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Delta Blues
Press Release
May 24, 2017
DELTA BLUES MUSEUM
TO PARTICIPATE IN BLUE STAR MUSEUMS
CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi's first music museum is one of more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer, in collaboration with
the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and the Department of Defense
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| [Clarksdale,
Mississippi - May 25, 2017] - Today, Delta
Blues Museum announces its participation as a Blue
Star Museum, a collaboration among the National Endowment
for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of
Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America
to offer free admission to the nation's active duty
military personnel and their families from Memorial
Day through Labor Day. The program provides
families an opportunity to enjoy the nation's cultural
heritage and learn more about their community, especially
after a military move. A list of participating museums
is available at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.
Museum director Shelley Ritter says the program
holds special meaning, stating, "Delta Blues Museum
has participated in this important initiative from
its inception in 2010. Many blues musicians served
our country and during their service shared their
music with the world. We honor these musicians like
Honeyboy Edwards, Josh 'Razorblade' Stewart and others
in our gallery and are honored to give complimentary
access to our active duty military personnel and their
families this summer. We are grateful for their service."
"The Blue Star Museums program is a great opportunity for the NEA to team up with local museums in every state in the nation to support our service members and their families," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "It means a lot to offer these families access to high-quality, budget-friendly opportunities to spend time together." Museums are welcome to join Blue Star Museums throughout the summer.
"Whether they want to blast off at a science museum, take a walk through nature, or encounter animals at the aquarium, Blue Star Museums will help service members and their families create memories this summer," said Blue Star Families Chief Executive Officer Kathy Roth-Douquet. "This fantastic collaboration with the NEA brings our local military and civilian communities together, and offers families fun and enriching activities in their home towns. We are thrilled with the continued growth of the program and the unparalleled opportunities it offers."
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About Blue Star Museums
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration
among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families,
the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across
America. The program runs from Memorial Day, May
29, 2017 through Labor Day, September 4, 2017.
The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members. Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the
NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and
support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in
the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their
creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts
agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the
philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms
and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage,
and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts
in every community across America. Visit arts.gov
to learn more about NEA.
About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families is a national, nonprofit network of military spouses, children, parents and friends, as well as service members, veterans and civilians, dedicated to supporting, connecting, and empowering military families. With our partners, Blue Star Families leverages data-driven insights to curate resources for military families, including career development tools, local community events for families, and caregiver support. Each summer since 2010, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and served more than 4 million military family members. Blue Star Families also works directly with the Department of Defense and senior members of local, State and Federal government to bring the most important military family issues to light. Visit bluestarfam.org for more information.
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 first music museum and the nation's first
museum dedicated to the American art form known as the Blues.
A 2013 recipient of the IMLS National Medal for
Museum and Library Services - the nation's highest honor
for museum and library service to the community - as well
as a 2014 winner of the National Arts & Humanities Youth
Program Award, 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, the Blues, as a Great
River Road Interpretive Center.
The "Delta Blues Foundation" is
a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that supports
the work of Delta Blues Museum. All funds solicited through
the Delta Blues Foundation are raised to benefit the Delta
Blues Museum. On-line tax deductible contributions to the
Delta Blues Foundation include the Deeper Roots program
and the General Fund (a monetarily unrestricted contribution
made to the foundation in support of the museum). Memberships
and the Buy a Brick program are funded directly to the Delta
Blues Museum and are not considered tax deductible.
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
in the PRESS
ROOM on the Museum's website to access
further information, downloadable images and related 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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