201 Poplar (Photo:Thomas R Machnitzki | Wikimedia Commons)
Our city and county face a difficult yet pivotal decision: how to allocate our limited resources in a manner that not only meets urgent needs but also sets the stage for long-term prosperity and safety. With mounting pressure to build both a new jail and a new hospital, it is imperative that we evaluate every option to maximize public benefit without burdening taxpayers or risking unnecessary expenditures.
At the heart of the hospital debate is the existence of a private, not-for-profit facility — Methodist University Hospital — which currently operates under capacity. Meanwhile, plans for the new community trauma center, Regional One Health Medical Center, call for development on the site of the former Commercial Appeal building. This site is also a potential toxic waste dump that would require extensive and expensive environmental remediation. With these realities in mind, one must ask: Is constructing an entirely new hospital the wisest use of public funds, or is there a more strategic, fiscally responsible alternative available?
Memphis City Council member Jeffrey Warren (Photo: memphistn.gov)
A promising and forward-thinking solution is to merge the proposed Regional One Medical Center with Methodist University Hospital to create a single, robust University Medical Center. This unified entity would leverage the significant strengths of each institution. The UT Health Science Center — our largest state medical school — already plays a vital role in the operation of both hospitals. By consolidating these institutions, we can enhance medical training, streamline services, and ultimately ensure that residents receive the highest standard of care. A unified system would facilitate better coordination of specialized services, reduce redundant administrative overhead, and eliminate unnecessary duplication of costly infrastructure.
Adding to the strength of this proposal is the fact that I have received an overwhelming number of supportive comments from multiple medical administrators and physicians. These experts, with firsthand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in our healthcare system, have commended the wisdom of merging our resources. Their endorsements underline a shared vision for a more efficient, responsive, and innovative healthcare delivery model that can better serve our community’s needs.
Moreover, this strategic merger would free up funds by avoiding the exorbitant costs associated with building a new hospital on a contaminated site. The savings could then be redirected to another critical area: modernizing our county jail at 201 Poplar Avenue. The current jail facility is not only outdated but also fails to meet the operational requirements of both law enforcement agencies and the broader justice system. A modern, secure, and efficient jail would not only bolster public safety but also facilitate improved rehabilitation and support programs, benefiting both inmates and the community as a whole.
Relocating the jail would also bring significant economic and developmental advantages to Downtown Memphis. The existing facility, along with its aging adjacent structures, has long stifled the potential of our central business district. By moving the jail to a more suitable location, we would unlock new avenues for economic growth and revitalization. This move could attract fresh investments, stimulate local businesses, and create a more vibrant and welcoming urban environment for residents and visitors alike.
Before any irreversible decisions or costly demolitions — such as tearing down the old newspaper office — are made, it is crucial that a thorough investigation is conducted. To that end, I urge the County Commission, the hospitals involved, and the university administration to form a dedicated committee. This committee would be tasked with a comprehensive review of the merger proposal, weighing the benefits against potential risks, and ensuring that every aspect is carefully considered. Such a measured approach would prevent hasty expenditures and safeguard our community’s financial health while ensuring that we are investing in solutions that offer the greatest long-term returns.
In addition, this proposed committee would serve as a platform for ongoing dialogue between policymakers, medical experts, and community stakeholders. By fostering collaboration and transparent discussion, we can refine our strategy to ensure that the unified medical center not only meets current healthcare demands but is also well-positioned to adapt to future challenges. It is essential that every step of this process be guided by evidence-based insights and a clear understanding of the fiscal and societal impacts involved.
Ultimately, the merger of Methodist University Hospital with the proposed Regional One Medical Center is not merely a consolidation of facilities; it is an investment in a visionary approach to healthcare and public safety. It represents a commitment to fiscal prudence, operational efficiency, and the well-being of our community. By thoughtfully balancing the immediate need for improved medical and correctional facilities with long-term strategic planning, we can create a model of integrated public service that benefits everyone.
