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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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“Grant Advances on Jackson,” a silver key winner, is one of many works by Mississippi middle and high school students on display in “The Scholastic Art Awards” exhibit at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Credit: Courtesy Mississippi Museum Of Art

“Scholastic Art Awards of 2009”
• Mississippi Museum of Art
• Free

I have to admit: Even I was a bit shocked when I saw some of the submissions for this year’s Scholastic Art Awards. They were absolutely brilliant and refreshing. With more than 2,000 submissions from students in grades 7-12 from around Mississippi, the Alliance for Young Artists judges the entries and assigns awards to the top artists. This year’s award winners include a life-like (and I mean uncannily life-like) self portrait, pencil etchings of a bird and my favorite, a dress made of playing cards, poker chips, dice and other gaming paraphernalia entitled “Suited to Be All In.” The exhibit ends March 29, so be sure to stop in and see the varied positive marks young Mississippians are making on the state.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.