Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Lightclub Memphis Hosts Weekly Twitch Stream

Marcos Almendarez

DJ Scotty B

Lightclub Memphis, a community of like-minded individuals whose emphasis is to provide a safe, drug-free environment for members to dance, connect, and enjoy electronic music, has been hosting bi-weekly or monthly events since 2014.

Their goal has always been for the group’s members to enjoy “love and light” while also reveling in an immersive experience, with a state-of-the art 3D projection mapping installation and holograms serving as a backdrop for an evening of free meals cooked up by longtime member Antonio Sanders and multiple genres of electronic music performed by local DJs.

“I made it a personal mission to create a safe space where people could come and connect, dance, and not have to escape life with drugs,” says Lightclub founder Scotty Bollinger. “I feel like people take drugs to escape reality and to mask pain. Our hope at Lightclub is that if you will take a risk and come as you are, you can feel the same acceptance and escape the pain of life for a bit without having to do damage to your body.”

However, by 2018, Lightclub’s community grew so large that Bollinger could no longer safely host events at his property, so he took a hiatus from hosting private parties and began to focus on performing shows at local venues like Black Lodge, The New Daisy, and CANVAS.

But when the outbreak of COVID-19 forced all venues to close for the unforeseeable future, Bollinger wanted to figure out a way to continue to get his and others’ music out there.
“I saw a lot of other DJs starting to post online sets, and a couple of friends reached out to see if I was interested,” says Bollinger. “After tuning into other people’s sets, I realized it was a great way to still have connection.”

Jacob Platania

3D projection mapping installation and holograms

So Bollinger arranged a weekly Friday night online Twitch stream, kicking off the series with an evening of melodic techno with special guest DJ AD on April 10th. Since then, Bollinger has hosted six other local DJs, including Tree, Mylon Webb, Alora, Shinobi Senses, mado, and Jordan Rogers.

“The reception has honestly been better than I had hoped,” says Bollinger. “People are happy to connect and hear the music they love. Some of the local hula hoop community sent me pictures of the stream on the TV and them hooping while we were performing. It’s really cool to see people getting to do what they love in this challenging season.”

Although members of Lightclub Memphis can no longer meet in-person to enjoy the atmosphere, Bollinger says he’s grateful for the opportunity to provide an online space for the core community to engage with each other while also enjoying the audio and visual aspects of what Lightclub has to offer from the comfort of their homes.

“Most people are bored at home and this is a small reminder of normalcy,” says Bollinger. “Music is a universal language that soothes the soul. Around half of my performers DJ for a living and are out of work, and this gives them a chance to still be expressive and connect with their friends. In some ways, it’s as much for the DJs as it is for those who tune in.”

Tune in every Friday night at 8 p.m. by heading over to twitch.tv/lightclubmemphis. Free. Visit lightclubmemphis.com for more information about Lightclub Memphis.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Get in the Flow: Your Inner Yogi Hosts Virtual Classes

Your Inner Yogi (YIY) recently released its free online yoga series on Instagram via its weekly Friday Night Live series, in partnership with the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC). It was originally meant to be part of DMC’s Yoga in the Park program until COVID-19 put a wrench in those plans.

“Originally, we planned for these classes to be held outside at Court Square Park,” says yoga instructor Caroline Collins. “The classes were supposed to start in April, and it was really a way for us to engage with the community.”

But YIY and DMC were able to think quickly on their toes and take the series online, starting with a Vinyasa Flow session led by Collins. Now, two weeks later, Collins will lead the same class.

Julie Song

Caroline Collins of Your Inner Yogi

“In my upcoming classes in May, I plan to teach Vinyasa Flow, which essentially means one breath links to one movement,” says Collins. “It means that you’re tuning into your breath first. And you’re allowing your breath to be your guide, so that a movement comes on an inhale and another movement comes on an exhale.”

Yoga is an ancient practice that has been found to provide a slew of benefits, including boosting physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Collins says that everyone should have access to these benefits, regardless of their ability to pay, and she stresses the importance of self-care during times like these.

