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MAC Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

Folk Arts Infrastructure Grant will be used to

Develop Mississippi Blues Trail Curriculum

DATE:        July 25, 2011 

CONTACT:    Susan Dobbs, Public Relations Director

601/359-6031, sdobbs@arts.state.ms.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Jackson, Miss. - The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) was granted a $20,000 Folk Arts Infrastructure Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the development of a Mississippi Blues Trail Curriculum Resource Packet.  

The Mississippi Blues Trail Curriculum Resource Packet will assist teachers in integrating the new statewide initiative into the classroom. The curriculum will facilitate 4th grade students in understanding how blues music developed and continues to impact contemporary culture and can be used to examine topics including geography, history, and social studies in the five geographic regions into which the Blues Trail is divided (Delta, Hills, Pines, River/Capital, Coast) and beyond. More specifically, these lessons can be used to examine particular musicians and institutions, such as radio, record companies, or musical venues. 

“As our state joins the nation in the journey down a new economic path we call Cultural Heritage Tourism, it is imperative that we share our state’s rich cultural history with the world, on the local level, and in classrooms across Mississippi,” stated Malcolm White, Executive Director of MAC.  “This curriculum guide will establish a sense of place within our communities, a civic pride in our citizenry, and provide a much needed resource for educators.”    

Established in 2006, the Mississippi Blues Trail is an important new development in Mississippi’s efforts to develop cultural tourism, but it’s also a visual, historical, geographical and cultural exploration of the people, places and traditions in the state. The blues were likely born in the Delta, but the Mississippi Blues Trail covers the tradition throughout the state. The trail has stimulated increased awareness of blues culture in both the rural and urban parts of Mississippi.  For more information about the Blues Trail, visit www.msbluestrail.org.  

While the trail has been a highly successful tourism initiative, engaging younger generations with Mississippi’s blues heritage has remained underdeveloped.  In July 2010, Mary Margaret Miller, Heritage Director at MAC, and Scott Barretta, historian for the Blues Trail, partnered to create a “Teacher’s Guide to the Mississippi Blues Trail.” The curriculum was designed to meet the benchmarks of 4th and 10th grade Mississippi History framework but also allows flexibility for teachers of other grade levels and subject areas.  This curriculum provides a way to explore the untold history of Mississippi; a legacy of mostly African-American musicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs that is not found in text books.   

"Providing teachers with lesson plans that integrate the art of blues music with the newly revised Mississippi Social Studies Framework culture strand will bring our state's arts and culture alive in the classroom,” stated Limeul Eubanks, Education Specialist Senior, Visual and Performing Arts, Mississippi Department of Education. 

Public awareness about the resource packet will be created through natural partnerships with the Mississippi Development Authority/Tourism Division the Whole Schools Institute, Mississippi Department of Education, Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University, The Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, The Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi, Delta Blues Museum and B.B. King Blues Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.  We will also increase awareness by linking to traditional arts related blogs within the state, such Highway 61 Radio.  For more information about the grant and the resource packet, contact Mary Margaret Miller at mmiller@arts.state.ms.us.  

The Mississippi Arts Commission is a state agency funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Riley Foundation, The Phil Hardin Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, the Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and other private sources. MAC is the official grants-making and service agency for the arts in Mississippi. The agency serves as an active supporter and promoter of arts in community life and in arts education.  

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