Goin' to the MAX

Visits to the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (“The MAX”) in Meridian, Mississippi, hit a fever pitch at the start of 2019. School tours, particularly, maxed out in March. “Technically, we could have fit more bodies in the building, but it would dilute the experience,” said Mark Tullos, museum president and CEO. 

The big draw? A traveling exhibition on Muppetmaster Jim Henson, organized by Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, New York) in cooperation with The Jim Henson Company, The Muppet Studio, and the Sesame Workshop. The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited opened at The MAX in January and features a broad range of artifacts related to Henson’s career, including more than twenty original puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, film and television clips, behind-the-scenes footage, iconic costumes, and interactive experiences that allow visitors to try their hands at puppeteering on camera and designing a puppet character.

“Jim Henson was a creator and entertainer with a unique vision, and he had a tremendous influence on our culture by giving us these magical characters and worlds that many of us grew up with,” said Tullos. “This is yet another amazing story of a native Mississippian who left his mark on the world, and this exhibit allows visitors to retrace Henson’s life from his early years in Leland, Mississippi, to his establishment in New York’s advertising and entertainment worlds, to the film sets of major motion pictures.”

But there are other creative Mississippians besides Jim Henson—Morgan Freeman, William Faulkner, and Oprah Winfrey, to name a few—and much more to The MAX than this head-turning exhibit, which leaves town May 4. The state-of-the-art, $50-million museum, which opened in April 2018, is hardly unassuming with 60,000-square feet and a sharply-angled silhouette in historic downtown Meridian. The U-shape structure surrounds an outdoor amphitheater. Inside, the facility not only contains a museum but also classrooms, a recording studio, and a pottery studio. Visitors of all ages can explore examples of the global impact Mississippians have had on music, books, art, entertainment and cuisine—including one of B.B. King’s Lucille guitars, John Grisham’s bestselling legal thrillers, the story of Elvis’ humble roots and epic career, Walter Anderson’s beloved Horn Island-inspired artwork, and more. 

The permanent collection—called the Mississippi Experience and found on the second floor—steals the show for most visitors. 

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“With the Mississippi Experience, the most repeated comment is, ‘I never realized this many talented artists came out of Mississippi,’” said Tullos. “The second thing most visitors recognize is that Mississippi has its challenges, but those challenges are a part of the petri dish that’s created all those artists. Louisiana is a lot like Mississippi in many ways. It’s a different environment here, but those social issues generate great artists.” 

Tullos notes that the museum does not shy away from the tough issues like racism and poverty and the intersection of faith, education, and the arts across the state. 

“If children come in here, and adults too, and look at these artists and writers and see that they had the same kind of challenges they face—and yet they made it, we’ve done the job we set out to do."  —Mark Tullos

The MAX is, appropriately, situated in the heart of downtown Meridian, with railroad tracks running right beside the structure. Pre-Civil War, Meridian’s growth centered largely around the intersection of the two major railways systems, which, once the Civil War began, brought a Confederate arsenal, a military hospital, a prisoner-of-war stockade, and headquarters for a number of state offices to the city. However, in February 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman and his army famously destroyed Meridian—and its railroads. 

Despite the war and destruction, the railroad tracks were repaired and the city continued to grow. In fact, from 1890 until 1930, Meridian’s economy flourished, and it became Mississippi’s largest city. By the middle of the twentieth century, the railway industry began its decline and fortunes changed for Meridian again. For decades, the economy crumbled. In recent years, the region has worked to revitalize the economy, focus on the arts, and bring the city’s beautiful downtown and often-vacated buildings new vim and vigor—for today and future generations.  

“We take our responsibility to inspire the next generation seriously,” said Tullos. Based on the feedback from a recent group of student visitors, he believes the museum is effective in this regard. Though Carver Middle School is less than two miles from The MAX, the visit was like going to a whole new world for some of the students. Not only was the field trip the first visit to a museum of any kind for a majority of the students, it was also the first elevator ride for at least one student, and the first time to eat in a restaurant for another. Several of the icons celebrated in the museum came from similar backgrounds to these students and found immense success, a realization not lost on the middle schoolers. “That is what we’re all about,” said Tullos. “If children come in here, and adults too, and look at these artists and writers and see that they had the same kind of challenges they face—and yet they made it, we’ve done the job we set out to do.”

