Bill Steber is a photographer and artist from Tennessee. He has documented blues culture in the Mississippi Delta for over 20 years, chronicling the blues musicians, juke joints, churches, river baptisms, hoodoo practitioners, traditional farming methods, folk traditions and other significant traditions that gave birth to or influenced the blues. Steber’s photographs are compassionate, poetic and capture the beauty of a moment.

Voices of Mississippi, Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8 p.m.
The Sheldon Art Galleries will present Steber’s work in conjunction with Voices of Mississippi in the Sheldon Concert Hall. Voices of Mississippi is a new multimedia event that celebrates the music, art and storytelling traditions of the people of Mississippi. Based on the 2019 double-Grammy Award–winning Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris, the program features live musical performances integrated with film, audio recordings, and rare photographs by folklorist William “Bill” Ferris, who will serve as host for the evening. The show will feature musicians Ruthie Foster, Sharde Thomas, and Luther and Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, all of whom have deep ties to Mississippi and the artists Ferris documented. Sponsored by the William A. Kerr Foundation

Stories and Songs with Bill Steber, Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7 p.m.

Learn about the photography of Bill Steber as he speaks to the places and people of Mississippi’s hill country. Afterwards, enjoy the sounds of St. Louis native Shandora Rice, lead singer of Mz. Sha and her Ka’ShA band. Rice is an illustrious and soulful musician who sings blues, R&B and soul, whose infectious, toe-tapping sounds celebrate women from across the blues spectrum, from Koko Taylor to Denise LaSalle.

This event is FREE and open to the public with a cash bar, reservations preferred. Click to reserve your spot.