Now is the time to think strategically, collaborate extensively, and invest wisely in a future that strengthens our healthcare system, revitalizes our Downtown, and secures a safer environment for all citizens — without imposing new tax burdens. Let us move forward with a plan that reflects both our immediate needs and our commitment to sustainable growth.
Jeffery Warren is a member of the Memphis City Council, representing Super District 9 Position 3.
Deedee Johnson, Meetesh Patel, Brie Griffith, Cory Redwine,
and Marisa Griffith (Photos: Michael Donahue)
Whether they were talking about it or eating it, “gumbo” was on everybody’s lips at the Tennessee Equality Project Gumbo Contest, held February 16th at the Memphis Sports and Events Center.
Arnold Medal, Savannah Jeffrey, and Kristie JeffreyJune West, Jim Cole, and Anne BarriereBruno FarrisEli Townsend and Ashley MooreStephanie Wilson and Pat McCooterAlex Jamerson, Anthony Perez, and Michael Pohlman
More than 200 people turned out for the event, which featured 11 teams, says Dabney Ring, an event committee member.
It was the project’s 12th gumbo contest, Ring says. “It went well,” she says. “We had a bigger crowd and raised more money than last year. It’s important because the money raised goes for state and local advocacy for the LGBTQ community.”
Scott Haynes and Nico OzmentAmanda Hicks and Geoff KnowltonLaura ElliottAustin Rowe and Sage CottenChristian AssandriaTammy Ackers, Trinita Williams, Khalil Carey, and Crystal Turner
And, she says, “Not only do we talk with our state reps and senators, but we also do outreach and education all over the state, including — and probably most importantly — the rural areas that don’t really have a lot of resources. So, we try and provide everything that we can.”
Sister Squeegee Jubilee of Blue Suede Sisters of Perpetual IndulgenceJoy Borbolla and Maniae ValentineDabney Ring
As for how much money they raised, Ring says, “We raised above expectations.”
Reginald Milton and mother last week (Photo: Courtesy Reginald Milton)
The news that came down late last week of the federal indictment of Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. on one count of alleged bribery and six counts of alleged tax fraud generated less public notice than might ordinarily have been expected.
After all, it somewhat reprises media attention from 2021, when Ford came under suspicion for alleged improprieties stemming from his computer company’s sale of laptops to the nonprofit organization Junior Achievement.
An article by then-Commercial Appeal reporter Katherine Burgess had led to an investigation of the transaction by a commission-appointed special ethics committee and a probe by a special investigator for former DA Amy Weirich. She reported that Ford, though the grant sponsor, had conspicuously absented himself from a 2019 commission vote on the outlay of some $450,000 to JA, then later sold them a supply of laptops at a profit.
Last week’s indictment enumerates several transactions involving Ford and assorted other nonprofits between 2018 and 2022. He is accused of netting some $265,000 in kickbacks from taxpayer-funded grants in amounts totaling approximately $630,000.
County Mayor Lee Harris, with whom Ford has consistently feuded over the years, has called for Ford to be prohibited, so long as he is under federal charges, from further participation in the “Shelby County Milton Community Enhancement Grants,” named after the former commissioner who proposed them in 2019, Reginald Milton, who now serves as deputy administrator of the county’s Office of Educational and Youth Services.
Widely regarded as providing successful linkage between the commission’s 13 members and the constituencies they represent, these grants come from modest quadrennial allotments of $200,000 or less to each member for piecemeal allocation to entities in the districts they serve. The grants are initiated by individual commissioners and then voted on by the entire commission.
Since its creation, the program has proceeded without blemish, a circumstance underscored by Harris who in a statement Monday said, “While there is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, [Ford’s] continued grant-making as a commissioner unnecessarily taints the process and undermines the credibility of this commission program and the nonprofits who participate.”