Laura Carmichael, community development director for the City of Meridian, said the museum has been a catalyst for growth in downtown Meridian. New shops and restaurants, like Mimmo’s Italian Bistro and Julep Antiques and Gifts, have opened and are within a two-minute walk from The MAX. Located less than a mile off Interstate 20, the museum is drawing visitors from near and far.  

The themes of the exhibits ring true to anyone who knows rural Mississippi. They include interactive exhibits inspired by the outdoors, a juke joint, a front porch and home, a house of faith and a school—all places at the root of support and inspiration for Mississippi artists. 

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“My personal favorite is the juke joint,” said Tullos. “I think people really have an opportunity in there to explore the roots of the foundation of American music—the Blues. The juke joint was the place the genetic code of all that other music came from. It’s like going into an archaeological dig and realizing, ‘Here are the origins of American music.’” 

Meridian resident Danny Thomas has visited The MAX three times and said he sees something new with every visit. He believes that the state-of-the-art interactive exhibits at The MAX pull people into the Mississippi story. His personal favorite is the kitchen exhibit: as visitors place different-sized plates in various places and combinations on a deceptively rustic table, Mississippi chefs’ favorite recipes, ranging from fried chicken to okra, appear instantaneously—in full color and on the actual plates.

“At The MAX, education is not a passive exercise. This is not a museum you just walk through; you use your hands and become a part of the story,” said Thomas. “When you’re there, you don’t realize you’re in a small town in Mississippi. It’s a big-city cultural experience.” 

Yvonne Bell—who made the trip from Lafayette to Meridian with family and friends—agrees with Thomas. Having visited museums all over the world, Bell said the trip to The MAX left her almost speechless. She was particularly impressed with the museum’s accessibility and the attention to detail for those with special needs. 

“It was the most amazing thing we have done in a really long time,” said Bell. “As important as the Henson exhibit was to us, the upstairs Mississippi part was just as exciting. The whole experience was just phenomenal.”

Bell said a 15-year-old “who doesn’t like anything right now” made the trip to Meridian with her family, and “even he was amazed.” 

If you go: Tullos said the museum takes most visitors about four to five hours to go through fully. Bell said her family spent about four hours in the museum and then walked down the street to eat a late lunch at Weidmann’s, the oldest restaurant in Mississippi. Other local sites include the restored Opera House, now called the Mississippi State University Riley Center (msurileycenter.com), the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum (soulelivesteam.com), and a hot air balloon ride with Champagne Sunrise Hot Air Balloons (champagnesunrise.net).

“You could tell downtown Meridian is starting to take off,” said Bell. “They’ve got some cool stuff going on down there.”  

Coming Soon to the MAX: 

Jimmie Rodgers Lives!

The first weekend in May will be a big one at The MAX. Not only will the Henson exhibit close on Saturday, May 4, but the Jimmie Rodgers Festival will be returning to town that weekend too. Jimmie Rodgers, considered the Father of Country Music, is a Meridian native. The 66th annual festival kicks off May 2 with a concert by St. Paul & the Broken Bones in the Citizens National Bank Courtyard at The MAX. Steve Forbert, an inductee to the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame, will have his star dedicated at The MAX’s Walk of Fame and perform a concert on  May 4. Read more about the festival in our online Calendar of Events. 

Material Pulses: Seven Viewpoints

After the success of the Henson exhibit, which will close on May 4, Mark Tullos and his team thought long and hard in planning the next big traveling exhibit to be featured at The MAX. They wanted it to draw a different audience than Henson attracted. Material Pulses, an exhibit featuring quilts created by seven contemporary textile artists from around the world, will be displayed in conjunction with Mississippi Quiltings, a showcase of Mississippi artists. Both exhibits will open on May 24. Read more about them in our online Calendar of Events. 

Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience

2155 Front Street

Meridian, Ms. 

msarts.org