1 A Story of Vision and Persistence The Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience’s 20-Year Journey from Idea to Launch By Philip Shirley An idea takes root to showcase the artists, musicians and performers of Mississippi America’s contributions to the world of music—especially in the forms of blues, jazz, gospel and country music—are unquestioned. And the origins of those contributions can be traced by musicologists to Mississippi. The roots of the blues and gospel run deep in Mississippi and jazz, rock and roll, and country music owe much of their success to these early American music genres. Mississippi’s musical heritage is in many ways unmatched. It is against this backdrop of musical history that The Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience--fondly known as The MAX—began to explore the entire range of contributions of its artists and performers. The MAX opens its doors to showcase the amazing achievements of Mississippians that have influenced artists and performers on the world stage. Music, dance, visual arts, quilting, literature and storytelling, theatre, pottery, puppetry, folk arts and other forms of arts and entertainment help weave a rich tapestry from the arts culture in Mississippi. Mississippians recognize their writers, artists and performers with the same degree of honor they feel for their doctors and nurses, government officials, and community leaders. This is the story of The Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience. It’s the story of a group of people with a shared vision for how the arts make communities and a state stronger. It’s a story of persistence through adversity over two decades to bring The MAX to the public. And it’s a story of the desire of the human heart for inspiration, excellence, and a deeper understanding of our world. The idea for The MAX began as a modest idea of the late Agriculture Commissioner Jim Buck Ross a year before his death in 1999. Commissioner Ross saw the value of preserving musical heritage. He wanted to create a country music museum and imagined it housed inside the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum in Jackson, Mississippi. That initial seed of an idea in 1998 grew and blossomed into what would open 20 years later on April 28, 2018, as the Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience in Meridian, Mississippi. This world-class, experiential center combines hands-on activities, performances, and museum-quality exhibitions under one roof to showcase and honor Mississippi’s arts, artists, writers and entertainers. As part of the initial work on this idea, the Stennis Institute of Mississippi State University conducted a feasibility study funded by $38,000 from the Mississippi Development Authority. A site selection committee reviewed possible locations in Meridian and Jackson. A committee was appointed that recommended Jackson as the location, but stipulating that Meridian should be considered if Jackson does not locate a suitable site. 2 A group of people in Meridian and other key supporters, such as Paul Ott Carruth from Summit, persisted and worked with the City of Meridian to present its location to the members of the search committee charged with finding the right site. When no suitable location in Jackson was found and agreed to, the committee members voted to support the Meridian location after visiting the proposed site. Efforts commenced to secure seed money and in 2001 the Mississippi legislature passed Senate Bill 2666 establishing the Southern Arts and Entertainment Center (SAEC). John Robert Smith, then mayor of Meridian, appointed an ad hoc committee to help the City find and select a board of directors to begin developing a vision for the SAEC. The first development committee met at Meridian City Hall on the morning of April 5, 2002. Over the summer of 2002, a board of directors was approved, bylaws were established, and officers selected for what was still the SAEC at that time. Within 90 days they had agreed on a vision for the arts center. The mission would be to utilize the wealth of arts and artists of Mississippi to entertain and educate through exhibits, interactive learning, performances, readings, concerts, classes, and demonstrations. A mission statement was adopted on June 25, 2002. The organizational work begins On September 25, 2002, the first official board meeting was held. The initial directors included Paul Ott (Summit), Bill Brown (Jackson). Sandy Bynum (Meridian), Greg Cartmell (Meridian), Frank Farley (Meridian), Hank Florey (Meridian), Tim Hedgepeth (Jackson), Melinda Hood (Yazoo City), Thallis Lewis (Choctaw), Hu Meena (Jackson), Connie Royal (Meridian), Dr. Lester Spell (Jackson), Malcolm White (Jackson), and Duffee Williams (Meridian). By the following September the organization had been recognized officially as a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit entity. In 2003 Chief Philip Martin appointed Marty Gamblin to the board, who had a vast knowledge of the music and entertainment world from his 40 