We have a very special guest in Oxford today, visiting one of our most treasured city resources.

Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), is visiting the state of Mississippi today and tomorrow, making stops at a handful of select places, including Oxford and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, in particular.

Chu will be meeting today with YAC leader Wayne Andrews and other city and city arts leaders including Mayor Robyn Tannehill, touring our Powerhouse facility and getting to meet artists who have participated in the Arts Incubator project, financially supported by the NEA.

We rarely pass on the opportunity to brag on our Yoknapatawpha Arts Council because it is such a vital part of our city’s culture and vibrancy.

But we are particularly proud of this moment, since the chairman of the NEA selected the YAC as one of just a handful of stops on a Mississippi tour that includes visits to the Mississippi Museum of Art and the Delta Blues Museum.

It is a signature moment for the YAC, lifting up years of hard work by many including Andrews that has led to growth and engaged community program.

We welcome Chairman Chu for her late afternoon visit to Oxford today and have no doubt that she will find at the YAC what we have long known. It’s a special entity that makes our community strong.