The Mississippi Humanities Council is pleased to partner with the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development for the Spark!: Places of Innovation tour in Mississippi. Dr. Joe Fratesi, Assistant Director for Community Development, and Chance McDavid, Research and Economic Development Project Director, of the Stennis Institute will serve as the official State Scholars throughout the exhibition.
Chance McDavid
Dr. Joe Fratesi
As State Scholars, Dr. Fratesi and Mr. McDavid will serve as a resource for our host sites as they develop public programs and create local exhibits telling the story of their community’s innovative spirit. They will also share stories from across the state about the ways that Mississippi communities are creating lasting change and improving their spaces.
“The John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development is proud to partner with the Spark! program and serve as Mississippi’s State Scholar,” said Dr. Dallas Breen, Executive Director of the Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University. “Our staff, Dr. Joe Fratesi and Chance McDavid, are particularly gifted in supporting communities through hands-on engagement and collaborative programming. We look forward to working alongside local organizers to develop exhibitions and activities that highlight Mississippi’s people, places, and traditions while creating meaningful connections between local experiences and the broader American context through the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street initiative.”
Based on the campus of Mississippi State University, the John C. Stennis Institute of Government has served the state of Mississippi for over 45 years, providing research, service, and training to Mississippi and other municipalities across the nation. They aim to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of local and state governments, provide technical assistance to communities in the southeast, and promote civic engagement and citizen involvement in the political landscape.
Spark! Places of Innovation, an exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program, will tour across the state from May 2026 to February 2027. Throughout its stay in Mississippi, the exhibition will visit six host sites from Oxford to Gulfport and will explore the innovative contributions of rural America and the ways Mississippi is sparking change locally.
To learn more about Spark! Places of Innovation and to see when the exhibit is coming to a community near you, visit the Museum on Main Street page of our website.