For his part, Republican Commissioner Mick Wright acknowledged his own participation in the grant program but suggested in an X post on Monday that there was “a need for greater transparency and accountability from Shelby County government.”
• Meanwhile, the aforementioned Reginald Milton, in a story as uplifting as the saga mentioned above is unsettling, gathered with an older brother and sister last week to celebrate the 105th birthday of their mother Ollie Mae Brown.
Born in Mississippi in the second decade of the previous century, Ms. Brown was in her 50s when she bore the current county administrator (himself a more than sprightly 60-something today).
“My parents called me their god-child,” jests the former commissioner, “meaning, when they learned I was coming, they said to each other, ‘Oh my god!’”
His mother remains clear of mind and memory and is able to recall numerous former slaves from her own childhood. It all helps Milton realize that social deprivation is not a case of long ago, but, in effect, was just yesterday and indeed persists.
Beyond his county duties, Milton is a community organizer in the vein of former President Obama, heading the South Memphis Alliance, a consortium of 10 neighborhood organizations pooling self-help resources and offering foster services. And he provides a laundromat for his charges. He sees the enhancement grant program in that light — as a way for the government to assist underserved communities in moving themselves forward. And he welcomes any useful oversight of the process.
Horrifying footage captured a man attacking a car with an axe after a fender bender weekend before last. The man, apparently fueled by road rage after an older couple rear-ended his car, busted windows and the windshield before police arrived. The Memphis subreddit’s top comment from u/ManRahaim summed it up: “yo, wtf.”
Sad and Lost
Memphis Reddit user u/Super_Situation_9346 poured their heart out about the state of the city last week, especially Cordova (as far as we can tell). The user was “horrified” by litter, plummeting property values, “raggity streets,” and population loss. The sub’s moderator jumped in to say, “this is a sub for the rural Alaskan village, Cordova.”
Locked
Posted to X by Memphis Basketball
University of Memphis Tigers men’s basketball players drenched coach Penny Hardaway with bottled water Sunday after their win against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The win ensured the team a place in the NCAA Tournament.
Sure, we all have our favorite composers, but who’s your favorite re-composer? If the term is not on your radar, that’s understandable: It’s typically only used in reference to the contemporary classical auteur Max Richter, who, back in 2012, turned his postmodern, post-minimalist ears to Vivaldi’s masterpiece, The Four Seasons, and created Recomposed. Structured, like Vivaldi’s celebrated 18th-century string concerti, with three movements for each season, plus additional “electronic soundscapes” on the Deutsche Grammophon album where it premiered, Richter’s reimagining of the canonical work won critical acclaim for its mix of inventiveness and historical relevance.
Indeed, it quickly became almost as omnipresent as Vivaldi’s original, used to soundtrack television series as disparate as My Brilliant Friend, Bridgerton, and Chef’s Table. But, as it turned out, Richter wasn’t finished with his time-traveling. In 2022, he released a new album, The New Four Seasons – Vivaldi Recomposed, which had a slightly different approach. This Saturday, March 8th, Memphians will be able to hear this latest take on Vivaldi in person, with a live performance by Iris Collective at the Crosstown Theater, led by Elena Urioste, the virtuoso violinist featured in Richter’s most recent recording of Recomposed.
Urioste, a Philadelphia native, is one of the finest violinists of her generation, having won the Sphinx Competition for young players of minority backgrounds at an early age, then making her debut at Carnegie Hall in 2004. In 2012, she was named a BBC New Generation Artist. And so it was no great surprise when she was recruited to play on Richter’s New Four Seasons album two years ago. But it wasn’t your typical classical recording session.
“The first recording [of Recomposed] that Max released was with Daniel Hope as the violin soloist, and it’s just been so unbelievably successful,” she notes, speaking from her current home in London. “It’s performed all the time around the world in all sorts of different settings. And I think it’s such a powerful piece, and I think it also attracts a lot of different types of listeners. But anyway, the first recording was so successful that for its 10th anniversary, Max wanted to re-record the piece with everyone playing on gut strings and using period bows. So he enlisted me for that project, and we all came together and made this recording in December of 2021, with him playing a vintage synthesizer. I don’t know a whole lot about synthesizers, but he spoke very passionately about this one that he used for the project.”
