Delta Blues Press Release

State's oldest music museum recognized for "exceptional contributions" to community

For Immediate Release

CLARKSDALE, MS (April 23, 2013) - The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced the Delta Blues Museum as one of ten recipients of this year's National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation's highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community and celebrates institutions that make a difference for individuals, families, and communities. The National Medal will be presented to Museum Director Shelley Ritter at a celebration in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2013.

Medal finalists are selected from nationwide nominations of institutions that demonstrate innovative approaches to public service, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach. Read the full press release and Fact Sheet online-- "Not only is the Delta Blues Museum celebrating one of our country's most fundamental genres of music, but they're educating the next blues greats," said Susan Hildreth, director, Institute of Museum and Library Services. "This year's National Medal recipients demonstrate the many ways museums and libraries alike build strong communities."

National-Medal-Winner-2013

National-Medal-For-Museum-and-Library-Service.pdf

About the Delta Blues Museum

Established in 1979 by the Carnegie Public Library Board of Trustees and re-organized as a stand-alone museum in 1999, the Delta Blues Museum is Mississippi's oldest music museum. A 2013 recipient of the IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Services, the Delta Blues Museum is dedicated to creating a welcoming place where visitors find meaning, value and perspective by exploring the history and heritage of the unique American musical art form of the Blues. The Museum's current DEEPER ROOTS campaign seeks $1.2 million for new and enhanced exhibits for Phase II of its expansion--which includes the new Muddy Waters Addition--enabling the Museum to better preserve and display the history and work of Blues artists from the Mississippi Delta, and advancing the Museum's ability to "tell" stories that inspire and educate future generations about this important American art form. Find out more at https://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/deeperroots.asp.

Through its current DEEPER ROOTS campaign, donors will help fund new and expanded exhibits--some to be housed in the museum's new 7,300 sq. foot Muddy Waters Addition--that will utilize film, video and music. Listening stations and interactive kiosks will offer visitors a chance to hear the music created by these artists and follow its development from Africa to modern day. To find out more about DEEPER ROOTS online, visit www.deltabluesmuseum.org/deeperroots or contact the Museum Director for details.

For more information on events or programs, please call (662) 627-6820, or visit the Museum web site at www.deltabluesmuseum.org.

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Shelley Ritter, Director

This newsletter is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and,
in part, from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.