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Delta Blues
Press Release
January 31, 2014
CLARKSDALE, MS (January 31, 2014) -
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Historic
freight depot in downtown Clarksdale,
home of the Delta Blues Museum |
The Delta Blues Museum marks
its 35th year on January 31st, with celebrations continuing
throughout the year. Throughout the weekend, the
museum will offer cupcakes to visitors to mark the occasion.
New exhibits featuring artists Jessie Mae Hemphill, Sugar
Blue, North Mississippi Allstars and R.L. Burnside have recently
been added. The museum will also offer special 35th anniversary
exhibitions to be displayed during Juke Joint Festival (April
10-13) and the Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival (August
8-10).
Since its creation, the Delta Blues Museum has been dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and encouraging a deep
interest in the story of the blues. 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 the state's oldest music museum. Since 1999, the Delta Blues Museum has
been housed in the historic freight depot, located just across
from Ground Zero Blues Club in downtown Clarksdale. The museum's
expansion--The Muddy Waters Addition--was designed to complement
the depot structure, which was built in 1918 for the Yazoo
and Mississippi Valley Railroad. The museum building was designated
as a Landmark Property in 1996.
Director Shelley Ritter offers that
the museum has never strayed from its roots, its mission
remains focused on creating a welcoming place where visitors
find meaning and perspective by exploring the evolution
of the art form and the artists who created it. "The
power of this place and of the artists who came from it
is immeasurable," Ritter says. "Since its inception 35 years
ago, the Delta Blues Museum has continued to protect, preserve
and perpetuate this unique American music form to live and
grow with future generations of musicians."
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The Delta Blues
Museum today
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The
Muddy Waters Addition at Delta Blues Museum |
More
About the Delta Blues Museum
A 2013 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Services--the nation's highest honor for museum and library service to the community--the museum seeks $1.2 million for new and enhanced exhibits for its expansion, including the Muddy Waters Addition. Expanded exhibits will enable the cultural organization to better preserve and display the history and work of blues artists from the Mississippi Delta, and advance the Museum's ability to "tell" stories that inspire and educate future generations about this important American art form.
For online donations or for more information on events or programs, please call (662) 627-6820, or visit the Museum
web site at www.deltabluesmuseum.org.
Members of the press may register on the Museum website to access the PRESS
ROOM for further information, images and materials.
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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.
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