Delta Blues Press Release

March 14, 2024

Delta Blues Museum Awarded Building Funding for Facility Upgrades

Clarksdale, Mississippi

DELTA BLUES MUSEUM RECEIVES "BUILDING FUND FOR THE ARTS" GRANT
MAC funds to be used for facility repairs and upgrades

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Clarksdale, Mississippi - March 14, 2024] - Delta Blues Museum's freight depot facility will see some upgrades this year, thanks to a $120,000 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC).

Mississippi's first music museum was one of 34 arts organizations in 23 counties to receive a "Building Fund for the Arts" (BFA) grant for FY2024. The funding opportunity provided through the BFA grant supports the much-needed repair, renovation, expansion, or construction of Mississippi facilities that serve as sites for year-round arts programming in their communities. "The BFA program is an important part of enhancing and supporting the creative economy in Mississippi," said David Lewis, Executive Director of MAC. "The grants from this program reach well beyond the receiving organization - impacting and uplifting the deserving communities that these facilities will serve."

Museum Director Shelley Ritter says the upgrades will include updates to bathrooms, lighting and security as well as repairs to elevators and general maintenance, adding, "We are thrilled to receive MAC funds to do the work necessary to maintain our facility and preserve our building, which is a Mississippi Landmark Property. This funding is key to keeping our facility functioning and welcoming to our guests."

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 about the Mississippi Arts Commission, please contact Ellie Banks, Communications Director, 601-359-6546 or ebanks@arts.ms.gov.

About 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.