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.”
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.