“Right now, as we’re dealing with a new normal, I think a lot of us have found ourselves trying to figure out what our routines look like since everything was uprooted,” she says. “Facing these new challenges can impact everything from our thoughts and our perceptions, to even manifesting in physical ways. So yoga gives us the opportunity to come back home to ourselves to reconnect, take things one breath, one moment, at a time, and helps us focus on the present.”

instagram.com/yourinneryogi, Friday, May 1st, 6:30 p.m., free.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

How to Support Local: Restaurants

How to Support Local: Restaurants

Just because dining rooms throughout the city are closed doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy an at-home date or family night. Lucky for us, many of our local restaurants have us in mind with newly added takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery options. Below, we’ve compiled a dining guide comprised of offerings from our advertisers.

Photo by Ilya Mashkov on Unsplash

Huey’s

Curbside pickup, delivery, catering. Order to-go signature drinks, beer, wine, and liquor. Order online here.

Venice Kitchen

Delivery (through Uber Eats), take-out, and curbside. Offers family meals and a free gallon of tea or lemonade with all orders over $35. Order online here.

Cafe Keough

Open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 901-509-2469 to place to-go orders. Access the menu here.

Bayou Bar and Grille

Crawfish boil on select days. $7 jar of Zydeco sauce. $12 6-packs of Bud Light. $18 6-pack crafts and imports. $13-15 of new 64 oz. Growler bottles. Call 901-278-8626 for curbside or take-out. View their entire menu here.

The Bar-B-Q Shop

Regular menu, family packs, and beer available for curbside and takeout. Call 901-272-1277 to order. View the menu here.

Amplified Meal Prep

Have Amplified Meal Prep deliver healthy, ready-to-eat meals straight to your door. No minimum order or subscription required. Serves Memphis and surrounding areas, including Southaven, Olive Branch, and Hernando. Place orders by 4 p.m. on Thursdays on their website.

Cheffie’s Cafe

Click here to order online for take out, curbside, and delivery. Click here to see Market Items. Click here to see Family Meals. Tea, lemonade, craft beer, and wine available.

Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar

Single and family meals and wines available for curbside pickup and free delivery. View the menu here. Call 901-521-8005. Purchase tickets for the VIP reopening party (date TBD).

Southern Social

Single and family meals and wines available for curbside pickup and free delivery. View the menu here. Call 901-754-5555. Purchase tickets for the VIP reopening party (date TBD).

Porch & Parlor

Single and family meals and wines available for curbside pickup and free delivery. View the menu here. View the Parlor Prime Wagyu Meat Market menu here. Call 901-725-4000. Purchase tickets for the VIP reopening party (date TBD).

French Truck Coffee

French Truck Coffee will be closing at 2 p.m. each day and offering to-go options only. Need beans at home? They are temporarily bringing back home deliveries and waving shipping costs. Place an order online and have it delivered to your home within two business days.

Grecian Gourmet Taverna

Offers grab and go ready-to-heat options and frozen take and bake meals on their online menu, as well as beer, bottles of wine and house-made sangria by the glass. View entire menu here. Curbside pickup. Call 901-249-6626, making sure to place your order in advance.

Midtown Crossing Grill

Open daily from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. for pickup and delivery. Menu and online ordering available at their website.

Mulan Asian Bistro (East)

Curbside pickup, carryout, and co-contact delivery available. Order online or call 901-609-8680.

The Second Line and Restaurant Iris

Ready to-go meals for family or friends available for delivery or pickup. Each will be vacuum sealed and handled with the utmost care and hygiene. Also available online are washable protective masks, mixed cocktails, Shotwell Candy Co. salted caramels, wine, beer, and other beverages. Click here to view menu and order online.

Tug’s

Open for delivery and to-go orders. Click here to order online or call 901-260-3344.

Napa Cafe

Curbside pickup, takeout, and DoorDash delivery. Click here to view the menu. Call 901-683-0441 to place your order.

Capriccio Grill

Open for takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery. Family style and alcoholic beverages available. Click here to view the menu and order for delivery. Call 901-529-4000 for takeout and curbside.

Bardog

Open for curbside pickup and delivery for food and alcohol service. Click here to view the menu and call 901-275-8752 to place your order.

Celtic Crossing

Celtic Crossing is offering curbside pickup and delivery through DoorDash. Call 901-274-5151 to place your order from the curbside lunch and dinner menu and curbside brunch menu (Sundays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.).

