HELENA-WEST HELENA – Radio show appearance, concert performance to be part of day’s celebration.

Mississippi bluesman and artist Bill Abel will visit the Delta Cultural Center on Friday, June 8, for an afternoon of festivities celebrating the installation of “Light and Color of the Mississippi Delta,” a new exhibit of Abel’s artwork, at the DCC.

Abel will join co-hosts “Sunshine” Sonny Payne and DCC Assistant Director Terry Buckalew for the week’s edition of the “Delta Sounds” radio show, broadcast live each Friday at 1 p.m. on KFFA-AM, and will perform from 3-5 p.m. during the reception in honor of his artwork exhibition.

The exhibition, performance, and reception at the DCC Visitors Center at 141 Cherry Street are free of charge and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

“The beauty of color that God created in all things is sometimes overlooked in objects we see every day,” Abel said, explaining a theme that runs through his new “Light and Color of the Mississippi Delta” exhibit, which will continue at the DCC Visitors Center through Wednesday, Aug. 1.

“We seem to look for the mountaintop views or the garden of flowers for an appreciation of color. Through the subject matter I have chosen, I have attempted to reveal these colors by painting the light key in which they are seen, whether it is outdoors on a sunny or cloudy day or indoors in North or South light,” he said.

My study for several years under Sammy Britt, who taught the Henry Hensche language of seeing and painting, has been my foundation,” said Abel, who graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Delta State University. “Painting with light and color, I hope to lead people to a higher visual perception of color that the creator has given us to enjoy every day.”

Abel noted that he is currently studying landscapes in the Mississippi River area in west Bolivar County where he lives.

In 2006, Abel was named Blues Musician of the Year by the Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola.

Born and raised at Belzoni, Abel is known for having learned the blues first-hand from the legendary musicians he has known throughout his life and with whom he shares a Delta heritage.

Among those with whom he has performed are Honey Boy Edwards, Henry Townsend, Hubert Sumlin, Big George Brock, Sam Carr, T-Model Ford, Paul “Wine” Jones, Terry “Harmonica” Bean, and Kenny Kimbrough.

A resident of Duncan, Mississippi, Abel was influenced not only by the bluesmen of his youth and adulthood, but by the traditional blues of the 1920s and 1930s, as well. Today, he tours extensively, from the juke joints and festivals across the Delta to venues across the Mid-West and Northeast.

Steadily, his reputation as a musician also continues to grow overseas, where he has played in Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium. Shortly following his performance date at Helena, Abel will be packing his bags for several dates around England for club and festival engagements in June and July.

Regular museum hours at the DCC Visitors Center and the DCC Depot are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.

For more information, interested persons can contact the Delta Cultural Center at (870) 338-4350 or (800) 358-0972.

The Delta Cultural Center shares the vision of all seven agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage – to preserve and promote Arkansas heritage as a source of pride and satisfaction. Other agencies within the department are the Historic Arkansas Museum, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the Arkansas Arts Council, and the Natural Heritage Commission.

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