The mission of the DeSoto Arts Council is to stimulate increased participation in the arts, to integrate art into people's everyday lives, to advance community support of the arts, and to use the arts to affect community unity and change.

We work to ensure the presence of art and culture in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

We recognize the arts' ability to not only entertain, but to educate and inspire. Finding ways to incorporate the arts into our schools, homes, churches, and community centers ensures the stability of our community and culture.

The DeSoto Arts Council serves as an umbrella planning and service organization, coordinating the arts and collaborating with local organizations and the citizens of DeSoto County through programs to weave the arts into the fabric of our lives.

Established in 1999, the DeSoto Arts Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization funded by membership dues, community fundraising, corporate, county, and municipal contributions.

Things unique to the DeSoto Arts Council include:

• The Community Arts Grant Program ($10,000 for local arts & cultural projects)
• The Mini-Grant Programs ($1,500 in grants under $250)
• Comprehensive Arts and Cultural Planning—working with the community to identify needs and desires, developing a long-range plan to ensure those needs and desires, working with community members to develop a facility, more effective communication, audience development, and collaboration.
• Publicizing the arts and arts organizations in the community.
• Web site (www.desotoarts.com) with community arts calendar, artist directory, kids page, grant applications, arts links, and much more.
• DeSoto Arts Council Newsletter and E-mail Announcements
• Annual Holiday Party
• Annual Membership Party
• Annual Holiday Artists’ Show and Sale
• Working with DeSoto County Economic Development Council and Education Foundation and Tourism to promote tourism and economic development.

So how does the DeSoto Arts Council “support the arts”?

• We help professional and amateur artists and arts organizations produce music, theatre, dance, visual, media and literary art.
• We help residents and visitors find, enjoy and participate in the artistic and cultural events available in the community.
• We program classes in the performing, literary and visual arts for toddlers through seniors.
• We work with public and private schools to provide artist residencies designed for the classroom.
• We raise public and private funds to support the arts in the community.
• We provide grants, information and networking for artists and arts groups.
• We provide exhibit space for visual artists.
• We are working to establish a multi-purpose community arts center for DeSoto County.