Desoto County News

DeSoto Arts Council celebrates 25th anniversary

The DeSoto Arts Council, a nonprofit organization, recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, and has a new website that lists classes and events.

The goal of the DeSoto Arts Council is to integrate art into people’s everyday lives and advance community support of the arts. The DeSoto Arts Council is dedicated to supporting local artists and nurturing a vibrant art community. 

Established with the vision of fostering creativity and cultivating a thriving arts sector, the council aims to promote and celebrate various art forms while advocating for the importance of artistic expression. Through exhibitions in the gallery, classes with local artists, and community events, they seek to inspire residents to appreciate and actively engage with the arts.

The DeSoto Arts Council exists on grants, memberships, fundraising, sponsors, and gift shop sales. The gift shop/art gallery is filled with local talent, staffed by volunteers, and admission is free. 

“Some of our volunteers that work here are the actual artists. So depending on what day you come in, you might get to—and that’s always been kind of a neat concept to me that  – hey, I actually met the person who created this,” said  DAC Director Kyli Collins.

The new website has streamlined the online experience so that classes can be purchased on the website. The DeSoto Arts Council is also active on social media.

“We actually have two Facebook pages, DeSoto Arts and DeSoto Art Council,” Collins said. “We post a lot of events and upcoming information and announcements through those.  And then also, we have an Instagram page which just is @DesotoArtsCouncil. Anytime that we’re open, you can come in here and ask questions. You can become a member directly here with a person and sign up that way if the Internet is not your thing. But feel free to call and talk to somebody here, and we’ll be willing to help you.”

The DeSoto Arts Council offers events, camps, classes, and so much more. The DAC is located one block north of the Square in Hernando at 2465 Hwy. 51 South. Call 662-404-33612 or go to www.desotoartscouncil.org for more information.