BLIND WILLIE ART EXHIBIT OPENS IN THOMSON March 24, 2016 / by John "Stoney" Cannon According to Columbia County Times staff reporter Abbigail Lennon, the Thomson-McDuffie Convention and Visitors Bureau have presented the Blind Willie McTell 12-String Strut art exhibit, a project over two years in the making, at the Thomson Depot this past Friday. The exhibit, honoring the legendary area blues man for which the annual Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival is named, featured artists from around the country lending their own artistic spin to individual 7-foot tall replicas of McTell's Stella guitar. The project is a result of a study geared towards increasing tourism in the county and in an effort to promote, an artistic representation of McTell was created. The initial result was the creation of wooden guitars constructed by board member Bob Flanders and his wife Kelly before it was decided that a more permanent solution was needed, hence the unveiled works that were at least in part funded by $5,000 award to the City of Thomson by the Georgia Department of Economic Development's Tourism division. The initial plan is to feature the guitars around the Thomson / McDuffie County area for the next three years. To learn more visit McTells12StringStrut.com