Arts Institute of Mississippi
The Arts Institute of Mississippi (AIM) was founded in 2015 as a special initiative of the College of Arts and Letters at The University of Mississippi to promote the arts statewide.
- Work to increase funding for both arts education and public arts
- Encourage collaboration and public outreach among the Southern Miss arts programs, including Art and Design, Dance and Theatre in the School of Performing and Visual Arts, the School of Music, the Center for Writers in the School of Humanities, and Media and Entertainment Arts in the School of Communication
- Recognize and encourage local and statewide arts initiatives and special projects
Work with Partners for the Arts, an alliance between the Pine Belt Community and Southern Miss, which provides funding to enhance the arts at Southern Miss - Recognize outstanding high school level arts teachers in the state Mississippi by offering an annual award—The Arts Institute of Mississippi Awards
Resource
- Faculty Guide for presenting Arts Conferences, Institutes, Special Projects and Events
The AIM Awards
Recognizing Outstanding Arts Educators Throughout the State
2020 Award Winners
Meet Our Past Award Recipients
The AIM Awards, presented by the Arts Institute of Mississippi at Southern Miss, seek to recognize and honor high school level arts teachers, schools, and organizations that are making an impact through exemplary achievements in arts education throughout the state of Mississippi.
Dr. Jay Dean, DMA, was the Music Director and conductor of the Southern Mississippi
Symphony Orchestra from 1988-2018. During his tenure the orchestra has grown into
a university ensemble that has earned a distinguished national reputation. Founded
in 1920, the Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra is the oldest operating symphony
orchestra in the state of Mississippi. It presents a umber of annual subscription
concerts per season in Hattiesburg, as well as many concerts throughout Mississippi.
In addition to its regular symphonic concerts, the Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
performs as the orchestra for all opera and musical theatre productions.
Dean received his DMA in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Texas at Austin.
Before coming to The University of Southern Mississippi, he was Music Director of
Dekalb Youth Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta, the Mercer University/Atlanta Chamber
Orchestra, the Columbus State University Orchestra, the Atlanta Festival Orchestra
and Chorus, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Southwest Chamber Orchestra.
We’d like to invite you to learn more about the arts programs at Southern Miss:
- School of Performing and Visual Arts
- Art & Design
- Dance
- Theatre
- School of Music
- Center for Writers (School of Humanities)
- Media and Entertainment Arts (School of Communication)
For more information regarding AIM please email%20us.