About
In 1978, the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters (MIAL) was created by a group of visionary cultural advocates, including former Governor William Winter and Dr. Cora Norman (of Jackson), Dr. Aubrey Lucas and Dr. Noel Polk (of Hattiesburg), and Mrs. Keith Dockery McLean (of Cleveland). These founding members knew that among Mississippi's greatest riches are our artists, writers, and musicians, who must be supported, nurtured, and recognized. Supported by Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning and its members, MIAL is a self-perpetuating 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Each year the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters honors creative individuals with an award in their specific field. The prestigious awards, first made in 1980, are presented in nine categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Life Writing, Youth Literature, Visual Art, Music Composition (Classical), Music Composition (Contemporary), Photography, and Poetry. The Institute's juried competition is one of a kind in the state. Our carefully selected judges, chosen from out of state, are prominent in their field.
"Many Mississippi artists have received the admiration of the nation and the world; now the Institute will give our citizens a chance to honor their own."
—Governor William Winter, 1980
Governance
Officers
President: Ted Atkinson
Vice President / President Elect: Wayne Drinkwater
Executive Secretary: Caroline Croom
Treasurer: Jan Taylor
Archivist: Sarah Frances Hardy
Immediate Past President: Pete Halverson
Board of Governors
Ted Atkinson
Marion Barnwell
George Bassi
Talamieka Brice
Caroline Croom
Lawrence Deas
Wayne Drinkwater
Pete Halverson
Sarah Francis Hardy
Robert Ivy
Donzell Lee
Emily Liner
Jean Nicholson Medley
JoAnne Prichard Morris
Scott Naugle
Sarah Newton
Bridget Pieschel
Julian Rankin
Traci Stover
Jan Taylor
Mary McKenzie Thompson
James G. Thomas Jr.
Alehandro Wooten
Emeritus / Emerita
David Beckley, Aubrey Lucas , Nancy Guice, Margaret Anne Robbins, Kim Rushing, Sandra Shellnut
Partners
MIAL collaborates with institutional partners and community organizations to sustain the cultural archive and support the ongoing recognition of Mississippi's artists and writers, including:
Mississippi Arts Commission
University Press of Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Mississippi Humanities Council