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Delta Blues Press Release

October 24, 2023

Delta Blues Museum Receives FY24 MAC Mini Grant

Clarksdale, Mississippi

Grant awarded to support ongoing professional development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Clarksdale, Mississippi - October 24, 2023] - Thanks to a generous Mini Grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), Delta Blues Museum staff will be afforded professional development opportunities in order to better serve Museum visitors. MAC's annual grant funds come from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mississippi State Legislature.

Director Shelley Ritter said these funds will allow Museum staff to attend a regional Museum Store Association conference, adding, "Promoting education is a key component in the strategic plan of the Delta Blues Museum, and this grant supports professional development for our Museum Store Manager, April Shaw. April's participation in this conference is key to helping her hone existing marketing skills and learn new ones, as well as fostering relationships with other store managers and vendors. These face-to-face networking opportunities foster new ideas and strategies which carry over into better retail operations."

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 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 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.

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Museum Contact information

Click here for directions
#1 Blues Alley Lane
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: 662-627-6820
Email: info@deltabluesmuseum.org