southwest mississippi multiplex
southwest mississippi multiplex
For Early Innovative Intervention Studies
For Early Innovative Intervention Studies
About
Welcome to the creative place.
Our mission is to grow the creative capacity of Southwest Mississippi residents, children, families, and citizen-artists by encouraging innovation and cultural appreciation in early phases of life.
OUR ORGANIZATION
SMMEIIS is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization based in McComb, Mississippi. We offer programs and integrated services that are designed to inspire, inform, uplift, and nurture vulnerable communities. Through the promotion of responsible citizenship and authentic representation, our mission is to grow the creative capacity of Southwest Mississippi residents, children, families, and citizen-artists by encouraging innovation and cultural appreciation in early phases of life.
As a community center, we provide access to incubation and meeting/rehearsal space. We host workshops, professional/gift development, and training for visionaries, educators, youth developers, social entrepreneurs, and future leaders.
As an art commons, we provide opportunities and access to incubation space for youth and adults who are historically underrepresented in the fields of literary, visual, media and performing arts.
As a research agency, we measure our impact, reporting ways in which cross-pollinating arts, social innovation, and child/family focus can boost self-esteem, reduce educational barriers, encourage leadership, create workplace and home happiness, promote unity, and transform communities.
OUR VISION
We envision a safe community where marginalized people embrace their social responsibilities and are compelled to use their voices and talents to empower themselves and others. We envision an aware community where people understand root causes and can speak truthfully about the past to improve multigenerational relationships and combat systemic racism.
OUR FOUNDER
The late Jacqueline Nobles Dillon had a B.S. (1970) and Master’s (1977) Degree in Special Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She was a dedicated teacher in the McComb School District who retired twice, once in 1996 and again in 2003.
Jacqueline remained busy throughout her retirement, becoming Director of D & D Learning Center where she tutored (assessed, remediated, and diagnosed) children between 5 and 15 years of age. In 2003, she started her own non-profit organization called the O.N.A. Foundation (Operation Noah’s Ark). More than 15 years after its founding, O.N.A. developed a new identity and became Southwest Mississippi Multiplex for Early Innovative Intervention Studies (SMMEIIS).
Jacqueline was a two-time recipient of The Outstanding Elementary Teacher of America Award. She was also Teacher of the Year for the McComb School District eight times and was once Substance Abuse Teacher of the Year. Jacqueline was honored by the Mississippi Association for Children with Learning Disabilities for her invaluable service and cooperation. She was also received the Outstanding Woman in the Community Award by the McComb Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club.
Her legacy lives on through her family, loved ones, and former students.
Jacqueline N. Dillon
founder
Blog
Providing educational, social, familial, and communal resources/guidance.
February 3, 2024February 1st is known as National Freedom Day, as it is the day President Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery in 1865. Though the Amendment was not ratified until December 18, 1865, it’s important to recognize and celebrate this day of liberation, especially as we enter Black...December 28, 2023In a time of global and political unrest, this holiday season has been filled with more anxiety and stress than usual, but every day I find a reason to be grateful and am reminded of the joys and magic of life. And it's in those ordinary moments, that are often overlooked, that I find that I can...November 24, 2023From cool weather, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, black Friday shopping, seasonal Starbucks drinks, warm sweaters, and autumn leaves, there's a million reasons to love the fall/winter months from October to December. However, what’s not talked about are the less glamorous attributes of the...Literacy Campaign: #1000Strong
SMMEIIS aims to provide early intervention and supplemental programs to both improve literacy and raise awareness about illiteracy in Southwest Mississippi. Our goal is to discover the correlations of illiteracy to issues of our community such as poverty, low self-esteem/ social emotional development, racial inequality, and gun violence. By 2026, we want to increase the literacy levels of 1,000 children and adults, ensuring that our community experiences the lifelong advantages of literacy.
#1000Strong
We are encouraging our community to not only read, but also reflect on their experiences as readers.
#1000Strong
Recommended reading offered by members of our community during the 2023 Literary Festival.
Arts & Culture
The PIZZAZZ Dance Troupe's 2024 Recital
artist-in-residence
Meet Maleigh Crespo, Our 2023-2024 Artist-In-Residence
Maleigh makes history as our first Literary Artist-in-Residence
Maleigh Crespo has established herself as a talented writer, regularly contributing insightful and engaging blogs to our platform. Her unique perspective and captivating writing style have garnered a loyal following and have enriched our readers' experience. In addition to her blog contributions, Maleigh has also curated our organization's first-ever creative writing contest. As our literary artist in residence, Maleigh will collaborate with our team to develop exciting literary initiatives and help nurture a vibrant creative community in our city.
