Delta Blues Museum is announcing the creation of new virtual tours made possible through funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Rapid Response grant program.
MAC Rapid Response grants were created to support small-scale arts activities in Mississippi communities and to adapt artistic focused work in an online setting. These funds are part of an expanded version of MAC’s Minigrants program, designed to quickly assist with the urgent needs of art organizations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new virtual tours–created by Mississippi filmmaker Coop Cooper–feature Clarksdale musicians Lee Williams, Terry “Big T” Williams, and James “Super Chikan” Johnson as personal tour guides for visitors, allowing viewers to experience Museum exhibits while learning more about the Blues artists that influenced these local musicians personally and shaped their professional careers.
Museum Director Shelley Ritter says these virtual tours were created in response to requests from many supporters who expressed an interest in visiting the Museum safely by visiting virtually, adding, “We are grateful to MAC for supporting this project which not only supports our local artists but also helps the Museum expand our storytelling.”
“Taking a tour with these musicians and learning about those from whom they learned demonstrates the incredible power of the Blues and its perpetuity. We enjoyed working with filmmaker Coop Cooper to create these tours and hope our fans and supporters will, too.”
This project 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. Delta Blues Museum’s new virtual tours are free to the public and accessible online via the Museum’s website at https://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/field-trip-tour.aspx.
