Don't Close the Book: A Campaign for Hope
It is easy to become disheartened by challenges facing our community. Social disparities, educational deprivation, and safety concerns can cast shadows that threaten to engulf our spirits, creating a sense of despair that leads many to question the viability of their efforts to effect change. Yet, we believe that every community is a tapestry of individuals, each thread woven together, forming a vibrant picture of hope and resilience. This is our story, and it's not over.
Literacy Campaign: #1000Strong
SMMEIIS aims to provide early intervention and supplemental programs to both improve literacy and raise awareness about illiteracy in Southwest Mississippi. Our goal is to discover the correlations of illiteracy to issues of our community such as poverty, low self-esteem/ social emotional development, racial inequality, and gun violence. By 2026, we want to increase the literacy levels of 1,000 children and adults, ensuring that our community experiences the lifelong advantages of literacy.
Arts & Culture
The PIZZAZZ Dance Troupe Presents...
Call for Visual Art
About:
SMMEIIS is accepting visual artwork to accompany Pike County Little Theatre’s production of Ntozake Shange’s groundbreaking choreopoem, "for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf." This unique play blends poetry, music, dance, and drama, spotlighting the voices of seven women as they navigate their experiences with love, trauma, and resilience.
Exhibit Theme:
Artists are encouraged to reflect on the metaphor of metal clouds (or obstacles to healing). Consider exploring the following elements in your artwork:
- Empowerment and Resilience: Illustrate the strength of women overcoming adversity and embracing their identities despite the obstacles they face.
- Relationships and Complexity: Capture the nuances of interactions between black women and men, highlighting both pain and hope amidst challenges.
- Cultural Identity: Express the richness of the African American female experience, marked by both struggle and beauty, even under the weight of “metal clouds”.
- Healing and Community: Show the transformative power of sisterhood and support among women navigating their paths to healing, often hindered by societal barriers and personal trauma.
- Obstacles to Healing: Visually represent the various “metal clouds” that obscure the journey to recovery, including societal expectations, personal grief, and external pressures.
- Afrofuturism: Incorporate elements of Afrofuturism to envision a hopeful future where the obstacles of the past are transformed into new possibilities. Use futuristic imagery, technology, and cultural motifs that celebrate Black femme identity.
Submission Guidelines:
Medium: All forms of visual art are welcome, including but not limited to paintings, sculptures, photographs, and mixed media.
Delivery/ Drop-off: Artwork can be delivered to The Creative Place located at 1312 C Harrison Ave. in McComb, MS 39648, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm.
Deadline: All artwork must be dropped off by Friday, March 28th.
Exhibition Details: All submitted artwork will be displayed during the performance dates for the play (April 10-13, 2025). There will be a silent auction held for attendees to bid on the pieces.
Contact Information: For any inquiries or additional information, please reach out to Clinnesha Sibley at 601-810-2393.
- Empowerment and Resilience: Illustrate the strength of women overcoming adversity and embracing their identities despite the obstacles they face.
artist-in-residence
Meet Maleigh Crespo, Our 2023-2024 Artist-In-Residence
Maleigh makes history as our first Literary Artist-in-Residence
Maleigh Crespo has established herself as a talented writer, regularly contributing insightful and engaging blogs to our platform. Her unique perspective and captivating writing style have garnered a loyal following and have enriched our readers' experience. In addition to her blog contributions, Maleigh has also curated our organization's first-ever creative writing contest. As our literary artist in residence, Maleigh will collaborate with our team to develop exciting literary initiatives and help nurture a vibrant creative community in our city.
BookSong: "Do you see the clouds?" By Maleah Dawn, Our 2022 Artist-in-Residence
BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Cloud Dance", by Thomas Locker.
BookSong: "I am water" By Maleah Dawn, Our 2022 Artist-in-Residence
BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Water Dance", by Thomas Locker.
