National Blues Museum

THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM WILL CREATE A NEW INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION TO CONTEXTUALIZE BLUES MUSIC’S DEVELOPMENT—FROM CLASSIC VAUDEVILLE AND ACOUSTIC BLUES TO JUMP AND ELECTRIC BLUES. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO HIGHLIGHT BLUES MUSIC’S GEOGRAPHIC SUBGENRES AND THE ASSOCIATED INNOVATIONS IN MUSIC THEORY AND TECHNOLOGY.  MUSEUM STAFF WILL WORK WITH AN EXHIBITION DESIGN CONTRACTOR TO PRODUCE PHYSICAL PRODUCTS FOR THE EXHIBITION TO INCLUDE INTERPRETIVE VISUALS, GEOGRAPHY, MUSICAL EXAMPLES, AUDIO, HISTORICAL TEXTS, AND PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL. STAFF WILL RECEIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING REGARDING HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION IN A MUSEUM SETTING AND THE USE OF PRIMARY SOURCES TO FORM A HISTORICAL NARRATIVE.

THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM (NBM) WILL UNDERTAKE A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS TO IDENTIFY MUSEUM SERVICES AND PROGRAMMING BEST ALIGNED WITH THE NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS. NBM WILL HIRE A MANAGER OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO LEAD THE PROJECT AND WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH RESEARCH AND STRATEGIC PLANNING CONSULTANTS. THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE A COMMUNITY SURVEY, THE DEVELOPMENT OF PILOT PROGRAMS AND ENHANCEMENTS TO CURRENT PROGRAMS, AND CODIFYING DIFFERENT COMMUNITY NEEDS TO MEASURE SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT. A FOLLOW-UP COMMUNITY SURVEY WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TOWARD THE END OF THE PROJECT TO GATHER DATA ON THE SUCCESS OF NEW PROGRAMS AND THE MUSEUM’S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ON A LARGE SCALE. THESE INTERRELATED FORMS OF DATA AND TESTIMONY WILL INFORM A NEW COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PLAN. NBM’S PLAN WILL REFLECT THE GROWING ROLE OF MUSEUMS AS SITES FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING, SERVICE, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM (NBM) WILL EXPAND ACCESS TO THE MUSEUM’S HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION BY CREATING NEW LESSON PLANS THAT TIE BLUES HISTORY TO STATE AND DISTRICT LEARNING GOALS IN LITERACY, MATH, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. PROJECT RESULTS WILL INCLUDE CREATION OF A NEW NBM CURRICULUM TO BE SHARED WITH MULTIPLE SCHOOLS AND PARTNERS THROUGH THE ST. LOUIS’S DES LEE FINE ARTS EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE; GENERATING EVALUATION DATA THAT WILL BE USED TO REVISE AND IMPROVE EXISTING LESSON PLANS; AN END-OF-YEAR REPORT SHOWING THE PROGRAM’S IMPACT; AN END-OF-YEAR CONCERT FOR GUITAR AND DRUMMING STUDENTS; AND A MUSEUM EXHIBITION OF STUDENT MUSEUM RESEARCH PROJECTS. NBM WILL COMBINE PROGRAMS IN STEAM, LITERACY, LANGUAGE ARTS, MUSIC, AND HISTORY TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM, ONE THAT THE MUSEUM WILL SHARE WITH ITS NATIONAL NETWORK OF PARTNERS.

THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM WILL STRENGTHEN ITS CURATORIAL ACTIVITIES BY INITIATING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A 2021 COLLECTIONS ASSESSMENT FOR PRESERVATION (CAP) REPORT. THEY WILL HIRE A FULL-TIME CURATOR TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOP TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS, AS WELL AS DRAFT PLANS AND PROCESSES CRITICAL TO THE CARE OF THE COLLECTION SUCH AS AN EMERGENCY PLAN, ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROCEDURES AND SYSTEMS, A LOG OF BUILDING MAINTENANCE, AND A REGISTRATION SYSTEM. OTHER PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE PROVIDING MUSEUM STAFF WITH ONLINE TRAINING IN CONSERVATION, AND ONGOING TRAINING AS THE DRAFT PLANS AND PROCESSES BECOME FINAL. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN MUSEUM STAFF BEING BETTER STEWARDS OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTIONS AND BETTER POSITIONED TO DEVELOP FUTURE EXHIBITIONS.

