Something for Everyone at The MAX Grand Opening
Friday, April 27
6am-3pm
SuperTalk Radio Live Broadcast
Stop by The MAX and help us kick off our Grand Opening Week with our friends at SuperTalk Radio. We’ll be there all day—stop by and meet us, purchase a membership, buy tickets to the Grand Opening Gala or the Paul Thorn concert, grab a snack, win a T-shirt—have some fun as we celebrate Mississippi’s newest addition to the arts.
7:30pm
An Evening at The MAX
Grand Opening Gala
Join us for The MAX Grand Opening Gala. The black tie festivities include cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and dancing under the stars to the music of Compozitionz. Open bar.
$200 per person.
Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.msarts.org/event/an-evening-at-the-max/
Saturday, April 28
9am
Official Ribbon Cutting
Mayor Percy Bland and other local officials will be on hand for the official ribbon cutting at The MAX.
Free and open to the public
10am-5pm
Member Preview Day
April 28 is designated as Members Preview Day with special events scheduled throughout the day for members. The general public is also welcome.
10-11am
“Building the Experience” Panel Discussion
The people instrumental in the concept and construction of The MAX and its exhibits will discuss their roles in the creation of The MAX Experience. Panelists include Bob Luke and Kristin Marshall, LPK Architects; Cybelle Jones, Gallagher & Associates (exhibit designers); Dan Krall and Mary Katherine Bruce, Solomon Group (exhibit fabricators); and exhibit content consultants Ward Emling, Mississippi Film Office (retired) and Stuart Rockoff, Mississippi Humanities Council.
Free with admission
11:30am-12:30pm
“Southern Symbolism in Stained Glass” Artist Lecture
Andy Young, president and chief designer of Pearl River Glass, has always been a forerunner in stained glass innovation, using both new and time-honored techniques to create original works in both traditional and contemporary stained glass forms. Young will discuss how the iconic window “Father Mississippi” commissioned for The MAX church gallery was designed and created.
Free with admission
2-3:30pm
“A Cast of Blues” Artist Demonstration + Lecture
Sharon McConnell-Dickerson is an artist, lecturer, teacher, and speaker whose exhibition “A Cast of Blues” will be the first show featured in The MAX changing exhibition gallery. Almost totally blind, Dickerson lives in Como, Mississippi with her husband, David, and her guide-dog, Avatar. “A Cast of Blues” is a disability-friendly, educational, one-of-a-kind collection of blues musicians’ life cast masks. This exhibit presents an up close and very personal view of the faces that the musicians themselves modeled for. “A Cast of Blues” is a “please touch” exhibit—everyone is invited to touch these masks.
Free with admission
7pm
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Movie Night on the Lawn
Set in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a satire loosely based on Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. This Coen Brothers film was shot all across Mississippi—Canton, D’Lo, Vicksburg, Edwards, Yazoo City, and many more locations across the state. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and laugh with The MAX as we present our first movie night on the lawn.
Free and open to the public
Sunday, April 29
Open 11am-5pm
11:30am–12:30pm
Make + Take Workshop
Make and take home a souvenir from The MAX. Children of all ages are welcome to stop by for a creative hour-long workshop led by our Education Associate.
Free with admission
2-3pm
“200 Years of Mississippi Music” Lecture
Join University of Mississippi Blues Curator Greg Johnson for a multimedia presentation of the diverse array of musical offerings across our state and their historical roots. Johnson is Blues Curator and Associate Professor in the department of Archives and Special Collections at the University of Mississippi. He oversees the library’s large collection of blues sound recordings, videos, photographs, posters, books, magazines, and ephemera.
3:30-4:30pm
“Mississippi Writers and their Autobiographies: Writing History Through Life Stories” Lecture
Ted Ownby teaches History and Southern Studies and is Director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. Along with Charles Reagan Wilson, he is coeditor of The Mississippi Encyclopedia (2017), editor or coeditor of six other books, and author of two books on southern history. He will present on Mississippi writers and their autobiographies.
Free with admission
Monday, April 30
9-10am
Mini Maestros
A program for toddlers and their caregivers, Mini Maestros will explore various art forms through crafts, stories, music, and dramatic play. Toddlers will experience the music of Muddy Waters by exploring harmonicas and building a guitar! To register for our first Mini Maestros class, visit https://www.msarts.org/learn/register-educational-event/
4–5pm
Hip Hop Dance Class
Join us for an hour of high-energy moves at a beginner’s class in hip hop dance with Elegance Ballroom dance instructor Stephen Thomas.
