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The Mississippi Delta has influenced popular music and culture
with its unique American musical art form known as the Blues.
And since its creation a quarter of a century ago, the Delta
Blues Museum has strived to preserve, interpret, and encourage
a deep interest in the story of the musical style known as the
blues and those who shape, play and preserve it. A public and
private funded institution, the museum enriches the lives and
broadens the perspectives of its local, national, and international
visitors.
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 this unique American musical art form known
as the blues.
Established in 1979 by the Carnegie Public Library Board of
Trustees, and made a stand-alone museum in 1999, the Delta Blues
Museum is the state’s oldest music museum. A five-member
board appointed by the Mayor and Board of Commissioners of Clarksdale
governs the museum. Funded annually by the City of Clarksdale,
its gift shop revenue, granting agencies, and donations, the
museum uses public and private funds to carry out its mission.
As a public educational
institution the museum’s vision is to:
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Encourage a deep interest
in the story of the musical style known as the blues and
those who shape, play and preserve
it
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Establish a clear and
a comprehensive understanding
of the relationship between the blues and other forms of
American
music
-
Provide relevant, creative
educational programs, performances,
exhibits and visitor experiences
-
Create a museum environment
where ideas are shared
with objectivity and respect for our diverse audiences
The Delta Blues Museum
values:
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The preservation of our music community’s
unique cultural resources a
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Spirit of cooperation,
trust and open communications between ourselves, our visitors
and those who continue to preserve
the blues traditions
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The highest professional
standards and institutional integrity in all organizational
endeavors
The goal of the Delta Blues Museum is to create a working
partnership between the museum and local schools and businesses
to support, through planning, programs and teacher education,
an integration of education about blues music at all grade levels
in the classroom curriculum. While this goal is a stand-alone
issue, we continue to reinforce this service through all of
our endeavors.
Board support and involvement is essential to the future
success of the Delta Blues Museum. In keeping with this goal,
the board has committed itself to advancing the museum and establishing
the institution as a recognized professional entity in the community.
We will strive to:
-
Offer in-house board training
throughout the year. The museum has scheduled a training
session for Spring 2006.
-
Establish a national advisory
committee (Spring 2006)
-
Attend professional museum
meetings and workshops at the state, regional, and national
levels. (i.e. Mississippi
Museum Association,
Southeastern Museums Conference, American Association of
Museums, Music Museum Alliance, Mississippi Center
for Non-Profits)
-
Expand the Delta Blues
Foundation Board
-
Provide financial support
through annual giving, solicitation of corporate support,
and partnerships. (ongoing)
Use the blues to
support the development of the Clarksdale community. Music
is a non-threatening way to address social issues by bringing
people of different backgrounds together. More socialization
among different groups leads to a better understanding of
each other and ultimately, a better quality of life.
We will strive to:
-
Expand our arts and education
program through community partnerships including symposiums
and concerts of blues and
related music (i.e. Bikes
and Blues April 2006)
-
Recruit non-arts community
organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Levee Board,
and Delta Regional Authority
for blues based projects
-
Create partnerships with
community nonprofits including the local chapter of the
NAACP
-
Create committees to assist and advise the staff and
board on various aspects of the museum ’s
operations
·
Update our publications
and Web site to promote blues music and culture
We will strive to:
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Establish a newsletter
for distribution to members putting out six issues this
year (2006).
-
Improve and make more
user-friendly the current Website, including linking to
other music related institutions (i.e.
Experience
Music Project, Seattle, WA; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
Cleveland, OH; International Bluegrass Music Museum, Owensboro,
KY; Jazz Hall of Fame,
Kansas City, MO)
-
Develop an exhibits guide
to the new exhibits planned to open in Spring 2007.
-
Expand our efforts as
a research facility to scholars interested in blues music
and culture.
Strengthen education in and about the history and culture
of the blues. Education is an essential component of the Delta
Blues Museum ’s mission.
We will strive to:
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Recruit more schools to
visit the museum through presentations, a traveling trunk
program, and email (ongoing)
-
Develop an educational
packet for teachers and home schools to be used in pre and
post visits to the museum (2004-2005)
-
Work with local schools
and businesses to develop exhibits, programs, and workshops
that allow educators to integrate
blues into the school
curriculum (ongoing)
-
Strengthen the museum’s
partnerships with the private sector to search for ways
to promote blues education
(ongoing)
-
Establish a national advisory
board
Increase knowledge of and pride in the unique American
art form known as the Blues. Traditionally, blues artists have
learned their skills from within their community. The Delta
Blues Museum’s Arts and Education program is devoted to
keeping this tradition alive. Although many local artists have
brought Mississippi and Clarksdale national and international
attention, the artists and their music is not always appreciated
in within Clarksdale and the State of Mississippi. The Delta
Blues Museum seeks to broaden awareness and support of the Blues
and the artists through public education with exhibits, performances,
and programming.
We will strive to:
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Encourage local support
of the Blues - publicly document, interpret, honor and celebrate
blues artists and their music
-
Provide opportunities
for blues artists to present and perform their art
Sustain the Museum’s effectiveness
The museum must be effectively managed in order to carry out
the strategic plan. In addition to the dedicated tax millage,
the museum will seek additional funding from state and federal
agencies, foundations and fundraising efforts.
We will strive to:
-
Disseminate information about the museum’s
activities and programs via its Website, brochures and the
creation of
a newsletter
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Enable staff to participate
in one professional development program annually
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Maintain membership in
state, national and regional museum organizations
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Administer and monitor
implementation of the strategic plan and report on progress
to the DBM Board of Trustees
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Continually evaluate the effectiveness of the Delta
Blues Museum ’s
programs and exhibits
-
Create a national advisory
board made up of artists, scholars, and representatives
from the music industry
Professional Standards
The Museum will professionally document its holdings including
future acquisitions. We will develop new in-house exhibits and
traveling exhibits. We will engage professionally prepared traveling
exhibits that will provide fresh educational experiences for
our audiences.
To ensure freshness in the museum, we have engaged a nationally
recognized museum planning firm to assist in the conceptualization
and implementation of new interpretive exhibits. We plan to
have these exhibits in place by Spring 2007.
We are currently establishing criteria for future staffing,
exhibitions, and collections management. The board recently
approved the new mission, vision, and value statements. During
2004, the museum will develop a new facilities report and a
new collections policy with forms including acquisition, loan,
deed of gift, and deaccession.
We will strive to:
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