Siouxland Libraries has been awarded a $2,500 grant to host a six-week program series featuring documentary film screenings and scholar-led discussions of 20th-century American popular music.

Siouxland Libraries will host “America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway.” Audiences will learn about uniquely American musical genres including blues and gospel, Broadway, jazz, bluegrass and country, rock ’n’ roll, mambo, and hip-hop.

The library is one of 50 sites nationwide selected to host this program series. “America’s Music” is a project by the Tribeca Film Institute in collaboration with the American Library Association, Tribeca Flashpoint, and the Society for American Music. “America’s Music” has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor. Additional funding has been provided by the S.D. Humanities Council and the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation.

“We are thrilled to participate in this exciting program that will help introduce different types of music to the diverse Sioux Falls community” said Mary Johns, Director of Siouxland Libraries.

The film and discussion series will run from May 30 to June 27, 2013. Check www.siouxlandlib.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for further program details, including musical performances and music-themed events.