PRESS RELEASE
MERIDIAN, MISS. –Nov 5, 2025 – Arts & Community Events Society (ACES) of Meridian, Miss. will present the Grand Prize Award winning watercolor painting, Union Station, by artist Katy Kemalyan to Laura Carmichael Executive Director of Visit Meridian. Ms Kemalyan received the top honor by local artist and Mississippi Arts Commissioner Judge Julie Martin at ACES Inaugural Plein Air & Urban Sketchers Festival, held October 4, 2025. This full day event included a free workshop by Meridian artist Terry Cherry. The event drew artists from across the state to compete, in three divisions, for $2200 in prize money. The painting will reside in the Visit Meridian offices for promotion of Lauderdale County tourism.
The presentation will be made Wednesday, November 12, at 2pm in the Visit Meridian offices located at 200 22nd Ave., Meridian, Miss. The 2026 date for the next Plein Air & Urban Sketchers Festival will also be formally announced.
Plein air painting, the practice of painting outdoors to capture the essence of a subject in its natural state, is something ACES artists have been doing at various Full Moon on 5th events for the past four years. This was the genesis for ACES inaugural Plein Air event, which was awarded a grant of $3500 in July from the Mississippi Arts Commission, and a Lauderdale County 2025-2026 Tourism Marketing Grant of $3000, awarded in August.
The goal of the Lauderdale County program is to help fund the promotion of attractions, special events, and festivals, like the Plein Air & Urban Sketchers Festival, that bring visitors to Lauderdale County and its hotels.
The MAC grant was a portion of the more than $1.7 million in grants that the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, awarded in Fiscal Year 2026. These annual grant funds come from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mississippi State Legislature. Awards were made in 94 Mississippi House of Representatives districts and 49 state Senate districts.
ACES is grateful to both organizations for these grants that were awarded to our organization for the furthering of our mission to improve the quality of life in Meridian, Mississippi through creating innovative, family-friendly arts and cultural events. We can’t wait to see what artists create at our 2026 event!
