Dr. Herts goes to Washington

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Dr. Rolando Herts met Mr. Robert Stanton during his visit to Washington, DC, for the Alliance of National Heritage Areas meeting.  Mr. Stanton is the first African American to be appointed Director of the National Park Service, serving 1997-2001 under the Clinton Administration. He is a friend of the MS Delta National Heritage Area and The Delta Center.

To learn more about his career and achievements, visit http://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/former-national-park-service-director-robert-g-stanton.

Afternoon in Charleston, MS

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We had a great visit Friday with Banu Valladares of SonEdna in Charleston about an upcoming project. SonEdna believes that people empowered through the literary arts discern, decide, and design with greater authority, clarity, understanding, and compassion. SonEdna celebrates established and emerging artists with programs including salon presentations, fellowships, writing workshops for young people, school presentations, writer round table discussions, peer critical review for emerging writers, residencies and retreats for established writers, literary showcases and dramatic staged readings of literary works. We also got a tour of CARE (Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort,) which is where this picture was taken. Great things are happening in Charleston, and we look forward to partnering with them.

Dr. Outlaw and Emmet Till

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Dr. Henry Outlaw, with the Delta Center for Culture and Learning, recently presented his research on the Emmett Till case to three ninth grade classes at Southaven Middle School in Southaven. Outlaw spoke on his research during the 50th anniversary of the Chicago youth’s death. The program was a part of the students' study of the Civil Rights Movement in their Mississippi History class. They also watched the PBS show "Eyes on the Prize."

In addition to aiding the students, Outlaw’s research also formed the basis of Delta State University’s traveling exhibit on the Emmett Till case.

The original Emmett Till exhibit was sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council and was developed from an oral history project Outlaw conducted that was also sponsored by the council.

With the popularity of the original exhibit, the traveling exhibit was developed by Delta State University Graphic Designer, Laura Walker and Delta State Archivist Emily Jones with editorial assistance from Outlaw. It has since travelled all over the United States and can be checked out on loan.http://www.deltastate.edu/academics/libraries/university-archives-museum/traveling-exhibit/exhibit-info/

The Delta Center serves as the managing entity of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area . If you are interested in knowing more about the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area visit http://www.msdeltaheritage.com/ or to find out more about the Delta Center, you can go to www.deltacenterforcultureandlearning.comor contact us at 662-846-4311.

2015 NEH Workshop to be offered

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Good News! The National Endowment for the Humanities, through its Landmarks in American History and Culture Program, will support two week-long workshops celebrating the heritage of the Mississippi Delta.  The Most Southern Place on Earth:  Music, Culture and History in the Mississippi Delta will explore the region’s impact on America’s music, foodways, civil rights, literary heritage, and political landscape.  Workshops will be offered to thirty seven participants each between June 21-17 and July 12-18, 2015.  They are open to K-12 teachers, including public, private, and home school, and librarians.  Five graduate credit hours may be earned.  This will be the sixth year of NEH support for this exciting workshop. Stipends of $1200 are available. Complete information and application materials are available from the Delta Center for Culture and Learning athttp://deltacenterforcultureandlearning.com/southern-place-workshop/   and additional information is provided by NEH athttp://www.neh.gov/projects/landmarks-schools.html. The Directors of the workshop are Dr. Luther Brown (lbrown@deltastate.edu and Lee Aylward (laylward@deltastate.edu.) A special participant will be Dr. Rolando Herts (rherts@deltastate.edu,) the new Director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning.

Meet our new director!

Meet the new Director of the Delta Center, Dr. Rolando Herts. We are excited to have Dr.Herts with us, and we look forward to great collaborations with all of you. Come see us and meet Dr. Herts!!!

Red-letter day!

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Thursday, August 21st, was a red-letter day in the life of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area! We celebrated with partners from throughout the Delta the acceptance of the MDNHA Management Plan, while also saying "goodbye" to our former director, Dr. Luther Brown and "hello" to our new director Dr. Rolando Herts!!! Thanks to everyone for a truly wonderful celebration!!

Harvard Law School learns Delta heritage

Harvard University School of Law recently visited the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University.

The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University recently provided an introduction of the Delta’s cultural heritage to a group of law students from Harvard University School of Law.

For the past five years, the Delta Center has worked with the program to make sure the participants have an understanding of the Delta’s history and culture. Lee Aylward from the Delta Center led the tour.

The students were in the Clarksdale area as part of a long-term internship program shared by Harvard and Mississippi State University.

Delta State University Enters Into Lease Agreement for the Establishment of GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi

PHOTO: From left, President of the Cleveland Music Foundation Lucy Janoush and Delta State University President Dr. John M. Hilpert sign the lease agreement for the establishment of GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi to be located on the Delta State University campus in Cleveland.

Delta State University has entered into a lease agreement with the Cleveland Music Foundation to provide the property for the construction of the GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi in Cleveland.

On Friday, February 1, Delta State University President Dr. John M. Hilpert and Lucy Janoush, president of the Cleveland Music Foundation, the non-profit entity set to build the museum, signed a 99-year lease agreement designating a four-acre tract of property located on the south end of the Delta State golf course along Highway 8 as the site for the construction of the museum. Groundbreaking is tentatively set for late February.

As part of the agreement, the Cleveland Music Foundation will provide the funding and resources for the reconstruction of the golf course so that it remains a nine-hole facility.

The signing comes after Governor Phil Bryant’s recent presentation of a $1 million check to the Cleveland Music Foundation as the first installment for the establishment of the first official GRAMMY® museum outside of Los Angeles.

GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi will be a world-class, 20,000 plus square foot facility dedicated to exploring the past, present and future of music and the cultural context from which it emerges. The museum’s permanent exhibition will utilize film, video, interactive kiosks and, of course, music.

The museum will be closely affiliated with the Delta Music Institute (DMI), Delta State’s accredited program of music industry studies. A student exchange program will be developed between GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi and GRAMMY Museum® at L.A. LIVE to offer qualified DMI students opportunities to earn college credit and interact with their counterparts at Los Angeles area colleges and universities.

“This is important not only to the Delta Music Institute, but to the entire university,” said Hilpert. “We anticipate the participation of many faculty and students in the establishment and operation of GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi.  This is a very meaningful project to all constituencies of the university, and I want to thank Lucy Janoush and the board of the Cleveland Music Foundation for their hard work toward driving this project to completion.”

GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi will present a unique economic development opportunity for Mississippi. Partnering with one of the world’s most recognized brands will help cement the state’s claim as “The Birthplace of America’s Music.” Mississippi has invested in a number of projects to honor its unique culture and heritage; among them are the Mississippi Blues and Country Music Trail markers, the B.B. King Museum, the Delta Blues Museum and the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center.

“This project would not be remotely possible without Delta State University’s participation and support,” said Janoush.  “We are so thankful to Dr. Hilpert and DMI Director Tricia Walker and her students for their efforts in helping to bring GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi to Cleveland.”

"GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi represents not only a fantastic cultural attraction for our state, highlighting Mississippi’s amazing contribution to American music, but it will offer the next generation of young music industry professionals an exciting entry point into today’s music industry,” said Walker. “The GRAMMY brand is a worldwide brand, it has the power to open a lot of doors and opportunities for our students.”

For information about GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi or the Delta Music Institute, contact the DMI office at (662) 846-4579 or dmi@deltastate.edu