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The Delta Center Newsletter
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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
With the holiday season upon us,
The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at
Delta State University dedicates this newsletter to friends, collaborators, and stakeholders who continue to help us fulfill our mission: promoting greater understanding of the Mississippi Delta's culture and history and its significance to the world through education, partnerships, and community engagement.
We thank the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation, GRAMMY Museum Mississippi, Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, Cedric Burnside, Dr. David Evans, Delta Hands for Hope, Rosedale Freedom Project, Delta State University faculty, staff, students, guests, and others for continued involvement in the
International Delta Blues Project. Our Third
International Conference on the Blues was a great success with over 400 attendees, followed by
a "sold out" Blues Leadership Incubator public screening of the film "Take Me To the River" at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.
Last but not least, we thank you, our readers, who continue to spread the word about the good work that is happening here at The Delta Center. Happy reading . . . and Happy Holidays!
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Rolando Herts, Ph.D.
Director, The Delta Center for Culture and Learning
Delta State University, Cleveland, MS |
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Third International Conference on the Blues hosted at Delta State
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This year, the Third International Conference on the Blues engaged over 400 Blues scholars, historians and fans to experience a keynote address from Memphis-based GRAMMY Award-winner Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi; performances from GRAMMY nominee and four-time Blues Music Award winner Cedric Burnside; a lecture from GRAMMY winner and internationally renowned ethnomusicologist Dr. David Evans; and presentations from Blues researchers and educators from around the world.
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The Delta Center and GRAMMY Museum Mississippi recently presented a free, public screening of the critically acclaimed film
"Take Me to the River," followed by live performances from The Hi Rhythm section, Stax Music Academy Alumni Band, William Bell, Frayser Boy, Al Kapone, and GRAMMY winner Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell.
This
Blues Leadership Incubator
event engaged nearly 150 youth and local residents, making it GRAMMY Museum Mississippi's first "sold out" event since it opened in March of this year.
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"One of the foremost challenges for the blues today concerns how to make the music relevant for young people. This is of particular concern in the Mississippi Delta, where the blues is both our cultural heritage and a driver of the economy. Pursuing awareness of these issues and developing effective strategies is a central goal of the International Delta Blues Project's Blues Leadership Incubator program, which is housed in The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University. This series of free public workshops, lectures, and events inspire Mississippi Delta residents, particularly youth, to consider how Blues tourism, arts, culture, and creativity can lead to economic opportunity."
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Study the culture of the Blues and the Mississippi Delta from anywhere in the world!
Enroll in the International Blues Scholars Program for summer 2017.
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Congratulations to Elizabeth Ogle and Cody Kee, the first students to complete the
Blues Studies minor at Delta State University!
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At the invitation of the Mississippi Humanities Council, The Delta Center hosted National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman William "Bro" Adams during his recent visit to the Mississippi Delta region. Chairman Adams' visit included tours of Dockery Farms, the historic black town of Mound Bayou, Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Park in Ruleville, and lunch at The Senator's Place in Cleveland.
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The Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area Board of Directors has approved the awarding of up to $200,000 in grants in FY2017 for local projects that further the strategic goals and themes of the Heritage Area.
Grants will be awarded in late May or early June for project activities taking place between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018. Applications will be due in the MDNHA office in late March.
We will be hosting a series of workshops at the end of January. We are still working out locations and times, but we will be offering sessions in Upper, Mid, and Lower Delta sites.
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SPECIAL THANKS
TO OUR GRAD ASSISTANTS AND ROBERTSON SCHOLARS
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The Delta Center extends a BIG THANK YOU to Lydia Haley and Stephanie Green two talented and dedicated graduate assistants who completed their academic programs at Delta State this past summer and to our 2016 Robertson Scholars Trey Walk and Kyra Exterovich-Rubin from Duke and UNC Chapel Hill who helped to make our NEH "Most Southern" workshop a phenomenal success this year!
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The Delta Center team with
Lydia Haley and Stephanie Green (front left and right)
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Trey Walk and Kyra Exterovich-Rubin pose with
Delta State University President William Laforge.
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Curious about where to go in the Delta?
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Look Who Visited The Delta Center
MDNHA Passport Collectors
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Seasons Greetings from our annual luncheon honoring our wonderful Facilities Management colleagues at Delta State!
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In Memoriam:
Jerry Hafter, MDNHA Board Attorney
Jo Cile Hafter accepts a plaque from the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area in honor of her husband Jerry Hafter's contributions to the MDNHA. She is pictured here with Dr. Rolando Herts, Dr. Myrtis Tabb, and Spencer Nash. |
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The Delta Center for Culture and Learning |
662-846-4311 | website
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