years as an agent and music publisher for such artists as Glen Campbell and Alan Jackson. He suggested that Mississippi alone had more than enough artists and performers to fulfill the mission and that focusing on one state would still be a massive undertaking. The board agreed that this was a more realistic goal, yet still a challenge. The organization began doing business as the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center (MAEC) instead of SAEC. (This name was later ratified into law in 2013 through House Bill #135 presented by longtime supporter Rep. Greg Snowden.) The vision for The MAX began to become more substantial and the pace increased. Under the leadership and devotion to this project of then board president Paul Ott Carruth, planning and development continued. As a radio and television host and performer Paul Ott had been a very vocal leader over the previous years to select Meridian as the site for the original SAEC. In an article in the Franklin County Times on May 25, 2003, editor Buddy Bynam said, “Anyone who believes in the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center should give Paul Ott a hug...” Ott continued as a leading proponent of the facility from day one through opening. Quest Marketing was retained to create a logo for the MAEC and incorporated elements of nature, performing and visual arts to highlight both the mission and the Bonita Lakes intended location. In May 2004, Dr. Charlotte Tabereaux was hired as the first executive director. Architects Martinez and Johnson of Washington, D.C. and PryorMorrow of Columbus, Miss., were retained. The startup phase was ending and the development phase began. 3 Support grows and the groundwork for funding begins, but not everything was rosy in 2005 The year 2005 started with a success. A delegation from the board travelled to Nashville in January to visit Faith Hill to request her to visit Mississippi and secured her support for legislative action to help fund the MAEC. A month later, actress Sela Ward, a hometown favorite of Meridian, helped unveil the Master Plan. The plan was then presented in Jackson to Governor Haley Barbour and other dignitaries at a meeting at Dennery’s Restaurant to coincide with Faith Hill’s visit. With a price tag that had escalated to $100 million, Gov. Barbour advised board members that funding would be easier to secure if the project moved downtown. That idea was immediately put into consideration as plans progressed to secure initial funding. Faith Hill addressed the legislature on February 22, 2005, to solicit support and help share the vision for the impact such a facility could have on Mississippi’s quality of life, economy and cultural vitality. (This visit would lead—four years later in 2009—to a legislative transfer of four million dollars into a building fund.) House Bill 1770 passed and was sent to the Governor in 2005 to sign allowing the City of Meridian to levy a tax on restaurant sales up to two percent of gross sales to defray the cost of a conference center, performing arts theatre, amphitheater, artists’ village and related purposes. The board determined that pushing forward for a vote at this time would not be good timing. The excitement continued to build, until a fateful day a few months later, when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore on August 29, 2005, as the largest natural disaster in United States history. With $100 billion in damages facing the impacted area, the board determined it would be improper to try to raise money for the project at that time. Behind the scenes, and especially under the determined leadership of newly elected board president Tommy Dulaney, efforts to refine the vision and seek a path forward carried on quietly. Many credit his passion and determination as one of the most important driving forces to keep the vision alive when the time would be right to move ahead. Research and planning continued at the board level. The Meridian city administration helped explore options for moving the facility downtown. The Kress Building became a focus for a time, but other downtown development allowed the building to become part of the Mississippi State University downtown presence and tied the Kress Building to the downtown renovation centered around the MSU Riley Center for the Performing Arts. This downtown redevelopment would prove later to help create an atmosphere in which The MAX could come to life. Over the following years, efforts would progress despite the restraints of the continuing impact of Katrina. Behind the scenes the board members and supporters continued to crystalize their vision for the facility and to line up funding opportunities from corporate and private donors. The board considered ideas to bring the project back into the spotlight. Board member Fred Cannon and his daughters surfaced the idea of a Walk of Fame. The idea gained enthusiastic support and in February 15, 2009, the first star was laid in honor of the legendary folk singer Jimmie Rodgers on the sidewalk outside The Riley Center.