Free with admission
Tuesday, May 1
7am
Yoga at The MAX
Bring your yoga mat to an hour-long yoga class at The MAX led by an Elegance Ballroom instructor.
$5 Members | $7 Non-members
11:30am-1pm
Brown Bag Lunch
Carey Smith on Keyboard
Bring your lunch to The MAX amphitheater and enjoy it with some live jazz.
Free and open to the public
4:45-7pm
Choctaw Day at The MAX
Celebrate with us as we recognize the cultural contributions of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
4:45pm
The MAX Walk of Fame Star Unveiling
At Dumont Plaza in downtown Meridian, The MAX will unveil a bronze star honoring the Choctaw Tribal Elders. The unveiling celebration will feature the Choctaw Social Dancers.
Free and open to the public
6pm
Bead Work + Basket Weaving Demonstrations
The Choctaw Day celebration continues with a presentation of Choctaw artistry. Join us for demonstrations of basket weaving and bead work in our two artist studios.
Free and open to the public
Wednesday, May 2
1-2pm
Celebrate Our Veterans
Navy Veteran Peter Ochello on Guitar
Join us for an hour of great guitar music at The MAX.
Admission to the museum free for veterans
3pm
MAX Mavens Senior Studio Workshop
Senior citizens are invited to meet our fall watercolor instructor, Rosemary Kahlmus, in this one-hour introductory watercolor class. Space is limited.
Free with admission
Thursday, May 3
7am
Yoga at The MAX
Bring your yoga mat to an hour-long yoga class at The MAX led by an Elegance Ballroom instructor.
$5 Members | $7 Non-members
7-9pm
Temple Theatre
Nashville Songwriters’ Tribute to Jimmie Rodgers
Presented by The Riley Foundation and The Jimmie Rodgers Foundation
Renowned Nashville singer/songwriters return to the Temple Theatre after a multiple year break to revive the ever-popular Songwriters Night! Grammy winner and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Paul Overstreet and country #1 hit-maker Wynn Varble pay tribute to Jimmie Rodgers and share their songs, stories, and experiences.
$20 Tickets on sale at Meridian Underground Music
Friday, May 4
7:30pm|
Old Crow Medicine Show in Concert
The Riley Center
Presented by The Riley Foundation and The Jimmie Rodgers Foundation.
$43 and $37 and can be purchased at the Riley Center box office or at http://www.msurileycenter.com/index.cfm/events/old-crow-medicine-show/?show=season
5:30-7pm
Free pre-event concert at Dumont Plaza with Clay Parker and Jodi James
9-10:30pm
Free post-event concert at Dumont Plaza with Scott McQuaig & The Tomcats
Saturday, May 5
11am
The Great Mississippi Mud Pie Contest
Hosted in conjunction with the Leo Lion’s Club.
Join us for the 1st Annual Mississippi Mud Pie Contest and vote for your favorite from some of the area’s best bakers. Best pie wins a trophy!
5-6:30pm
Paul Thorn Trailer Park Philosopher Experience
Meet and greet Paul Thorn in his 20th anniversary celebratory Airstream trailer “Jezebel.” This intimate VIP experience includes a look at Paul’s art, an acoustic performance of Paul’s music, a photograph, a limited edition print, a one-of-a-kind Mission Temple Fireworks Revival tambourine, a custom bandana, a packet of SPAM (Paul’s favorite), and much more.
Tickets are $99 and do not include tickets to the concert. Limited availability.
Purchase tickets at https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1658367
7-9pm
The MAX presents Paul Thorn in Concert
Grab a lawn chair or blanket and join us as we wrap up our opening week with a concert by singer-songwriter Paul Thorn. Paul has established an impressive career, pleasing crowds with his muscular brand of roots music — bluesy, rocking, and thoroughly Southern American. His latest CD, Don’t Let the Devil Ride, is a return to his gospel roots.
$20 Members, $25 General Admission
Purchase tickets at https://www.msarts.org/event/the-max-presents-paul-thorn-in-concert/
9pm
Paul Thorn Afterparty
The Hive Bar and Grill in downtown Meridian
The Jimmie Rodgers Music Festival presents Natchez-based Southern Rock band Bishop Gunn in concert at The Hive.
Tickets are $10 at the door. Paul Thorn ticketholders get in free.