Jackson and Starkville, Miss.--The Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) and Mississippi State University (MSU) today announced a new partnership that includes expanded educational opportunities and professional growth for MSU students.

“MSU’s new partnership with the Mississippi Museum of Art will offer several advantages to students, including free unlimited admission for all students with a valid student ID, free gallery visits, and group tours for classes, among other benefits,” said MSU College of Architecture, Art, and Design Dean Angi Bourgeois. “The collegiate partnership program with MMA is a great fit for MSU because we both are working to advance innovation and education in the arts.”

Department of Art Head and Professor Critz Campbell said, "I am proud of MSU’s relationship with the Mississippi Museum of Art and our shared commitment to the state's creative economy. Collaboration between the MMA and MSU allows both institutions to expand educational opportunities, create programming innovations, and provide free access to great art."

Campbell is also joining MMA’s Board of Trustees. The West Point native has taught at MSU since 2005. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1990, he studied as a post-graduate exchange student at the Arco Centro de Communicao Visual in Lisbon; at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina as a CORE Fellow; and at Parnham College in the United Kingdom with a focus on furniture design. Campbell is also a trustee on Penland School of Craft’s board and a recent recipient of the 2019 Jane Crater Hiatt Fellowship from the Mississippi Museum of Art. He is among 14 new trustees joining MMA's board this year.

Through the new partnership, MSU faculty have the opportunity to extend learning and research beyond the classroom, along with access to MMA archives and education resources. MMA's dynamic program of exhibitions, public programs, community engagement, and educational initiatives will help MSU students become creative arts leaders of tomorrow. Paid post-baccalaureate fellowships will enable firsthand museum experience for recent graduates.

MMA Director Betsy Bradley said, "We are delighted to partner with Mississippi State University. MSU students and professors now have unlimited access to our nationally acclaimed programming, exhibitions, and collection, helping grow the university’s academic programs and opportunities. For MMA, the partnership further solidifies our vision to bring art to all Mississippians and pursue key initiatives that align with our goal to be a 'museum for the future rooted in community."

Working together, MMA and MSU will provide students the power to learn, grow and open the doors to new ways of thinking. Both institutions are invested in the future of Mississippi and all Mississippians.

About the Mississippi Museum of Art

Established in 1911, the Mississippi Museum of Art is dedicated to connecting Mississippi to the world and the power of art to the power of community. The Museum’s permanent collection includes paintings, photography, multimedia works, and sculpture by Mississippi, American, and international artists. The largest art museum in the state, the Mississippi Museum of Art offers a vibrant roster of exhibitions, public programs, artistic and community partnerships, educational initiatives, and opportunities for exchange year round. Programming is developed inclusively with community involvement to ensure that a diversity of voices and perspectives are represented. Located at 380 South Lamar Street in downtown Jackson, the Museum is committed to honesty, equity, and inclusion. The Mississippi Museum of Art and its programs are sponsored in part by the City of Jackson and Visit Jackson. Support is also provided in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information, visit msmuseumart.org.

About Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University is a comprehensive, doctoral-degree-granting university offering a wide range of opportunities and challenges for learning and growth to a diverse and capable student body of approximately 23,000 students. Among the National Science Foundation’s Top 100 research universities, MSU provides access and opportunity to students from all sectors, 49 states and more than 80 other countries. As a land-grant institution, MSU is committed to sharing knowledge and expertise throughout the state of Mississippi, which includes a presence in each of the state’s 82 counties. Mississippi State’s research and development expenditures reached $264.5 million in FY 2019, accounting for nearly half of the total expenditures by universities in the state. The university is home to centers and institutes that are leaders in areas such as aerospace engineering, automotive engineering, unmanned aircraft systems, agriculture, data analytics, social sciences, and humanities, among other areas. The university’s research activity is an economic driver for Mississippi, contributing to MSU’s estimated $1.8 billion economic impact in the Magnolia State.