BookSong: "Do you see the clouds?" By Maleah Dawn, Our 2022 Artist-in-Residence
BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Cloud Dance", by Thomas Locker.
BookSong: "I am water" By Maleah Dawn, Our 2022 Artist-in-Residence
BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Water Dance", by Thomas Locker.
Arts & culture
The Arts are an expression of culture and culture reflects people.
EMERGE Theatre
Our theatre program exposes underserved audiences to transformative, educational, and inspirational theatre. We stage stories and live performances that raise awareness and provide opportunities for youth and adults to learn techniques in playwriting, acting, directing, and theatrical design.
The PIZZAZZ Dance Troupe
PIZZAZZ Dance Troupe, founded in 1990, is our non-competitive, performance-based dance education program is for girls ages 3-18. PIZZAZZ uses multi-genre dance as a catalyst to promote self-love and empowerment, creative expression, social-emotional development, conflict resolution, cultural appreciation, social justice, character-building, critical thinking, and growth mindset. Parents and the community can follow PIZZAZZ activity on Facebook.
Literary Festival
Our celebration of literary arts and oral lore takes place the first Saturday in February. The festival features local writers/ authors and historians/ storytellers through a community book fair and formal programming. In addition, young writers from the Southwest Mississippi region are encouraged to submit creative pieces (prose, fiction, plays, essays, or poetry) so that they can receive mentorship and public readings during our festival.
Artist Residencies & Enrichment
We collaborate with cultural workers, creative professionals, actors, directors, designers, choreographers, and hybrid artists who are passionate about doing meaningful work in Mississippi. Artists may be invited or may apply when applications are available. SMMEIIS also sends teaching artists out into the community to provide arts enrichment to school districts, organizations, civic and church groups, and educational entities.
- meet the executive-artistic director
Clinnesha D. Sibley, a native of McComb, Mississippi, is an award-winning writer, published author, community advocate, and educator. She has taught Playwriting and African-American theatre courses for the University of Arkansas and College of Charleston. After teaching at the university level for seven years as an Assistant Professor, she moved into secondary education.
A writer of plays, blogs, poetry, prose, essays and creative non-fiction, Clinnesha’s work has been featured in countless literary journals. She received the Holland New Voices Award, the Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship, Mississippi Theatre Association Adult Playwriting Award, A.I.M. Award for Creative Writing, a 2021 Vance Fellowship from the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year at Mississippi School of the Arts, 2022 STAR Student-Teacher Achievement Recognition Program, and Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars.
Clinnesha’s writing, often influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, contributes authentic narratives about Mississippians, southerners, and Black women to the contemporary literary canon. Her plays have been recognized by many reputable companies and organizations including Penumbra Theatre, Athena Project, Blackboard Reading Series, New Circle Theatre, The Union For Contemporary Art, and Destination Freedom Black Radio Days.
She has contributed to Howlround Theatre Commons (“How to Survive Predominantly White Academic Theatre…”), Black Acting Methods Critical Approaches (“Remembering, Rewriting, and Reimagining: Afrocentric Approaches to Directing New Work for the Stage”), and 2020: The Year that Changed American Anthology (“I Am Speaking”: Why Black and Brown Voices Matter”).
Clinnesha was selected as one of twenty-four change-makers across the United States for the 2017-2018 National Arts Strategies Creative Communities Fellow Program. This program was her springboard into the non-profit sector and social entrepreneurship, which grounded her in the role of Executive-Artistic Director for the Southwest Mississippi Multiplex for Early Innovative Intervention Studies. In addition, she currently serves as the Fine Arts Coordinator for the McComb School District where she is a major player on the arts-in-education scene.
Clinnesha is married to her high school sweetheart, Keith Sibley, and they have three children: Kaylee, Karlee, and Keith Jr.
key partners
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connect with us
Have a seat at our table. Ask about our vision. Ask about our goals. Ask about our core values. Ask about collaboration. Or just say hello.
1312 C Harrison Ave.
McComb, MS 39648Mon-Fri 8:00 am - 5:00 pm601-600-8345
© 2024