The Mississippi Museum of Art connects Mississippi to the world, and the power of art to the power of community.
Committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion, the Mississippi Museum of Art is a leader in engaging art, artists, and participants in the critical work of reckoning with the past, connecting with each other in the present, and envisioning a future without division.
Guided by our MISSION and VISION, the Mississippi Museum of Art has purposefully aligned our strategies and priorities to better serve and empower our community.
LOCAL RELEVANCE informs every decision we make. We strive to mirror Mississippi demographics in participation, membership, and support, thereby demonstrating trustworthiness to our communities, as well as the Museum’s trust in the expertise and experience those communities offer. This vital dynamic enables new connections, interactions, and experiences. Above all, the Mississippi Museum of Art is committed to providing a safe place for challenging conversations.
NATIONAL DISTINCTION is paramount to serving the Mississippi story. The Mississippi Museum of Art connects Mississippi to national artists, curators, and thought leaders. This is vital to changing the national narrative about Mississippi to be one of resilience, authenticity, leadership, and progress. These efforts have cast the Museum as a destination for national artists and scholars aiming to understand the impact of slavery, disenfranchisement, and the Civil Rights Movement on the imaginations of our country’s most profound artists.
INSTITUTIONAL GROWTH builds innovative and aspirational systems of leadership, infrastructure, and funding. Our network of employee and trustee teams continually learn and grow: strengthening leadership qualities, deepening community involvement, and creating innovative projects that gain the attention of their peers nationally. We are building a $30 million endowment to decrease operational insecurity and increase tolerance for risk while creating more opportunities for innovation and culturally meaningful programs—all with an emphasis on building our collection.
PROGRAMMATIC INNOVATION demonstrates innovation and integrity in exhibitions, collections, and programming. We are dedicated to transforming the traditional relationship between museum and audiences from one of scholar and student to that of co-investigators of cultural issues. To that end, we create innovative strategies for sharing art and art experiences beyond the Museum’s walls. Our nimble and adaptive culture equips the Museum to respond quickly to events, opportunities, and challenges that emerge in the community and nation.
WONDER expands imaginations through the power of art. We continually seek to inspire a sense of wonder, awe, and excitement in visitors of all ages. We rely on art to create an experiential environment that provokes the sharing of stories and invites our visitors to reimagine themselves in relation to the world beyond themselves.
MISSISSIPPI connects us all. The Mississippi story is one of deep and complex culture, history, and community. We not only explore this together with our local community stakeholders, but we are launching national conversations that recognize Mississippi’s centrality to America’s narrative.