Delta Blues Press Release

July 08, 2022

Delta Blues Museum Receives $25,800 MAC Grant

Clarksdale, Mississippi

Two-year grant awarded to help offset operating expenses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Clarksdale, Mississippi - July 08, 2022] - Delta Blues Museum has been awarded a $25,800 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC). This grant is a portion of the more than $1.4 million in grants MAC awarded in Fiscal Year 2022 and will be used to support Museum operations over the course of the two-year grant period. The grants are made possible by continued funding from the Mississippi State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

"The state's arts community has displayed such resiliency during tumultuous times, and we are very pleased to provide support to these worthy organizations," said Sarah Story, executive director of MAC. "These funds will help organizations recover from the past year and build upon their successes for future arts-based programming. M AC awards annual grants to organizations in nearly every area of the state, helping broaden the reach of arts to serve the state's diverse population."

Director Shelley Ritter views this funding as vital to the Museum's mission, stating, "Operational support is crucial as we continue to rebuild our in-person audience while striving to maintain our virtual one. These funds will help us serve both audiences. We are grateful to the Mississippi Arts Commission for this grant and the important work they do for the arts in our state."

About the Mississippi Arts Commission
The Mississippi Arts Commission is a state agency serving more than two million people through grants and special initiatives that enhance communities, assist artists and arts organizations, promote arts education and celebrate Mississippi's cultural heritage. MAC is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation for Mississippi and other private sources. For more information, visit www.arts.ms.gov.

For information from the Mississippi Arts Commission, contact Anna Ehrgott, Communications Director, 601-359-6546 or aehrgott@arts.ms.gov.

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. 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 - and a 2014 recipient 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. The Museum is also recognized as a Great River Road Interpretive Center. 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.

This site is made possible through support from the Mississippi Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Rock River Foundation.