Andi Bedsworth of Oxford was awarded a $500 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission which will allow her to attend the International Quilt Festival in Houston.

The festival began on Thursday and runs through Sunday.

A local artist and educator in Oxford, Bedsworth teaches sewing and art classes to students of all ages. She has a degree in design and technology from LSU and Tulane University. Bedsworth moved to Oxford in 2004, where she began teaching at the University of Mississippi and Northwest Mississippi Community College. She has also taught other community arts education programs in the area.

Bedsworth currently owns her own company, Art To Go, which she founded in 2011.

“Mississippi boasts an embarrassment amount of riches when it comes to artistic talent in our state,” said Malcom White, executive director for MAC. “MAC is proud to support the artists selected to receive grant awards from MAC this year. These individuals should be commended for their commitment to artistic excellence as well as their ability to communicate complex thoughts and emotions through the arts.”

The grant awarded to Bedsworth is a portion of the nearly $1.4 million in grants the MAC awarded in 2019-2020. The commission is a state agency serving residents of the state by providing grants that support programs to enhance communities; assist artists and arts organizations; promote the arts in education and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. The MAC was established in 1968 and is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and other private sources.