One gallery at GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is set to expand after receiving a Building Funds for the Arts (BFA) grant of $131,442 from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC).
The museum will use the funds for several repairs, renovations, expansion, and construction at the gallery, which focuses on the role the state has played in the creation of popular music. The Mississippi legislature approved $3 million to be allocated for the BFA program in 2023.
“After opening our doors in Cleveland more than six years ago, we are looking forward to expanding our exhibit space that’s dedicated to telling the story of Mississippi’s music history, and the contributions of Mississippi artists to American music,” said Emily Havens, Executive Director of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi. “These critical funds will help us continue to share the incredible role the Delta has played in the creation of the music we all love.”
The gallery currently includes interactive exhibits such as the Mississippi Music Bar, which features songs from the 1920s up to recent hits by artists such as Kingfish, as well as the Mississippi Music Table, which allows visitors to trace the careers and influences of individual Mississippi-born artists.
Featured in the gallery are artists such as Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Jimmie Rodgers, Muddy Waters, Memphis Minnie, Robert Johnson, Tammy Wynette, Mose Allison, Charley Pride, and Leontyne Price.
The museum’s expansion of the gallery will include a Mississippi Music Timeline exhibit, which will highlight the role Mississippi musicians have played in shaping the American music tradition throughout history, as well as the installation of new casework for artifacts donated and loaned by Mississippi artists.
Other additions will provide a more in-depth backdrop for education programming to allow visitors to see historic objects from those Mississippians who contributed to and continue to shape popular music.
“We see a great need for this type of financial support within our art community,” said Marie Sanderson, board chair of MAC. “We are hopeful that the Mississippi legislature will support more funding for the Building Fund for the Arts in the future.”
