It would be quite hard to find someone who has contributed more to the Hattiesburg area’s arts and culture scene more than Rebekah Stark Johnson, who has spent the last few decades bringing awareness to and growing that endeavor.
So it seems only fitting that Hattiesburg City Council members recently approved renaming the Hattiesburg Community Arts Center at 824 Main Street in downtown Hattiesburg in honor of Johnson, who formerly served as executive director of the Hattiesburg Arts Council. With that measure, which was approved at the June 18 council meeting, the facility – which is located in the former Hattiesburg American building – will henceforth be known as the Rebekah Stark Johnson Community Arts Center.
“I’m quite overwhelmed and I feel honored, but also, all I want to do is tell everyone who had a part in all of this – the board members, the city council, the community, the architect Sarah Newton – I just want to thank them,” Johnson said. “They all should have their name on this building.
“Really, I feel like it’s all of Hattiesburg, and I’m just so happy that this incredible experience is happening for the whole community. I feel like there are so many people who are equally commendable in this work, and I’m just so thankful for all of them putting their time and energy into this.”
Johnson started with the Hattiesburg Arts Council in 2013 and served as its executive director until 2021. At that point, she retired from the position and passed it on to current director Alejandro Wooten, who had previously served as assistant director.
“Rebekah Stark Johnson is a renowned musician and an accomplished leader in the arts,” Wooten said. “The decision to allow a city community arts center to be named after a local living visionary such as Rebekah will no doubt inspire the next generation of artists from all disciplines.
“(That includes) arts administrators and educators, arts patrons and the public in general.”
Johnson said one of her favorite aspects during her time as director of the arts council was highlighting and spotlighting new artists. In that vein, she coordinated a program for local pianist and entertainer Brian Doty Blair, who – among other measures – entertained at the Purple Parrot Café and the Hattiesburg Country Club, directed theatrical productions at the University of Southern Mississippi, and directed and produced the Miss Hattiesburg pageant.
Blair died October 16, 2014, following a lengthy illness.
“We did a huge show for him that just brought so many people – it was standing room only, to show our respect for him,” Johnson said. “We did another program for Edward Blake, who was a landscape architect here, and we went to the Picayune Arboretum and looked at his work that he did there.
“I really enjoyed focusing on the people who are making things happen here in the arts. That to me was the greatest thing ever, because somebody did that for me in my youth. So even having this building named after me is overwhelming to think that I made a difference, but I think all of us who are creative people make a difference.”
The community arts building, which was vacated in the summer of 2014 when Hattiesburg American staff moved to a new location on Mamie Street, was purchased by Hattiesburg physician Dr. David McKellar. McKellar then donated the facility to the city of Hattiesburg to use as a community arts center under the direction of the Hattiesburg Arts Council.
In turn, the Community Arts Center was established in 2019 to serve as a hub for local artists. The 36,000-square-foot facility offers a wide range or programming and includes space for classes, concerts, theatrical productions, rehearsals, summer camps, after school activities and arts-related businesses.
“There were a lot of things we did over several years to complete this transaction, from the donor, to the city to the council,” Johnson said. “The best part of it all is that the city believed in the vision, and I think more and more that mayors are working together and communicating on how the arts are the vibrant heartbeat for every city.
“The more you invest in your creativity and entrepreneurs, the more active and useful it is, and also you get to try to keep the young people who are graduating. It entices them to want to stay here, because they see that we’re investing in the unique, creative spirit. And that’s what young people are excited about.”
A formal dedication for the building will be scheduled for later this year.
“The community arts center would not exist without the vision, persistence and leadership of Rebekah Johnson,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “It is a testament to passionate, hard-working people making big things happen for future generations of Hattiesburgers.”
