The Music Education Initiative has partnered with the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History in the U of A's Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences to bring The Juke Joint Project: An Exhibit to the Pryor Center on the Downtown Fayetteville Square. The exhibit is open daily from 9 A.M. to to 9 P.M., and is free and open to the public.
Donations are accepted! Scan the QR code on the sign at the side of the exhibit or click DONATE at the top of this page.
The Music Education Initiative was honored to receive this life-size, walk-through replica of a Delta Blues juke joint from the Clinton Presidential Center. The exhibit was designed by Kaki Hockersmith, a highly respected and renowned interior designer from Little Rock, for the 2020 FUSION: Arts & Humanities Arkansas Event, The Mighty Mississippi: HeART and Soul of the Southern Delta. When the world wide pandemic shut down many venues, the exhibit, which was aptly named "BC's Blues Shack" after former president, Bill Clinton, had been seen by only a few people at that time. This unique situation created an opportunity for The Music Education Initiative to bring this cultural and educational experience to Northwest Arkansas and increase the community's exposure and access to the arts in exciting new ways!
The Juke Joint Project: An Exhibit will be used as an immersive replica of a traditional gathering and listening environment. Participants are surrounded by the atmosphere in which blues music originated, grew, and thrived, and will be inspired to further explore the rich history and roots of this most authentic of American musical art forms. Serving as a teaching and educational tool, the juke joint will utilize original programming created and offered by The Music Education Initiative. The intent is to bring historical preservation and understanding of Blues, Gospel, Jazz, and Folk music, and their importance and influence on music past, present, and future to our community. The exhibit will also be used as a meeting place, a podcast studio ("Tiny Desk" style), and a location for speakers, lectures, films, performances, and parties. In the future, a version of the Juke Joint may be used as a traveling exhibit to schools, performance halls, and other venues.
At the Juke Joint, music fans are invited to experience a musical destination like no other in the region. Please, come on by!
PAST PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS
Midnight Special - A celebration of the great, Lead Belly, featuring Alvin Singh
The Jake Hertzog Quartet Startup Junkie Podcast Blues Legend - Mr. Bobby Rush BAANG
DK Harrell Sarah Lily Tony Redman DJ Raquel Billy Jeter Noel Musson Papa Rap
Dr. Florence Dore R.D. Olson NWA Jazz Youth All Stars Lil' Yei Asher Perkins Pura Coco
Sean Michel Amor The Artist Jasper Logan Buddy Shute Mark McGee 'Lectric Liz Lottman
Dawn Cate Rachel Fields Dr. Michelle Pibbernow Voices of the Community Choir Samantha Hunt
Experience Fayetteville - First Thursday Fayetteville Roots Festival Gospel Brunch Divas On Fire
"Ink in the Grooves LIVE: A Traveling Public Humanities Program" Love More Records Showcase
Ozark Blues Society of NWA The Apollo Council of the George Washington Foundation