By Emily Havens
GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi’s mission is to promote music education. Our focus each day is to educate and inspire the next generation of American music innovators.
Since opening, nearly 56,000 visitors from all 50 states and 29 countries have visited the Museum and over 10,000 students and educators have participated in tours and workshops. The Museum hosted 25 public programs in 2017 that included GRAMMY® winners Peter Frampton, Liz Rose, Bobby Rush, Marty Stuart, William Bell, Charlie Musselwhite and many more. In addition, the Museum presented 22 educational programs and interactive music workshops giving students and teachers the opportunity to explore music-making, learn about entertainment industry careers and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage.
We have hosted four special exhibits including Ladies & Gentlemen…The Beatles, Pride & Joy: The Texas Blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Taylor Swift Experience™, and John Lee Hooker: King of the Boogie.
GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi is very fortunate to have an extensive community of committed Members, donors, patrons, and volunteers who are instrumental in making the Museum an essential destination for music lovers of all ages. Our dedicated group of volunteers contributed hundreds of hours of their time this year to support educational tours, group tours, and programming.
In March, we will celebrate our two-year anniversary by opening our fifth special exhibit, Legends of Motown: Celebrating The Supremes. This exhibit will feature The Supremes with a special focus on Mississippi’s own, Mary Wilson. The Museum is hosting An Evening with Mary Wilson on March 9th including a formal dinner, and a conversation and performance with Mary Wilson moderated by Tena Clark. In April, we will celebrate Elvis and the 50th anniversary of him receiving his first GRAMMY® won for Best Sacred Performance for his version of “How Great Thou Art”.
As we begin our third year, we are looking forward to continuing our programs, furthering our education and outreach, hosting summer camps, and developing community partnerships throughout the State of Mississippi. In 2018, I invite you to visit often and discover our dynamic programs, engaging workshops, and interactive exhibits—or come simply to celebrate the power of music. This year, we will continue to inspire, motivate, and enrich the lives of youth and adults. We look forward to seeing you soon at the Museum!
Emily Havens is the Executive Director of GRAMMY Museum® Mississipi.