El Mero Taco

El Mero Taco accepts online orders for takeout and delivery through GrubHub on regular menu items and family meals. For information on where to find their food truck, click here. Please order online, as they will not handle cash or credit cards. Updated hours: Tuesdays-Thursdays 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Joe’s Fried Chicken

Open for takeout from 4 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. For pick up or curbside service, call 901-337-7003. You can also order through DoorDash, GrubHub, and UberEats. Family style dinner is available.

Loflin Yard

Order meals, small plates, kids meals, 6-packs, wine, and cocktails by delivery or curbside pickup. Order online here

Lucky Cat Ramen

Ramen, rice bowls, family meals, alcoholic beverages, and more available for curbside pickup, takeout, and delivery. Visit their website to view the entire menu. Call 901-208-8145 to place an order.

Maciel’s Tortas & Tacos

Offers takeout, delivery, and catering. Order online or call 901-526-0037.

Mahogany Memphis

Open for curbside, takeout, and family meal prep. Order online or call 901-623-7977.

Mulan Asian Bistro

Takeout and delivery available. $20 minimum order for deliveries. Available within 5 miles. View the menu here and call 901-347-3965 to place your order.

Railgarten

Shrimp boil, BBQ Shrimp Po Boy, Impossible Burger Po Boy, and alcoholic beverages available on select days. Free delivery in the midtown and Downtown area. Follow their Facebook to stay updated.

Raw Girls Memphis

All three locations are open. $44 six packs, hand sanitizers, and new spring menu. Curbside pickup available. Click here for more information.

Robata Ramen & Yakitori Bar

Takeout and delivery available. View the entire menu here and call 901-410-8290 to place your order.

Soul Fish Cafe

Takeout, pickup, and curbside available. For locations, hours, and menu, click here.

Swanky’s Taco Shop

Regular menu items and family meals available for takeout, pickup, and limited in-house delivery. Delivery also available via GrubHub and DoorDash. Click here for more information.

Trap Fusion

Regular menu items and crawfish boil available via curbside and delivery through GrubHub and UberEats. Call 901-207-5565 or order online.

Young Avenue Deli

Regular menu items, alcoholic beverages, growlers, and growler fills available through to go, curbside pickup, and delivery. Follow their Facebook for more information.

Pimento’s Kitchen & Market

Drive-thru, pickup, takeout, catering, family meals, cocktails to go, and curbside market needs available. Order regular menu items, indoor picnic package, safe at home package, and more. Follow their Facebook for more information.

The Liquor Store Diner

Order all day breakfast, desserts, sides, alcoholic beverages, and more online for pickup or delivery.

Jack Pirtle’s Chicken

Drive-thru open. Check our latest issues for Jack Pirtle’s coupons. View the menu here.

Crosstown Concourse

Crosstown Brewery:

Offers pickup and delivery. Delivery available Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday noon-6 p.m. with a $36 minimum. Pickup hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday noon-5 p.m.

Curb Market:

Still open with regular hours. Grab-n-Go/pickup/delivery options. Free delivery. To order, call Curb Market at 901-453-6880.

Global Cafe:

Offering curbside pickup and free delivery within a 4-mile radius. They are also raising funds to provide meals to medical professionals working on the front lines and to people economically impacted by the virus. To donate and view the menu, click here or call 901-512-6890

MemPops:

MemPops is closed but is offering delivery on $10 minimum purchase. Call Chris to schedule a delivery 901-596-6293.

Saucy Chicken:

Abbreviated dining hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Saucy Chicken is offering curbside pickup or in-store pickup. Also offering free delivery in the Crosstown Concourse; provide phone number and location information. If you are not in the Crosstown Concourse, you can use the Bite Squad app. Bite Squad is offering free delivery with the promotional code: INSIDE. Call 901-203-3838 for assistance.

**When requesting free delivery in Crosstown Concourse, choose “curbside pickup” during check out and call with your location information.


Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Silky O’Sullivan’s Hosts Weekly Virtual Happy Hour

Craig Schuster

On April 14th, Silky O’Sullivan’s hosted its first virtual Happy Hour, featuring a live performance by pianist, trumpeter, and singer Craig Schuster playing songs from his latest album Goodnight Jr., as well as taking requests from the audience.

“He’s been with us for more than 15 years as one of our Dueling Piano players,” says owner Joellyn Sullivan. “We were very pleased, and we look forward to the next one.”

