Author: Michael Flanagan

Categories
News The Fly-By

Chalk It Up

CREDIT: Michael Flanagan

Memphis’ characteristic autumn tease was definitely over by 10 o’clock Saturday morning. The Memphis Farmers Market downtown was full, and 40 people were there as part of the local American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) annual Chalk Art Festival.

Held in conjunction with the Memphis Heritage Foundation, the festival was part of Architecture Month. Teams created their best tribute to Memphis architecture in five-by-five-foot squares taped off on the ground. The Art Center on Union supplied the chalk, and the teams, already hard at work, consisted of families or members of architecture firms.

“We’re here to have fun,” said architect Rebecca Lee of Askew, Nixon, and Ferguson. “It’s nice to spend the day out.”

Throughout September’s Architecture Month, the Memphis AIA and Memphis Heritage have hosted a series of lectures and films to help Memphians see the city as a growing organism that requires thoughtful planning as well as aesthetic creativity.

“When there are tourists looking for Memphis history, they’re usually just shown Graceland and Beale Street,” said June West, executive director of Memphis Heritage. “There’s a lot a person can see in Memphis that we never show them.”

Under the morning sun, the artists drew and colored with their chalk, racing to finish before the noon deadline. The pieces were judged in four categories: teams, families, individuals, and Best in Show.

All over the pavement, the designs grew from simple sketches and outlines, slowly taking form and color. The pieces included one in which buildings played guitar, a vegetable motif by members of the Farmers Market, and a large likeness of Family Guy fussbudget Stewie Griffin warning the world to love architecture or face the consequences.

“We wanted to do something original,” said Mario Walker of Self Tucker Architects, who, along with associate Rodrigo Garcia, created the Family Guy entry. “We knew everyone else was going to do something appropriate.”

Last year’s winner in the team category, Fleming Associates once again took home bragging rights, winning Best in Show. Their design was a view of a Redbirds game from the right-field bleachers at AutoZone Park.

“Nine out of 10 of our favorite things to do in Memphis involve eating and drinking, and this was a scene that combines the two,” said Fleming’s Richard Wiggs, who, along with Debb and Bob Ross, created this year’s grand winner. “Getting dirty is all part of the fun.”

Categories
News The Fly-By

Q&A: Susan Schadt,

On September 12th, the Greater Memphis Arts Council officially became ArtsMemphis. The rebranding of the Memphis Arts Council, which was founded in 1963 to raise funds for local art groups, is part of an initiative to encourage broader interest in the organization. The Flyer asked Susan Schadt, director of ArtsMemphis, what’s in a name?

— Michael Flanagan

How Was the Name Chosen?

Choosing a name wasn’t easy. We started out with 25 names. As we went through the process, we looked at the different names and realized you can’t have Memphis without art and you can’t have art without Memphis, so it came out ArtsMemphis. It just made sense — anybody in the world could get that.

How will the new ArtsMemphis change your place in the community?

Louisville, our best city for comparison, has 26,000 donors. They raise $8 million a year. We have 2,500 donors and raise $3 million. The good news is that we have the highest average gift. The bad news is that we haven’t done a good enough job of engaging the community.

An important part of the [rebranding] is the tagline: “Your Support Matters.” That means a lot to us. What we mean is that every gift matters, every penny matters, and don’t think your gift is ever too small.


What projects will you invest in?

Our groups desperately need operating support. Our mission is to provide them those dollars that keeps their lights on and that pay their telephone bills, so that they can go about their jobs.

What place do the arts have in Memphis?

Our cultural sector is authentic. Some cities represent their state or region, but Memphis is important to the world. You say the word “Memphis,” and people look up. They love Memphis. They know about Memphis — even if they’ve never been here.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Hometown Brew

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

There’s no better way to end the day than with cold beer and good conversation — especially when you’re having that beer with the man who created it.

Tony Vieira is a certified master brewer and CEO of Naked Lion Brewing Co., which he started with his family. The Memphis company launched its first beer, Copper Flask, in May.

Vieira is, like all serious brewers, a scientist by default. He has steeped himself in chemical formulas, the physics of cooking, the biology of managing organic substances such as yeast, and the technology that resulted in the beer on the table in front of us.

