NEWS

Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center

 

 

For Immediate Release

February 10, 2005

Arts Center Celebrates Important Milestone
Area residents among first to view master plan

MERIDIAN, Miss. -- The long-awaited master plan for the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center — soon to be the state’s new cultural mecca — was unveiled today during a community celebration in Meridian.

“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” said Dr. Charlotte Tabereaux, MAEC executive director.  “The center is a project that all Mississippians can rally around. Even though it will be located in Meridian, it belongs to every single person in our state.”

A large audience comprising civic leaders, public officials, residents, and students from Meridian and the surrounding area filled the Khalmus Auditorium for the unveiling and was treated to an art exhibit and musical performance by area students.

Actress and Meridian native Sela Ward also participated in the festivities.

“From day one, the community’s support for this project has been overwhelming,” said Ward. “The people of Meridian realized what this meant for their community and for the state, and they’ve backed it all the way. This is an exciting moment for Mississippi.”

The $87-million complex will be built on a 175-acre tract of land on scenic Bonita Lakes in Lauderdale County. Construction will be organized around four central elements: a Hall of Fame building, a conference center, an outdoor amphitheater and theater center, and an artists-in-residence colony.

In addition to honoring the state’s cultural and artistic contributions, the MAEC will boost economic development in Mississippi, generating an estimated $10 million annually in visitor spending, said Tabereaux.

“Mississippi’s most abundant natural resource is its artistic heritage,” she said. “We’ve given the world some of its most beloved artists and performers from all disciplines. This center will become a major attraction in the South and a catalyst for arts education in Mississippi.”

The master plan design team represents state and nationally renowned architects who were chosen for their expertise in entertainment facilities, theater design and landscape architecture. Lead firms are Martinez & Johnson of Washington, D.C., and Pryor & Morrow Architects of Columbus, Miss.

Their master plan blends the center with its natural surroundings and features a wide array of native plant and animal life.

“Natural beauty plays a big role in the design theme,” said Tabereaux. “People will love performances in the outdoor amphitheater, and this amazing structure will be visible from the highway. The center will certainly become one of Mississippi’s most popular landmarks.”

Tabereaux and MAEC board members plan to make appearances around Mississippi to promote the center during the next few weeks.

Lending their support to the center as honorary committee members are: Ward, committee chair Faith Hill, B.B. King, Britney Spears, Jimmy Buffett, John Grisham, Lance Bass, Morgan Freeman, Leontyne Price, Charley Pride, Jim Henson’s Kermit the Frog, Gerald McRaney, Tom Lester, Mary Ann Mobley, and Three Doors Down.

The MAEC was established by the state legislature in 2001 and will operate as a 501(c)3 nonprofit enterprise. Funding for the development is being secured from the private sector, federal grants and state resources.

For more information about the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center, visit the center’s website at www.msarts.org.

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