Mississippi’s oldest music museum and the world’s first museum dedicated to the art form known as "the blues," the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, with events and programming beginning this month and extending throughout 2019.
On Wednesday, Jan. 30, the public is invited to a special anniversary party at the museum, complete with complimentary cake and refreshments, as well as live music from the award-winning Delta Blues Museum student band and musical guests from around the Delta.
Performances will begin at 5 p.m. and feature the Leflore County High School Choir, Ruleville Central High School Choir, Coahoma Community College Choir, Merritt Junior High School Marching Band and the Madison Palmer High School Marching Band.
Museum Director Shelley Ritter says the museum looks to reach an even wider audience worldwide in its anniversary year with the premiere of “40 Years of the Delta Blues Museum,” a film retrospective directed by Mississippi filmmaker Coop Cooper.
The film will focus on the history of the museum -- from the initial vision of Sid Graves, director of the Clarksdale Carnegie Public Library, to how it has grown into a cultural touchtone for the community and has become one of the most impressive and significant tourist destinations in the state.
The film will also focus on what the museum has done for the local community, both economically and culturally. Museum patrons can look forward to a sneak-preview screening to be held later this spring.
In addition, installation of the museum’s first phase of long-awaited new exhibits has begun.
Created by Louisville, Ky.-based Solid Light, Inc., the new exhibits explore Clarksdale’s New World District, juke joints, Alan Lomax’s first recording of Muddy Waters, early blues radio programs and the last great migration of Delta artists northward -- and how all those factors impacted the music the world continues to enjoy today.
Ritter expects the installation process to wrap up in the coming months, with a special unveiling event to follow later this year.
“Last year, we received visitors from nearly every state in the U.S. and from 34 countries around the world,” Ritter said in a press release issued by the organization. “With our new exhibits and new media, we hope to attract even more blues fans in our 40th year, to continue our mission to share the history and heritage of this important American art form with generations to come.”
