carol Puckett and Nan Sanders serve on the Mississippi Arts Commission. Barksdale also is chairperson of the Mississippi Today board of directors.
Unless otherwise noted, you can republish most of Mississippi Today’s stories for free under a Creative Commons license.
For digital publications:
Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS).
Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services, click here.
You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @MSTODAYnews on Facebook and @MSTODAYnews on Twitter.
For print publications:
You have to credit Mississippi Today. We prefer “Author Name, Mississippi Today” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Mississippi Today” and include our website, mississippitoday.org.
You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor Kayleigh Skinner for more information). To learn more about our cartoon syndication services, click here.
Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories.
You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection.
Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @MSTODAYnews on Facebook and @MSTODAYnews on Twitter.
If you have any other questions, contact Audience Development Director Lauchlin Fields.
Bill would abolish Arts Commission, transfer power to Development Authority
by Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today January 24, 2017
1
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
Adam Ganucheau
Adam Ganucheau, as Mississippi Today's editor-in-chief, oversees the newsroom and works with the editorial team to fulfill our mission of producing high-quality journalism in the public interest. Adam has covered politics and state government for Mississippi Today since February 2016. A native of Hazlehurst, Adam has worked as a staff reporter for AL.com, The Birmingham News and The Clarion-Ledger and his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Adam earned his bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Mississippi.