Buddy Nemenz from Almost Famous played this week, and this upcoming Tuesday, Danny Childress, another one of the venue’s regular pianists, will perform. “Danny has been with us for over 20 years,” says Sullivan. “He’s almost one of our original piano players, really, since we opened up in 1992.”

Buddy Nemenz

During Tuesday performances, viewers are invited to a toast as the artist shares Silky O’Sullivan’s drink recipe of the day. The first week’s drink recipe was for Green Tea, which contains 1 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey, 1/4 Peach Schnapps, and equal parts sour and Sprite.

“We figured we’d share a recipe somebody might not be that familiar with,” says Sullivan. “It’s just another social opportunity to get in contact and to help with isolation and the loneliness of not getting to come in and share time and experiences with others.”

In the videos, the performing artists also talk about Silky O’Sullivan’s Silky’s 2020 Season Pass, which will cover unlimited door charges for any event from whenever the venue is able to open back up until New Year’s Eve. Plus, purchase of the season pass enters new members into a giveaway for a Diver bucket full of cool Memphis-themed swag. Ultimately, however, proceeds from these passes benefit the musicians who have lost gigs at Silky’s due to COVID-19.

“Memphis has so many talented artists, and we have been so blessed with the venues to keep them busy,” she says. “Beale Street, as a grand example, is looking at live music day and night, seven days a week, at least 363 days of the year, if not 365.”

She says that’s a lot of time musicians aren’t getting paid for, especially considering that many of them play several other venues as well.

“There are not nearly as many resources out there [for them],” she says. “They’re independent contractors. They’re basically individually small business people. And these resources that are available to the rest of us are largely not available to them. They can’t apply for unemployment.”

Danny Childress

Likewise, the people who frequent Beale Street and other live music joints in Memphis can benefit from this, too. “Music is for the soul,” she says. “And Memphis is all about soul. So, at our core, wherever there is music, there’s community. There’s sharing, there’s bonding, there is support and love and friendship that is just shared among people. And whether you’re on Beale Street, whether you’re in a church, whether you’re at a concert, that community that music makes happen, reaches down into the soul and connects us and warms us. And we, as people, need that.”

To view weekly Virtual Happy Hours, stay tuned on Silky’s Facebook page every Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Categories
News News Blog

How to Support Local: Retail

Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash

With the newly added stresses caused by COVID-19, some of us need a little shopping therapy. Luckily, while we can no longer step inside most shops, local retailers still have us in mind with online and phone ordering for shipping, same-day delivery, and curbside pickup. We’ve amassed an online and curbside shopping guide, featuring products and offerings from our advertisers.

Dixie Pickers

Dixie Pickers, a one-stop shop for quality clothing and specialty items as well as vintage vinyl, comics, or sports memorabilia, is offering online shopping with shipping or curbside pickup from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to clothing for men and women, outdoor and hunting gear, and vintage memorabilia, Dixie Pickers is currently showcasing their Memphis Strong T-shirts to benefit the Mid-South Food Bank. Each T-shirt purchase will provide 24 meals to families in need, and shoppers of all ages have dozens of designs and colors to choose from.

Lansky Bros.

Lansky Bros., Clothier to the King, is offering online shopping and shipping. They have recently partnered with Happy Socks for this one-of-a-kind sock collection Fit for a King, featuring a three-piece set of socks in a commemorative box with Elvis-inspired designs for men and women. Lanky Bros. will donate a portion of proceeds from these sock sets to The Elvis Presley Trauma Center at Regional One Health.

Ivory Closet Boutique

Ivory Closet Boutique offers unique head-turning styles for women, all available online for shipping. New arrivals include pastel spring apparel and swimwear for the upcoming summer season. Right now, Ivory Closet is offering free shipping on orders over $75.

Crazy Beautiful

Crazy Beautiful is offering online shipping and curbside pickup from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. New arrivals include pastel bralettes, floral springtime dresses, as well as items from their new Candy Coated Spring Collection (we love this Candyland Cardigan). Free shipping on orders over $75. Use code “STAY HOME” for 20 percent off your entire purchase.

Baer’s Den

Baer’s Den, a fashion boutique for men and women, offers one-of-a-kind clothing, comfortable tees, designer jeans, shoes, and more. New arrivals for women include dresses, shirts, and rompers in fun and colorful palm, floral, tie-dye, and pinstripe prints. Men’s new arrivals include button-down shirts, polos, and Memphis Grizzlies apparel. Curbside available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily, and free shipping is applied to all online orders. 10 percent off your first order.

