(Photo from The MAX)
- It’s not a traditional museum. It’s not quiet or sterile. It’s alive. It laughs. It sings. It pulls you in like a good conversation on the front porch.
Tucked into downtown Meridian, THE MAX—short for the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience—opened back in 2018, though the spirit behind it has been around much longer than that.
Mississippi has always been a place where stories are born, music grows in church pews and front porches, and writers and artists pull something extraordinary out of the ordinary. THE MAX was built to celebrate that legacy. With more than 58,000 square feet of gallery space, exhibits, and interactive experiences, it honors the Mississippians who have shaped American culture in ways that most people may not realize—people like Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Eudora Welty, and Oprah Winfrey. But it’s not just about looking back. THE MAX is just as much about what’s still being created here every day.
More than 250,000 visitors have walked through its glassy front doors during its banner year, and thousands of people each year come from across the state and far beyond to see what Mississippi is made of—and not just the place, but the people.
It’s not a traditional museum. It’s not quiet or sterile. It’s alive. It laughs. It sings. It pulls you in like a good conversation on the front porch. The Hall of Fame is the first stop, and it lands like a hymn. You walk into a circular space surrounded by names and faces you know: B.B. King, Oprah Winfrey, Elvis Presley, Eudora Welty, Jim Henson. But somehow, in this space, they don’t feel unreachable. They feel like family or friends. Like someone your mama used to babysit or a cousin who made it big and still comes home for the holidays.
I stood looking at B.B. King’s guitar, Lucille, gleaming under the lights, and thought of all the nights his music drifted through our house or vehicle. I thought about my son, humming along to Old Soul without even knowing where it came from when he was younger. That’s the beauty of THE MAX—it doesn’t just preserve culture; it also fosters it. It reconnects you to it.
Upstairs, the exhibits become more interactive and immersive. There’s a sound booth where you can record your own blues verse, a stage design touchscreen, and desks that invite you to write a line or two yourself. As a writer, this excited me! And as an educator, it gave me hope. Creativity isn’t just celebrated here—it’s nurtured and encouraged.
One of the most powerful sections of the museum is the recurring exhibits, which explore how family, education, faith, and community give Mississippi’s artists both grounding and lift. You walk through and realize that brilliance doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from being shaped by challenge and rising through it.
And yes, THE MAX tells the whole story. It doesn’t shy away from our past. It leans into it with honesty and reverence for how far we’ve come. There’s a section devoted to Mississippi’s role in the civil rights movement. And it’s not heavy in a way that burdens—it’s heavy in a way that strengthens. That invites understanding. That reminds us that art, like justice, is something we build together over time.
I have stood in front of these exhibits and observed others as well. I’ve watched them go quiet, then curious, then inspired. It matters—deeply—that places like this exist.
Before I left, I spent time in the music gallery, headphones on, letting the sound wash over me. Gospel, blues, country, soul, and hip-hop—all of it was born right here in Mississippi. Each track felt like a heartbeat. A reminder that even in hardship, we’ve always found ways to sing.
When I stepped back outside, the train was passing through downtown—long and slow, the whistle stretching over the rooftops. I had the opportunity to pause, and I couldn’t help but think about how much Mississippi has given the world and how much it continues to give.
We’re not a perfect place. But we’re a creative one. A resilient one. And THE MAX reminds us that our stories—messy, beautiful, bold—are worth telling and retelling. That’s precisely the kind of Mississippi I’m proud to share. Spending a day at THE MAX is a day well spent.
Meredith Biesinger
