A Cast of Blues

“People keep asking me where the blues started, and all I can say is that when I was a boy, we always was singing in the fields. Not real singing, you know, just hollerin’, but we made up our songs about things that was happening to us at the time…that’s where the blues started.” – Son House, 1965

Blues music was born in Mississippi, came of age in Chicago, and went on to inspire generations of rock and rollers, ranging from the British invasion of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to contemporary groups, such as The Black Keys. As America’s unique contribution to the world of music, the blues took root in the fertile soil of the Mississippi Delta, a flood plain covering 7,000 square miles between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. Early blues greats in the Delta pioneered the strong rhythmic style of music, accenting the raw emotions of the lyrics by squeezing chords out of a guitar with a bottleneck or metal slide.

A celebration of Mississippi’s rich musical heritage, A Cast of Blues features 15 resin-cast masks of blues legends created by artist Sharon McConnell-Dickerson. “A life cast is like a 3D photograph to someone who is blind,” says McConnell-Dickerson, who is visually impaired herself. “It captures the flesh, muscle, bone, hair, and subtle expressions of emotion. I wanted to discover the faces behind the music I love, so I went to Mississippi to map out the visages of the real Delta blues men and women.”

In addition, the exhibition includes 15 color photographs of blues artists and the colorful juke joints in which they played. The images are selected from acclaimed photographer Ken Murphy’s ground-breaking book, Mississippi: State of Blues. Murphy, a longtime resident of Bay St. Louis, MS, captures the essence of the blues through highly detailed, panoramic color pictures. The compilation of casts and photos creates a compelling portrait of the men and women who defined—and continue to shape—the tradition of Mississippi blues.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Charlie Patton, Son House, Robert Johnson, and scores of other bluesmen and women barnstormed across the Delta, playing plantations, juke joints, and levee camps scattered throughout the area. It was the next generation of Mississippi music artists, led by Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, and Howlin’ Wolf, who brought the Delta blues north to Chicago. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and other rock and rollers picked up on the Delta sound and introduced it to the world. The musicians who stayed behind in Mississippi kept the tradition alive, passing it from one generation to another. Since the 1990s, Delta blues music has undergone a revival, with the rediscovery of overlooked artists—R.L. Burnside, T Model Ford, and Bobby Rush—and the rise of contemporary blues acts like the North Mississippi Allstars and the Homemade Jamz Blues Band.

The captivating masks and images in A Cast of Blues tell the story of the hopes, sorrows, and triumphs of the men and women who lived and breathed the blues in Mississippi. The exhibition is fully accessible to all visitors, featuring braille labels and educational materials, as well as a music playlist for gallery use and a closed-captioned film about the Cast of Blues project. In addition, visitors are encouraged to touch the resin-cast masks. Says McConnell-Dickerson, “As a sculptural and visual art experience, feeling the life-made casts of these individuals and their facial expressions transfers their experiences directly to our fingertips.” The exhibition is also accompanied by a 90-minute documentary film, M for Mississippi: A Roadtrip through the Birthplace of the Blues.

A Cast of Blues is curated by Chuck Haddix, music historian, author, radio personality and Director of the Marr Sound Archives at the University of Missouri-Kansas City; and organized by Mid-America Arts Alliance.

From an evaluation from San Jacinto College South Campus Gallery (Houston, TX) about A Cast of Blues:
“The San Jacinto College community loved this show! The students were surprised by the ‘encouraged to touch’ mentality and several employees returned to the show several times to read the extensively researched content. I would often hear students playing the interactive instruments and commenting on how ‘cool’ the show was.”

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Tour Schedule

A Cast of Blues is touring November 2014 through March 2024. The dates below reflect seven-week exhibition periods. Dates are subject to change; please contact MoreArt@maaa.org or (800) 473-3872 x208/209 for current availability.

  • November 10, 2014–January 7, 2015 Temecula Valley Museum
    Temecula, CA     booked
  • January 28–May 25, 2015 Bessie Smith Cultural Center
    Chattanooga, TN     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2015 Griot Museum of Black History & Culture
    St. Louis, MO     booked
  • September 1–November 5, 2015 Delta Cultural Center
    Helena, AR     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2016 Argentina Branch Library
    North Little Rock, AR     booked
  • April 6–May 25, 2016 Customs House Museum & Cultural Center
    Clarksville, TN     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2016 Bennett Martin Public Library
    Lincoln, NE     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2016 Oxford Performing Arts Center
    Oxford, AL     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2017 Refurbishment
    Kansas City, MO     booked
  • April 6–May 25, 2017 Walter J. Manninen Center for the Arts, Endicott College
    Beverly, MA     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2017 McKinney Arts Commission
    McKinney, TX     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2017 San Jacinto College South Campus Gallery
    Houston, TX     booked
  • November 10, 2017–January 7, 2018 Oklahoma City Community College
    Oklahoma City, OK     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2018 Camden County Historical Society
    Camden, NJ     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2018 Museum of the Gulf Coast
    Port Arthur, TX     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2019 Coronado Quivira Museum
    Lyons, KS     booked
  • April 6–May 25, 2019 Frisco Heritage Center & Museum
    Frisco, TX     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2019 Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts
    Florence, AL     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2019 West Baton Rouge Museum
    Port Allen, LA     booked
  • November 10, 2019–March 16, 2020 Refurbishment
    Kansas City, MO     booked
  • November 10, 2020–January 7, 2021 Bosler Memorial Library
    Carlisle, PA     booked
  • January 28–May 25, 2021 Texas A&M University
    College Station, TX     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2021 Guntersville Museum and Cultural Center
    Guntersville, AL     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2021 African American Military History Museum
    Hattiesburg, MS     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2022 Wassenberg Art Center
    Van Wert, OH     booked
  • April 14–May 27, 2022 The Music Education Initiative
    Springdale, AR     booked
  • June 16–August 11, 2022 Laurel County Public Library
    London, KY     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2022 Sioux City Museum
    Sioux City, IA     booked
  • November 10, 2022–January 7, 2023 Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum
    Monroe, LA     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2023 Buddy Holly Center
    Lubbock, TX     booked
  • April 6–May 25, 2023 Pine Bluff Convention Center
    Pine Bluff, AR     pending
  • June 16–August 11, 2023 Haggin Museum
    Stockton, CA     booked
  • September 1–October 20, 2023 South Arkansas Arts Center
    El Dorado, AR     pending
  • November 10, 2023–January 7, 2024 Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum
    Temple, TX     booked
  • January 28–March 16, 2024
    available

Exhibition Details

15 resin casts, 15 framed photographs, braille labels, blues playlist, films

  • Content

    Fee Includes
    Press Kit
    Registrar’s Packet
    Programming Guide
    Gallery Guide
    Text Panels
    Narrative Labels
    Full Insurance
    Installation Instructions
    Custom-Designed and Built Crates

  • Curated By

    Chuck Haddix Director, Marr Sound Archives, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO

  • Organized By

    ExhibitsUSA, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, MO

  • Out-of-Region Rental Fee

    $3,800

  • In-Region Rental Fee

    $2,660

  • Duration

    7 weeks

  • Shipping

    Van Line

  • Running Feet

    125

  • Square Feet

    -

  • Security

    Limited

  • Number of Crates/Total Weight

    3 crates/575 pounds

  • Insurance

    The exhibition is fully insured by ExhibitsUSA at no additional expense to you, both while installed and during transit.