Building For Tomorrow: E.C. Morris, Centennial Church and the Black Baptists During Jim Crow

This extraordinary new exhibition explores the role of the Baptist Church in the lives of African Americans during the turbulent period of Jim Crow, as they navigated the difficulties and hardships of a segregated country.  Visitors, as they enter the South Gallery of the Delta Cultural Center, will first notice the large replica stain glass window that symbolizes the church. It is if they have been reborn in the past and are looking into this window to see what is happening in a church of that era. From that point, guests will be able to read and study numerous historical panels that depict the expansion of the Baptist Church throughout the Arkansas Delta and into the lives of African Americans. 

Activists such as Booker T. Washington and others used this religious awakening to further the cause of reform, but it was through the tireless labor of one Arkansan that the church rose to new levels of importance. That Arkansan was the Reverend Elias Camp Morris, who rose to national prominence through his work with the National Baptist Convention. In addition to his work in politics, Morris was the pastor at Centennial Baptist Church in Helena, Arkansas from 1879 to his death in 1922. Centennial was an example of an early megachurch with nearly a thousand members and was a beacon of light for all African Americans in the area. E.C. Morris was also president of the Black Arkansas Baptist State Convention for 35 years and helped start a seminary in Little Rock that eventually became Arkansas Baptist College.  There is a life size replica of Morris at his podium and interactive displays which feature a number of his speeches that visitors may listen to. In addition to the church, there are also displays and information panels dealing with the role of fraternal organizations like the Knights of Pythias and the Masons.

"Delta Visionaries: Celebrating the Artistic Soul of the Land and Its People"

“Delta Visionaries" consists of thirty-nine paintings and artistic renderings from area artists promoting their vision of this magical land we know as the Delta. In addition, one section of the gallery features winners from the 2024 Arkansas Blues Heritage Youth Art Competition. 

This exhibit showcases the creative expressions of artists who capture the spirit, culture, and beauty of the Arkansas Delta and our entire region. There are works from both notable artists like Dewitt Jordan and V.L. Cox to local artists like James Charles "Ratt" Smith. Through color, texture, perspective, and visual storytelling, these artists speak to a deep connection with the land, the people, and the enduring rhythms of the Delta.

Artists featured in "Delta Visionaries" include John Ruskey, Edward Wade, Jr., Henri Linton, A.J. Smith, Dewitt Jordan, V.L. Cox, John Fewkes, Jay Crawford, Johnny Grove, Tim Wood, Charles Hartley, Christian Craven Benard, George Hunt, Al Allen, Bill Branch, Mary Lynch, J. Grove, Norwood Creech, Laura Terry, Candace Dolls, Beverly Buys, James Charles "Ratt" Smith, and James "Super Chikan" Johnson. 

The Grand Opening of this new exhibition will be held on April 18, 2025, and it will run thru June 28, 2025, in the DCC Visitor Center located at 141 Cherry Street in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas.