Letter to Golden Triangle Legislators

John W. Bateman

Executive Director

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​As a public charity that receives grants through government agencies, SAAC recently sent this letter to state legislators in the Golden Triangle Region. We now share this message with the community who benefits from this funding.   

The start of a new calendar year and legislative season feels like an appropriate moment to express gratitude, particularly for arts funding from taxpayer resources. These are not, of course, the only funding sources for the Starkville Area Arts Council. As a public charity, we also rely on individuals, businesses, and other nonprofits.

Legislative work affects us because we are partially funded by government grants. We are extraordinarily grateful for our grants from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Mississippi Development Authority.

Thank you for the support of these two separate agencies.

Although our grant from the Mississippi Development Authority is limited, this funding specifically promotes the Cotton District Arts Festival. The grant, however, still creates a massive benefit for the GTR region.

• Cotton District Arts Festival: This free public event offers music, local food, and booths for artists to sell their work. In April 2017, CDAF (on Super Bulldog Weekend) drew an estimated 40,000 people. The Festival generated gross sales of $185,000 and sales tax revenue of $12,000. The total estimated financial impact to the area (hotels, restaurants & bars, and other shopping) is $3 million.

The Mississippi Arts Commission grant serves entirely different purposes by providing critical general operating support. Here are some specific benefits that funding from MAC returns to our community within the Golden Triangle:

• Art in the Park: This free event for children and families has rapidly grown into our second most popular program, requiring 75+ volunteers. A vast range of hands-on art activities in one of Starkville’s largest public parks impacts the lives of children and youth. This year, one parent noted that their child now takes violin lessons because of a previous experience at this event. On a grey muggy October day, 300 children (and their families) attended the 2017 Art in the Park.
• Art Partners: This after-school arts-education program provides free art classes to K-1 students. We are reorganizing this program in Spring 2018 to secure its longevity and expandability as an ongoing after-school arts curriculum. Each semester, this program benefits 20-40 kids and is prime for additional growth.
• Grants: We award approximately $15,000 in grants each year to community nonprofit, art-oriented events, including almost $5,000 in micro-grants to classroom projects not covered by limited school budgets. Several hundred students across the Oktibbeha County Consolidated School District benefit from just these micro-grants. Combined, our grant pool supports 20+ different local programs and organizations.
• Scholarships: Another $7,000 is awarded in college and summer scholarships. College scholarships are awarded to entering college freshman majoring in the arts, while summer scholarships are used by high school students for summer art programs. In fact, our summer scholarships could even be used by a student to attend competitive college auditions. In 2017, almost 20 students benefited from this program. Perhaps as significant, all college scholarships went to talented students who enrolled at universities in Mississippi!

In times of austerity, SAAC is doing its part. We have streamlined internal operations to give us more bandwidth to seek private funding. We are promoting collaboration among organizations, including efforts for regular meetings of leadership across the different Starkville arts organizations. Coordination will help all of us use critical charitable dollars in the most efficient, direct ways.

We are extremely grateful for the time, effort, and thought that legislative representatives, like you, put into these discussions. If there is any additional information that I can provide on funding needs, please contact me.

Thank you for your service and support of the arts, the Mississippi Arts Commission, and the Mississippi Development Authority.

If you wish to contact any state representative or senator during session, please visit www.legislature.ms.gov and click on "Legislators" to find contact information.