With March as Women’s History Month, The Dixon Gallery & Gardens and Theatre Memphis are bringing together dynamic Memphis women in the arts for a day of performances, demonstrations, and discussions.
“The Dixon and Theatre Memphis are two very established organizations,” says Claire Rutkauskas, Theatre Memphis’ director of outreach and engagement. “We have access to a lot. Part of our mission with this is to make sure we are reaching artists who are trying to get started and provide them with a network and a way to celebrate their work and to be seen and be heard.”
This will be the second time the two organizations have hosted this event, called Women in the Arts, with the first time being in March of 2020 right before lockdown. “Our objective is to have it every first weekend in March moving forward,” Rutkauskas says. Unlike its inaugural year, which, due to renovations at Theatre Memphis, was hosted solely at the Dixon, this year Women in the Arts will be celebrated at both campuses. Admission to the family-friendly event is free, and shuttles will be available to travel to and from the locations.
At Theatre Memphis, guests can view a costume design exhibit; sample lunch and treats from Good Groceries Mobile Dining, Dim Sum Mem, Cousins Maine Lobster, El Mero Taco, and MemPops; and shop from local artists and makers at the artist market (the list of vendor booths can be found here). At 11:30 a.m., Marianne Bell from the Hot Foot Honeys will lead an all-levels tap class (no tap shoes required), and throughout the day, local women filmmakers will screen shorts, with most presenting a Q&A following their film. (A schedule for film screenings can be found here.) Plus, the members of the technical team at Theatre Memphis will have a half-hour panel discussion about the intersection between technical theater and gender. “Most of our technical team is women and that’s not usual for theater,” Rutkauskas explains.
Meanwhile, throughout the day, the Dixon will have pop-up performances throughout its galleries and artist demonstrations in its education building, and guests can get a little creative, too, at the Make and Take Art station. At 10:30 a.m., Mia Henley, the executive director of Creative Aging, will moderate a panel discussion celebrating women in the arts, during which Amanda Willoughby from Indie Memphis, Bethania Baray from Opera Memphis, sculptor Brittney Boyd Bullock, and artist/actor/dancer/youth Harper Steinmetz will speak about the tools they’ve used to navigate the arts world in Memphis.
“We just wanted to make sure we were providing a visible platform for women in the arts,” Rutkauskas says. “A lot of what we believe in is collaboration. We’re definitely stronger in numbers.”
A full schedule of Women in the Arts can be found here.
Women in the Arts, Saturday, March 5th, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., free. The Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park Avenue | Theatre Memphis, 630 Perkins Extd.