Vieira’s clear devotion to the craft is a shared trait among brewers, whose love for the minutiae lends them a sort of Trekkie-like vibe.

“Brewers are kind of weird,” Vieira admits with a grin. “It’s a hobby you can’t get rid of.”

Vieira’s philosophy toward beer is a reflection of the local culture near Boston, where he grew up and went to college. “It’s sort of the great equalizer,” he says. “The poorest man can buy the best beer in the world.”

Justin Fox Burks

Master brewer Tony Vieira

Vieira knows how to get things done. He received his masters from Vanderbilt, owned a string of brew pubs in the Boston area, and worked for two of the nation’s largest brewing companies, including the local Coors plant. He currently holds a position in corporate strategy with FedEx.

But brewing beer seems to be what he loves best.

“It’s such a great sort of industry to be in, ” Vieira says. “When you can take your work home and enjoy doing it, that’s the best situation.”

To create Copper Flask, Vieira began with a question: “What’s the very first beer I’d make?” he recalls. “This is closest to an Oktoberfest [beer]. It’s a lager. The style would be a festbier, and that’s because the alcohol is a little higher and a little darker.”

The label on the bottle boasts of the sour mashing process that the lager undergoes during the brewing. “The process itself is a trade secret,” Vieira explains. He says a great deal of the beer’s distinct flavor comes from this process.

Copper Flask, named after a brewing term for unofficial taste testing, weighs in with an impressive 5.95 percent alcohol per volume. It has a lager’s smoothness, the hops biting just enough without overpowering. The beer finishes with a satisfying malty fullness.

“We wanted to brew something that was closer to true-style but at the same time give consumers a beer that was drinkable and had a higher alcohol content,” Vieira says. “We’re really happy with how the beer came out.”

Naked Lion’s beer is brewed at City Brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and then distributed to Memphis and the several other markets.

Vieira says he would eventually like to open his own brewery in Memphis. “If people like the beer, then I’ll build that brewery,” he says.

“I started my 19th year in the brewing industry in May,” he says. “I’m brewing beer for myself and the people I love, and if I can sell it after that, I’m happy.”

Copper Flask is sold at Raffe’s Deli, Sam’s “Z” Mart, Ike’s, and Schnucks. It’s also served at Young Avenue Deli, Bangkok Alley, and Yia Yia’s.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Block Party

CREDIT: Wes Frazer

One of Memphis’ most successful and most beloved festivals will happen for the 20th time on Saturday, September 15th.

The annual Cooper-Young Festival will take over the streets of that neighborhood with its usual complement of music, arts, and food.

“It’s a celebration, an end-of-summer party,” says Lyn Patrick Myers, the festival’s director. “It’s about letting your hair down and just being around other people.”

Last year’s festival drew an estimated 65,000 people, and Myers expects that Saturday’s crowd will be just as large.

The festival’s list of vendors reveals the diversity and texture that give the Cooper-Young neighborhood its eclectic personality. Nearly every conceivable art and craft will be for sale, alongside cultural vendors, and representatives from local non-profit groups.

“There’s really no stereotyping here,” Myers says. “It brings a lot of people together who are never around each other.”

Local indie-rockers Lucero (pictured) headline Cooper-Young’s musical line-up. The festival features three stages with music playing all day. Also appearing are the University of Memphis Jazz Band, singer-songwriter Blair Combest, and a number of local favorites such as Vending Machine and Jump Back Jake.

The Cooper-Young Festival begins at 9 a.m. Forecasters are predicting unseasonably cool temperatures in the upper 70s — perfect weather for having fun.

“It’s like throwing a party for 65,000 people,” Myers says. “I love it.”

Cooper-Young Festival, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, September 15th. For more info, go to www.cooperyoungfestival.com.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Coming to America

The lives, struggles, and humanity of people from every part of the world have come to the University of Memphis.

Their stories arrived with “Crossing the BLVD: Strangers, Neighbors, Aliens in a New America,” a multi-media art exhibit originating from immigrants living in the New York City borough of Queens. The result of years of work by Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan, “Crossing the BLVD” captures the energy and personality of these new Americans.

“I find the show incredibly compelling,” said Leslie Luebbers, director of the Art Museum at the U of M. “The show vividly presents portraits of people as thoughtful, funny, hopeful, durable beings who live in two cultures: the past and the rapidly changing present.”

