Mission

Briarwood Arts Center curates and facilitates free educational arts enrichment programs and creates spaces for community members to explore their artistic curiosity. Our cost-free model empowers the next generation of Mississippi artists to create without barriers. We fulfill this purpose through our curriculum and family-oriented capacity building experiences. 

Vision

Briarwood Arts Center will serve as the epicenter of an complex ecosystem that boasts community resources in the sectors of health, education, entertainment, retail, and food in Jackson, MS. This facility will play a significant role in community development, economic mobility, social advocacy, arts, & culture. 

Origin Story

Our founder, Stephen “5th Child” Brown has lived in the Briarwood neighborhood since July 2017. While the building had been vacant at least 10 years, it was previously the home to Abortion Action of Jackson and then Future Starz Learning Center. During the pandemic, the facility became an encampment site for unhoused individuals as shopping carts, used syringes, and garbage was scattered throughout the parking lot. A property holding company next door called Alpha Investments purchased the building to keep the grass cut and maintain the sense of pride, dignity, and security of the neighborhood.

In July of 2022, while doing a routine neighborhood cleanup, Brown noticed a “For Lease” sign in front of the building and he called to make a general inquiry about the property. At the initial walkthrough, the interior was littered with insulation, old refrigerators, fallen ceiling tiles, rust, and mold. “But as I walked through the space, I could see the potential and my mind began swarming with ideas for each room,” says Brown. 

On September 2nd, after some much needed renovations and deep cleaning, Brown was handed the keys and Briarwood Arts Center was born. The center and its programming have grown from one or two programs per week to nine to ten programs with multiple rooms being utilized simultaneously and creatives of various disciplines networking and collaborating daily.