Sachi

Keep your tweens and teens dressing stylishly by shopping with Sachi Memphis. They stock well-known brands like Free People, Vera Bradley, and French Connection. Their March collection features springtime tops from English Factory, Harper Wren, and more, as well as shoes by Steve Madden and Dolce Vita. Right now, clothing and shoes are 25 percent off, and they’re offering curbside pickup (Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), free delivery, and shipping. Call 901-685-8464 or visit them on Facebook or on their website.

Cotton Tails

Children’s boutique Cotton Tails stocks unique clothing and shoes for children. Their newest arrivals featured on their Facebook include dress clothes for infants and pajamas for toddlers and children — perfect for extended time at home! Free Goodnight Memphis book with pajama purchase while supplies last. 25 percent off all spring clothing and shoes.

Fleet Feet

Many people are taking advantage of indoor and outdoor exercise routines due to COVID-19 closures. Fleet Feet offers all kinds of activewear for men and women, including shoes, apparel, and accessories. They’re offering curbside pickup at select locations as well as shipping.

Novel

Reading has always been a great mode of entertainment, especially in times like these. And Novel has made it easier for you to catch up on bestsellers like The Glass Hotel and new releases like How Much of These Hills is Gold with same day delivery and curbside pickup. Shop online or call them at (901) 922-5526. Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

King Furs & Fine Jewelry

For birthday, Mother’s Day, and anniversary gifts, King Furs & Jewelry has you covered with their collections of designer jewelry and fur hats, coats, and accessories. Private video shopping and fur storage curbside drop off are available. Visit their website for more information.

Indigo

Women’s boutique shop Indigo carries designer women’s apparel for all ages. Shop new arrivals from Free People, ASTR, Bella Dahl, and more. Shipping is available.

Buster’s Liquors & Wines

Let Buster’s Liquors & Wines help you stock your bar. They’re accepting online orders for curbside pickup from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Must order by 5 p.m. for same-day pickup. Local deliveries to ZIP codes 38111, 38117, and 38104 also available; orders must be placed 24 hours in advance.

Whatever Shop

Whatever Shops carry tobacco products, smoking accessories, room decor, clothing, accessories, and more. Curbside pickup only. Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Sunday.

Wizards

Shop for novelty items, gifts, CBD, apparel, smoking accessories, and more with Wizards. Visit their website or give them a call at (901) 726-6800.

Germantown Day Spa & Salon

Take the spa home with you with Germantown Day Spa & Salon’s collection of hair masks, face masks, retinol, body scrub, and Latisse, and more. Curbside pickup and free home delivery are available Monday through Friday. Place orders by phone (901-737-2840), text (901-833-0454), or email (admin@germantowndayspa.com).

Your CBD Store of Collierville

Calm your COVID-19 anxieties with CBD products from Your CBD Store of Collierville. Visit their website to browse hemp oils, edibles, water solubles, pet products, and more. Free shipping available by phone (901-316-8775) or online.

Ed Harris Jewelry

Ed Harris Jewelry offers elegant and unique designer watches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and more. They’re currently closed to the public but are working on setting up online shopping within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned by following them on Facebook or by visiting their website.

Lucky Leaf Hemp Farms

Treat issues with acne, depression, anxiety, pain, and more, with CBD products from Lucky Leaf Hemp Farms. Their most popular products, 500mg Topical CBD Salve Wellness & Pain Relief and Full Spectrum Tincture, can be shipped straight to your door.

The Spirits Shoppe

Get your favorite spirits and wine from The Spirits Shoppe. Call them at 901-767-7030 to order for curbside pickup or limited delivery. Hungry? Food trucks will be serving food from the parking lot each day of the week. For more information, click here.

Goner Records

You can’t quarantine without some awesome tunes. Goner Records offers shipping on LPs, vinyls, and CDs. Check out Bloodshot Bill’s “Get Loose or Get Lost” recorded under Goner Records’ label.


Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Crosstown Arts’ Against the Grain Helps Support Local Musicians

Last week, Crosstown Arts released its Against the Grain platform, where local musicians can submit their musical works for the public to enjoy and show support by purchasing virtual tickets. “The coronavirus pandemic is currently forcing all Memphis music venues to close for the foreseeable future — something that clearly goes against the grain of a musician’s lifestyle and livelihood,” the organization said via a press release.

A number of artists have already submitted unedited, one-take, iPhone/smartphone videos of their exclusive performances, including DJ and producer Qemist and multi-instrumentalist Paul Taylor.

Qemist, an electronic music producer known for blending genres like footwork, electronic, underground house, trap music, and Memphis rap, was among some of the first artists to submit videos to the new platform. “When they reached out to me to participate in Against the Grain, I was very excited about that,” he says. “It definitely let me know that people are still wanting creative work, even though society and the climate of today is really pushing against the working force right now, because it’s inevitable at this point. But [this is] them letting me know that even throughout all of this, they still have avenues that they can give you to help you be a little more stable with your creative work.”

Paul Taylor submitted a video within the first week of the program’s inception, as well, featuring an acoustic set of “Eye to the Sky,” an original song written by him to pay homage to the Old Forest Trail in Overton Park.

“I was disappointed to see that music and the world is canceled for the foreseeable future,” he says. “But, out of adversity always comes the greatest art.”

Visit againsthegra.in to view performances, which are available 24/7. Tickets: $5-$100.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Novel Hosts Virtual Book Club

Novel hosts the second virtual edition of its monthly A Novel Book Club this Wednesday, April 15th, to get together (on Zoom) and discuss John Le Carré’s 1963 novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, about a British agent being sent to East Germany as a “faux defector” to trap a powerful East German intelligence officer.

Last month, the book club group met on Zoom for the first time. Kat Leache, a social media marketing employee for Novel who also serves as the monthly book club’s leader, was happy with the turnout. “It was really fun,” she says. “It was in that first week of everyone realizing that life was not going to be normal for a while. And so it was kind of an on-the-fly effort.”

The book they discussed was Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, which centers around a devastating flu pandemic that swept up civilization as we know it.

“The selection was chosen in January,” says Leache. “When I chose that in January for the March meeting, I didn’t know that coronavirus would be the thing that it is. So that made it an interesting meeting on a couple of levels, not only because we’re virtual, but because of the contents of the book.

“The reason I chose Station Eleven was because I selfishly wanted to force myself to reread it because it’s one of my favorites and because that author had a book coming out the week after our meeting. It was all so strangely coincidental.” 

For more information on joining Novel’s book club discussions, visit novelmemphis.com or follow them on social media. This month’s club meets on Zoom on Wednesday, April 15th, 7-8:15 p.m., free. Book club members can get 10 percent off the price of this month’s book, and Novel can ship it to you or you can pick it up curbside.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Magazine Launches its In the Kitchen Virtual Event Series


COVID-19 has disrupted many of our normal routines, some of those including weekly dinner dates and outings with our loved ones. Instead, we’ve been spending much more time in our kitchens, attempting to come up with creative and delicious dishes of our own. To help with that, our sister publication, Memphis magazine, has created a platform for us to stay connected with our local chefs through its
In the Kitchen with Memphis Magazine virtual event series.

“You’ll be invited into the kitchens of local chefs who will share their perspectives on everything they’re dealing with in the time of COVID-19 — and also walk us through some recipes we can prepare at home,” said our CEO Anna Traverse via an online Memphis magazine post.

Derk Meitzler, chef at The Vault in Downtown Memphis, will kick off the webinar series via Zoom on Monday, April 13th, at 2 p.m., inviting us into his kitchen for conversation and a cooking demonstration. Due to limited space, attendees are encouraged to register for the virtual event here.

This webinar will also be streamed live on Memphis magazine’s Facebook.

This event is sponsored by the Downtown Memphis Commission, which drives Downtown’s role as the heartbeat of our region and the economic, cultural, and governmental core of our city.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

L. Ross Gallery Hosts Doodling Around Project

Courtesy of Alden Weatherbie

@aldenweatherbie on Instagram: “Sheltered in place with this doodle from @lisajenningsart courtesy of @lrossgallerymemphis. It became an exercise in Photoshop. Layers are fun.”

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso

Laurie Brown, owner of of L. Ross Gallery, hopes to spread this message with the gallery’s online Doodling Around project, featuring doodles drawn by resident artists for the local community to interact with by coloring, either by hand or digitally.

