The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff was recognized for its contributions to the Delta Rhythm & Bayous Blues and Wellness Plaza during the DRB’s recent grand opening.
The event was held at Third Avenue and Main Street (Bobby Rush Way) in downtown Pine Bluff. Officials from UAPB, the city of Pine Bluff and the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission, along with honored music legends, artists and cultural leaders, were present to witness the debut of Phase I of the plaza.
Described as what will become the nation’s largest outdoor gallery dedicated to Delta music and culture, in addition to being timed as the capstone to Black History Month, the DRB Blues and Wellness Plaza represents a major milestone in Pine Bluff’s cultural heritage preservation and economic development efforts.
The plaza showcases the rich musical traditions of the Arkansas Delta through innovative outdoor exhibits, interactive installations and public art celebrating the region’s contributions to American music.
Sheri Storie, executive director of the Advertising and Promotion Commission, expressed her appreciation to UAPB.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We are extremely grateful for the partnership we have formed with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,” Storie said. “With broad participation from university leadership, faculty, and students, this alliance strengthens our entire community. Thank you to (UAPB Chancellor) Dr. Anthony Graham, Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement George Cotton, and Karen DeJarnette, associate professor and chair of the Department of Art and Design.”
She also recognized Joshua Asante, a project/program specialist at UAPB, as the project manager for the mural and the faux juke joint.
DeJarnette thanked the Advertising and Promotion Commission for engaging the UAPB Department of Art and Design in having this “wonderful opportunity.”
“Where in the world would we get an opportunity to work on a brand new wall like this?” she asked while pointing to the colorful mural behind her.
She explained that the wall that the students worked on was 120 feet long and 12 feet tall.
“It was a challenge, but it was an exhilarating challenge. If you look to my left, you see the first that I’ve ever seen of this type of artwork. It is a public restroom building that has been creatively transformed into a really cool juke joint. I don’t think you will find that anywhere,” DeJarnette said.
She acknowledged UAPB students and staff who assisted in the project.
“We had over 40 of the UAPB family members involved in this project, starting with our Vice Chancellor, George Cotton, who raised funds with us for materials and supplies that were used to support this mural. We have had lots of opportunities to work in outdoor classrooms, which is a real privilege for our department. But this is the largest one. It’s taken us 12 months. We started a year ago, early March of last year, and we made it up until about three days ago,” DeJarnette said.
She added that “it’s been a long project” that included working in temperatures ranging from 30 to 100 degrees and “horrible rainstorms.”
“Our faculty, students, and even some visiting artists — some who are here today — stuck it out, and we have this beautiful artwork here to show for it. I just think this project is such a wonderful addition to our Main Street, and we feel really honored to be a part of it, so thank all of you,” DeJarnette said.
Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers spoke about the project’s significance.
“This plaza represents phase one. Just phase one of a bold vision — one that preserves our culture, our cultural heritage, while advancing tourism, advancing Pine Bluff as a true destination, our economic development and our community’s wellness,” Flowers said.
“It will serve as a gathering place where residents and visitors alike can experience art, music (and) history in a living, interactive way. Pine Bluff is so proud to honor the generations who carry these traditions forward and the artists who continue to shape them today. We invite the nation and the world to experience our story, our culture and our future,” Flowers said.
She credited Jimmy Cunningham, executive director of the DRB Alliance and tourism development director for the Advertising and Promotion Commission, as being the MVP of this project. He originally shared the idea with her 11 years ago, thinking that he could simply hand it off to her and the community.
Flowers told Cunningham, a 1987 UAPB graduate, that he would have to come home to help bring the vision to fruition.
Cunningham acknowledged his wife, Alicia, family and friends for their support. He recognized members of what he described as “the dream team,” which included Storie as well as Advertising and Promotion Commission staff members Betty Brown, administrative assistant, and Michael McCray, public relations and cultural development specialist.
“We didn’t start out with all of the money,” he said. We didn’t start out with all of the advantages. And I will tell you the truth. Frederick Douglass said, ‘If there is no struggle, there is no progress.’ And there was a struggle in this. We didn’t get here easily. There were people who put their political lives on the line to help us. The grassroots did it. The NAACP came to our rescue and helped under the leadership of Ivan Whitfield, Albert King, Michael McCray, and so many others in that organization.”
Cunningham also mentioned Jihad Muhammad and Mary Liddell as others who came to their rescue.
“In many ways, we are a metaphor for the rest of the Delta…Pine Bluff is moving up, and folks don’t even know it because yes, we’re unassuming, but they have no idea how much rich history is here and how many horses we’ve got under the hood,” Cunningham said.
Flowers said that the best is yet to come.
“And this is not the only thing that defines the growth and the beauty and the resilience of this great and historic city. There are so many other things for us to do. So many other people we’ve already worked with, and who we have yet to work with. So that’s what we can’t even fathom here, in five, in 10, in 15 and 20 years, this city will be beautifully unrecognizable,” Flowers said.