Brief stories and scenes of everyday life accompany portraits of the immigrants who now call New York City home. Headsets hang among the pictures, giving visitors a chance to hear these stories first-hand, and a mobile story booth allows them to contribute their own stories (or those of their families) to the collection. There is a touch screen database for deeper investigation.

On Saturday, September 8th, Lehrer and Sloan will bring “Crossing the BLVD” to life. Lehrer will serve as tour guide, while Sloan will take on the roles of immigrants and refugees.

“Crossing the BLVD” not only illustrates the trials of immigrants but also the cultures they bring with them.

“Crossing the BLVD: Strangers, Neighbors, Aliens in a New America” at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis through November 10th. Performance by Warren Lehrer and Judith Sloan on the Main Stage in the Theatre & Communication Building, Saturday, September 8th, at 8 p.m. free.

Categories
News The Fly-By

Dude, Where’s My Catalytic Converter?

Last week, four vehicles parked at a Germantown church were vandalized. But none of the windows were broken, the tires were untouched, and the license plates were still attached. Missing instead were the vehicles’ catalytic converters, a piece of the exhaust system that contains platinum, which can easily be resold. Unfortunately for motorists, replacing them costs from $200 to $600.

The church isn’t the only location that has been hit. Roughly 40 catalytic converter thefts have been reported this year, including a Rent-A-Center on Jackson last month, according to the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

There, thieves took the catalytic converters from two vans.

Another theft involved the catalytic converter on a pizza delivery man’s vehicle, according to Evelyn Smith of Smitty’s Auto Service on Highland. The delivery man had run inside to change his shirt. By the time he came back, his catalytic converter was gone.

“It shows you how quickly someone can take the part,” Smith said.

Monique Martin, spokesperson for MPD, says the department is trying to work with salvage yards to curb the thefts. “There’s no rhyme or reason to the parts being stolen,” she said, “but the fact that it’s a converter shows it’s someone who knows what they’re doing.”

Categories
News The Fly-By

Playing for Pitchers

The first time Arjun Dirghangi walked into trivia night at the P&H, it wasn’t because he had all the answers. It was because he wanted a beer.

“It was completely accidental,” the medical student says. “Instead of walking into my usual friendly watering hole, I barged in on [what felt like] a university library the night before finals.”

The bar was completely silent except for people nervously clearing their throats and the host repeating the question. When Dirghangi called out to the bartender, the players glared at him.

“I sheepishly settled in at a barstool, trying to make as little racket as possible,” he says, “and asked [the bartender] what was going on. ‘Trivia night,’ he said. ‘Pretty serious.'”

August marked the five-year anniversary of the P&H Café’s weekly trivia nights, one of the most popular gatherings in Midtown.

“We have an audience that includes varied folks such as graduate students, senior citizens, high-level executives, news personalities, and P&H regulars,” says Beth Okeon, one of a team of emcees who host trivia night. “There is no typical trivia night player. The only thing they have in common is that they’re all sure they’re right.”

The players, gathered in teams in dimly lit booths or around tables, pay $3 each to test their knowledge. The entrance fee gets divided into the winning pot, usually just enough to cover the team’s tab. Each team chooses a name for itself, such as Touched by an Uncle, the Neverland Ranch Hands, and Barry’s Bail Bonds.

“People just like the atmosphere,” Okeon says.

There is never much ceremony to begin the game; the judges simply begin reading the rounds’ questions, regardless of whether the audience is ready:

“Whose name is mentioned twice in the R.E.M song “It’s the End of the World As We Know It?”

“Name the original members of the Jackson Five.”

“What did Lloyd Dobler say was the sport of the future?”

Okeon and her colleagues are solely responsible for creating the night’s questions. They often range from pop culture to current events to the just plain bizarre, but most questions come with a side of wit and sarcasm.

“Letting trivia be what the audience wants it to be has kept it going this long,” Okeon says, “We feel that as long as we respond to the group’s continual yet helpful feedback, it will continue to be a place where people gather.”

When asked what she feels the future holds for trivia night, Okeon replies, “I think it will probably come to an abrupt end this week. … Just kidding.”