Hattiesburg, Mississippi – A series of upgrades at the Rebekah Stark Johnson Community Arts Center are now complete, thanks to a $300,000 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Building Fund for the Arts program.

The completed improvements include a new clay studio for pottery and handbuilding, a new kiln and storage room, a new ADA-accessible ramp, new HVAC for the black box theatre and renovations of the center’s restroom facilities. Together, these projects improve accessibility, expand programming capacity and enhance the overall experience for artists, students, performers and guests.

“By improving accessibility and expanding what this center can offer, we’re making sure more residents have the opportunity to learn, create and experience the arts here in Hattiesburg,” said Mayor Toby Barker.

The new clay studio and kiln space significantly expand the center’s ceramics and visual arts capacity, while the HVAC improvements in the black box theatre and the restroom upgrades improve comfort, functionality and accessibility throughout the facility.

“These improvements allow us to do more and serve more people,” said Katie Ginn, manager of the Community Arts Center. “We can now offer additional classes, better accommodate our guests and provide a more welcoming and accessible environment for everyone who comes through our doors.”

With the completion of this project, the City of Hattiesburg has now invested over $819,000 into the Community Arts Center through a combination of state grant funding and local matching dollars. That total includes this grant and a previous Mississippi Arts Commission Building Fund for the Arts award that helped fund the creation of the center’s black box theatre and performance space.

Classes are scheduled to begin using these new spaces in March.

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