The Museum of the Mississippi Delta has been awarded a $17,400 state grant to help with its operation.
“We are just delighted to still be receiving funds from the Mississippi Arts Commission,” said Cheryl Thornhill, executive director of the museum. “It really helps us a lot.”
Thornhill said the grant from the Arts Commission will be used for ongoing expenses.
“It is the only grant that we receive that is for general operating support,” she said. “The other grants have to focus on a specific project, like an exhibit or a program.”
The Greenwood museum has a permanent collection of archaeological and historical artifacts of the region, and it frequently hosts art exhibits. It also provides summer programs for children and offers its space for community events.
After a new round of renovations at the museum is complete, Thornhill said the focus will be on bringing traveling exhibits and new programs, including lecture and panel discussions, to town.
For the past five years, the museum staff and its board have worked to update and renovate the facility, which was once the headquarters ofs Billups Petroleum.
The building in recent years went through a revamp of its interior and exterior, and a large sign, designed by Hammons & Associates of Greenwood, was erected in front of the museum.
Thornhill plans to have two new exhibits next year, once the renovations are complete.
One will be a combined show of work by Robin Whitfield, the Grenada artist who painted the mural on the front of the museum’s building, and Sammy Britt, Whitfield’s former teacher at Delta State University.
The other will focus on African-American art and culture, centered around items on loan from the permanent collection of the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson.
•Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
The original version of this article had an incorrect first name for Sammy Britt.
