Page 59 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2017

Blues Museum served as the perfect stop for this exhibit.
Jacqueline Dace, Director of Internal Affairs with the museum,
said the exhibit helped give visitors “a sense of not only who
they are, but some of the individuals they can emulate.” She
added that the photographs helped visitors see these women
in an environment “that is not a staged setting” and that it is
encouraging to see “such a large variety of different women
showcasing the best of themselves.”
Like any savvy festival promoter, Orman Weiss went to great
lengths to lend a local slant to the exhibit. The very first photo
in the gallery is of Ella Jenkins, which was taken by Orman
Weiss herself. This 92-year-old “living legend” was born in
the St. Louis Jewish Hospital and went on to win a Grammy
Lifetime Achievement award. She is also a Smithsonian Folkways
recording artist who celebrates her 60th anniversary this summer.
Orman Weiss also worked with the St. Louis Blues Society
to ensure St. Louis was well represented. In addition to featuring
renowned St. Louis photographer Reed Radcliffe, she utilized
artwork by Carol Boss. This local painter collaborated with
Mississippi’s Sharon McConnell Dickerson to create stunning
portraits of Ma Rainey, Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith and Jessie
Mae Hemphill.
While many of the women featured in the exhibit are still
appearing everywhere from sunny Caribbean cruises to big
name blues festivals, Orman Weiss was cognizant of the many
standard-bearers who have passed on. The exhibit is dedicated
to the memory of Koko Taylor, and there are also beautiful photos
of the late Candye Kane and Big Time Sarah. Covers of Living
Blues magazine are artfully arranged in a nod to the legacy of
Amy Van Singel.
As someone who has been a fixture in photography pits
at music events all over, Orman Weiss believes this exhibit

The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of the wonderful Koko Taylor Photo by NuNu

Blues Festival Guide 2017 57