The Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA) is an upper

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

of literary, visual, and performing arts on the historic Whitworth College Campus in Brookhaven, Mississippi, about sixty miles (100 km) south of Jackson, Mississippi. MSA teaches 11th and 12th grade students. The site has 6 buildings designated as Mississippi Landmarks, and the campus is also notable as being on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The renovation or construction of the campus facilities, as a historic site, are ongoing and rely upon additional funding to make capital improvements. The Mississippi School of the Arts provides advanced programs of study in

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

, vocal music, theatre, dance, and literary arts for "artistically gifted" 11th/12th grade students from throughout Mississippi, within a residential school. The curriculum at MSA focuses on the arts and humanities. A comprehensive residential and academic curriculum prepares students for further studies or for the pursuit of employment. Some non-arts and required courses (some math, science, etc.) are taught in conjunction with Brookhaven High School, 6 blocks away, to provide a wider curriculum. Students apply for admission during their sophomore year at other schools.

History

At the site of the present MSA campus, Whitworth College (founded 1858) had been a four-year, all-female,

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

college from 1858 until 1928. At that point, the school became a liberal arts junior college within the

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webster M ...

System. However, in 1937 (9 years later), support was withdrawn by the Methodist Conference. The Whitworth College campus area, over the years, has been a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

hospital, then later a junior college with a reputation for performances by major musicians, and also an evening school for veterans who attended college under the

G.I. bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

. After the City of Brookhaven donated the campus to the State of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

for the purpose of MSA in 1999, the State of Mississippi funded the restoration of the campus. The campus is now divided into the Historic Upper Campus and the Contemporary Lower Campus. The upper campus includes: Johnson Institute (where classes are now held), Mary Jane Lampton Auditorium (used for productions, meetings, and available to the public for rental), Enochs Hall, Elizabeth Cottage, Cooper Hall, and the Helen Furlow Scruggs Y-Hut. The lower campus consists of the recently constructed Student Life Center, the dormitories, library, digital arts lab, and cafeteria. MSA had its inaugural class of students on August 3, 2003.

Arts disciplines

Most of the faculty works with the literary,

visual The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (the ...

, and

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

, although there are regular academic teachers as well. For classes not offered at MSA, students are either enrolled in online classes or bussed to Brookhaven High. In the student life center, other staff members have been employed as residential counselors, and food service workers. There are also several employees working in school security.

Theatre Arts

The Classes Taught in the Department: -Dramaturgy I & II -Acting I, II, III, & IV -Movement for the Actor I & II -Company I & II -Theatre Production

Visual Arts

Drawing I/ Drawing II/ Painting I/ Painting II/ Mixed Media/ Advanced Drawing and Painting/ Advanced Portfolio/ Senior Focus/ Photography/ Digital Arts/ 3D Media/ 2D Media/

Literary Arts

2007-8 was the first year for the Literary Arts department.

Dance Arts

Dance was added in the Fall of 2009. Students learn different styles of dance such as Ballet, Modern, and Improvisation. Students also learn stage production including lights and sound.

Media Arts

Students can learn to become video and sound engineers, film directors, editors, and production managers.

Future disciplines

A construction, space, finance, and Instrumental Music might be added as disciplines at some point.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mississippi School Of The Arts National Historic Landmarks in Mississippi Public high schools in Mississippi Schools in Lincoln County, Mississippi Boarding schools in Mississippi Public boarding schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 2003 2003 establishments in Mississippi