And that gave us an idea.
What if we told all their stories together in one place? What if we could showcase the overwhelming impact of Mississippi’s creative legacy to locals and visitors alike? What if we help ignite creativity in the artists of the future?
The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience — or The MAX, as we call it — took its first step toward reality in 2001, when the Mississippi State Legislature enacted Senate Bill #2666.
That bill sowed the seeds for a major destination with a cultural impact that could extend far beyond Mississippi.
Over the decade to follow, a dedicated board and a supportive celebrity committee pressed on toward our fundraising goals, despite financial blows from both Hurricane Katrina and the Great Recession.
In 2009, nearly ten years of hard work behind the scenes reaped one of our first tangible rewards as we unveiled our Hollywood-Style Walk of Fame.
We celebrated our next great milestone on October 3, 2015, when The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience officially broke ground in downtown Meridian, Mississippi.
By shining the spotlight on Mississippi’s statewide contributions in arts and entertainment, The MAX will guide visitors to other towns and museums throughout the state, from Tupelo’s Elvis, to Indianola’s B. B. King, to Pascagoula’s Jimmy Buffett, to Jackson’s Eudora Welty, to Ocean Springs’ Walter Anderson, and many more.