THE ST. LOUIS BLUES: MUSIC, MIGRATION, AND THE MOVEMENT [THE ST. LOUIS BLUES: MUSIC, MIGRATION, AND THE MOVEMENT WILL BE A PLACE-BASED LEARNING WORKSHOP EXAMINING THE DYNAMIC HISTORICAL TIES BETWEEN MUSIC, URBAN ENVIRONMENTS, AND RACE RELATIONS IN THE HISTORY OF ST. LOUIS AND ITS PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT. IT WILL TAKE THE FORM OF TWO SIX-DAY EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING WORKSHOPS FOR K-12 EDUCATORS IN JULY 2024, HEADQUARTERED AT THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. ST. LOUIS IS DEFINED BY BOTH GROUNDBREAKING CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK GENIUS AND AN URBAN HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATION, DISPLACEMENT, AND ERASURE, MAKING THE CITY A CRUCIAL SITE FOR STUDYING RACE RELATIONS DURING THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES. CONSTRUCTED BY THESE COMPLEX HISTORICAL FORCES, ST. LOUIS IS AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR PLACE-BASED LEARNING PROJECTS THAT INCORPORATE THE HUMANITIES. IN THIS WAY, THE LANDSCAPE OF ST. LOUIS AND ITS MUSICAL HISTORY WILL BE A VALUABLE FRAMEWORK TO AID EDUCATORS IN CREATING INCLUSIVE CURRICULUMS AROUND UNITED STATES HISTORY AND CULTURE.]

THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM WILL IMPLEMENT THE "KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE" DIGITIZATION PROJECT TO INCREASE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF ITS GROWING COLLECTIONS DOCUMENTING AMERICA'S BLUES HERITAGE, INCLUDING VIDEO RECORDINGS OF LIVE PERFORMANCES AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS AS WELL AS THE SPITZER COLLECTION OF BLUES PHOTOGRAPHS AND RECORDINGS. A DIGITAL ARCHIVIST WILL OVERSEE THE PROJECT BY IDENTIFYING AND PURCHASING THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES; DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A PLAN FOR DIGITIZATION, VIDEO EDITING, AND CATALOGUING THE COLLECTIONS; AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR METADATA, AUTHORITY CONTROL, QUALITY CONTROL AND ESTABLISHING INTERNAL PROTOCOL FOR PROCESSING NEW MATERIALS. A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT TEAM WILL CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT OF COLLECTIONS TO DETERMINE THE SPECIFIC NUMBER AND TYPES OF MATERIALS TO BE DIGITIZED AND THE NUMBER OF HOURS OF VIDEO RECORDINGS TO BE PROCESSED. THE TEAM WILL ALSO ESTABLISH PRIORITIES FOR PROCESSING THE BACKLOG OF MATERIALS. STAFF TRAINING AND BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL EVALUATION WILL BE INCORPORATED AS PART OF THE WORK PLAN.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT BLUES JAM SESSIONS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES FOR MUSICIANS OF ALL SKILL LEVELS.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT AN ARTIST RESIDENCY WITH BLUES MUSICIAN AND ACTOR GUY DAVIS.

TO SUPPORT LIVE BLUES PERFORMANCES.

NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION AND STORAGE INITIATIVE [THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM'S PROJECT WILL ADVANCE THE ONGOING PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF ITS COLLECTIONS THROUGH THE PURCHASE OF STORAGE FURNITURE. THE COLLECTION STORAGE WILL BE CREATED FROM A ROOM IN THE MUSEUM ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE. THIS PROJECT IS NEEDED TO FULFILL RECOMMENDATIONS IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES IN OUR 2021 CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (CAP) REPORT -- A PROGRAM FOR SMALL AND MIDSIZE INSTITUTIONS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SCIENCES (IMLS), AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CONSERVATION (AIC), AND FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCEMENT IN CONSERVATION (FAIC).]

NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM UV PROTECTION PROJECT [THE NATIONAL BLUES MUSEUM (NBM) REQUESTS FUNDS FOR THE ONGOING PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF ITS COLLECTIONS THROUGH THE PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF ULTRAVIOLET (UV) FILTER FILM TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN THE SCOTT AND DIANE MCCUAIG AND FAMILY GALLERY (SDMFG). THE FILM WOULD COVER 24 WINDOWS, EACH WITH A DIMENSION OF 8.5? X 5? (APPROXIMATELY 1,020 SQUARE FEET). THIS PROJECT IS NEEDED TO FULFILL RECOMMENDATIONS IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES IN OUR 2021 CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (CAP) REPORT -- A PROGRAM FOR SMALL AND MIDSIZE INSTITUTIONS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SCIENCES (IMLS), AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CONSERVATION (AIC), AND FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCEMENT IN CONSERVATION (FAIC).]