“My goal is to give people a creative outlet,” says Brown. “A lot of people have been stuck at home, and you see them going back to hobbies they used to have or maybe trying something new. And so we just thought Doodling Around was a fun way to keep them engaged with art or let them get back to art and stay busy.”

Brown was inspired to start the Doodling Around project when one of L. Ross Gallery’s artists, Laurel Lukaszewski, posted on Instagram a doodle she’d drawn during a conference call. The doodle became a hit with her followers, who were looking to calm their anxieties with meditative coloring. Brown loved this idea, thinking this was a great way to engage the community. So she asked Lukaszewski if she would be interested in becoming a part of Doodling Around. She agreed, and her work, entitled “Sakura (Cherry Blossom),” became the first doodle to kick off the project.

“And then I just went to the other artists and I said, ‘I think this is a fun idea,’” says Brown. “It keeps people engaged. It gives them something to do. It lets them explore their artistic side again. And so the artists have been sending me doodles to post.”

One such artist, Lisa Jennings, a multimedia artist based out of Nashville, has provided two doodles, one of an owl and the other of a bird resting on a branch, that show her love for nature and the outdoors. When Brown contacted her asking if she’d like to be a part of the project, she was happy to contribute, not knowing that it would wind up giving her some inspiration for her personal work. Colored doodle courtesy of Alden Weatherbie

@aldenweatherbie on Instagram: “@lrossgallerymemphis is feeding our need for art with doodles to color. This one, by @laurellukaszewski was a lot of fun to do on the computer. I’m looking forward to the next one.”

“I’ve kept notebooks and sketchbooks, so I sent her some that I had done some years back,” Jennings says. “But then I started doing new doodles and new sketches. And I’ve actually been creating one and posting one a day for about a week and a half now. And what’s wonderful about these doodles is it’s kind of opening up another part of me, and it’s given me ideas for some things that I want to do with my sculpture.”

Since contributing the two doodles for the Doodling Around project, Jennings says she has been inspired to experiment with her curiosity for Inuit art and has doodled a few whimsical healing masks for viewers to draw faces on to express their moods. “It’s kind of like a release for people to color and then put their own form of expression on the whimsical mask,” she says.

By the time the pandemic is through, Jennings hopes to create a story or a coloring book from her daily doodles. But most of all, she hopes her work will help encourage the community to pursue art and expression themselves.

“I’m trying to do what little I can with my gift to give back and to keep people’s spirits up,” she says. “Art is a necessary thing. It really is. It’s something that has been there for thousands of years, and it will be there even after the pandemic is done. We need art to keep our souls living and alive, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot.”

To view doodles featured in Doodling Around, go to lrossgallery.com. Download PDFs, color them, and share them on social media with the tag @lrossgallerymemphis.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Becky Zee Hosts Virtual Ceramics Class

Local ceramics artist Becky Zee hosts a virtual Crittermaking at-home ceramics class through the first of Arrow Creative’s Creatively Quarantined online series this Friday, April 3rd.

“It’s new for me, and it’s new for them,” she says.

While the world of online classes is new to Zee, as it is for many others, one thing she knows very well is the art of ceramics, having worked with the medium since she was 5 years old. Through her artistic career, she has become a full-time ceramics artist, specializing in crafting critters out of clay. And she’s here to show the public that they can do it, too, using a basic pottery method called “pinch pot” construction.

Crittermaking with Becky Zee

“It’s the very first thing that you’re taught whenever you take a ceramics class,” says Zee.

She says this class is appropriate for all ages and all levels. What’s more, anyone who doesn’t already have materials can have a kit containing clay, sculpting tools, acrylics paints, and a paintbrush delivered to their door by Arrow Creative.

In times like these when we must be creative in how we spend our extra free time, Zee says this class could serve as a great outlet.

“As anybody can tell you right now, we’re all under a lot of stress, and I think arts and entertainment help to alleviate that stress,” says Zee. “The only thing you can control right now is just to maintain a positive attitude. So Arrow is helping people to get rid of that stress and just have a little bit of fun.”

Creatively Quarantined: Crittermaking with Becky Zee, arrowcreative.org, Friday, April 3rd, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., $65 class fee (includes ceramics kit), $20 for each additional kit.