For Memphis gearheads, the internet reveals that Richter used a vintage Moog keyboard, though the model is not specified. More to the point, using violins that could have been made in Vivaldi’s era took the piece back to an edgier time. “All of us were on gut strings, using Baroque bows. So it was cool to combine looking backwards and implementing historical performance techniques, feeling the purity of sound that gut strings afforded us, but also combined with what Max spoke of as a punk aesthetic. He really enjoyed the grittiness of using this sort of equipment. So I think it all came together in a really cool way, and we’re very proud of the recording.”
Indeed, the new version seems to loom large in the composer’s own view. As he told writer Clemency Burton-Hill, “I see this as a multidimensional project. It’s a new trip through this text using Vivaldi’s own colors, so you have different eras talking to one another.” He further reflected on using the ethnically diverse Chineke! Orchestra to back Urioste. “It’s also recomposing the social structure of our classical music culture to some extent, and focusing on different perspectives, which is really exciting and important to me,” he said. “I don’t see this as a replacement, but it is another way of looking at the material. It’s like shining a light through something from a fresh angle … as if a layer of dust has been blown off.”
It was a profound experience for Urioste. “Since we made the recording, I’ve performed it in a lot of different scenarios, sometimes with Max. We played it in Berlin and in a pavilion in London for Earth Day, using amplification. And then I’ve also played it really bare bones, just acoustically, even without the synthesizer. So this Iris performance will be the latter. There won’t be synthesizer. We won’t be amplified. It’ll just be the strings, just the music itself. But I think it works so beautifully in all of these different forms.”
The show will also be a homecoming of sorts for Urioste, who’s been associated with what is now the Iris Collective for years, culminating in her appearance as a featured soloist with them on a violin concerto by Korngold. “I did so many concerts with the Iris Orchestra in my early 20s,” she says, “and when I went back to play the Korngold seven years ago, there was a real sense of returning to a very healthy place, and I’m hoping to see some familiar faces there on this visit. I hope I see people who I knew back in the day.”
Beyond that, she looks forward to bringing the Richter work she knows so well to the land of her birth. “I mean, I am American,” she says, “and it’s always nice to return to home turf. Although, to be honest, the home turf is kind of terrifying for me at the moment.”
Last weekend’s Academy Awards ceremony saw many firsts. Sean Baker became the first person to win four Oscars for a single film, taking home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Screenplay (previous record holder: Walt Disney). Best Supporting Actress Zoe Saldana became the first Dominican-American to win an Oscar. Paul Tazewell’s work on Wicked made him the first Black man to win Best Costume Design. Best Animated Feature Flow became the first movie from Latvia to win an Academy Award. In the documentary category, No Other Land’s co-director Basel Adra became the first Palestinian filmmaker to win an Oscar. The film has another, more dubious distinction: It is the first feature in recent memory to win without securing a distribution deal in the United States.
The fact that no distributor would touch a documentary co-directed by a Jewish Israeli (journalist Yuval Abraham) and a Palestinian which calls for peaceful coexistence between the two peoples is a shocking state of affairs, one that hopefully an Oscar statuette will soon change. But our information environment has always been more subject to manipulation than we would like to admit.
That’s one of the themes of Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, the Oscar-nominated documentary by Johan Grimonprez. Of all of the films about international diplomacy, this one sounds the grooviest.
In the 1950s, fallout from the end of World War II meant that waves of new countries were being created as European colonial empires collapsed. Meanwhile, the United States and the Soviet Union had begun the 50-year nuclear standoff known as the Cold War. The “First World” of the capitalist West saw the communist East as dead set on expanding their economic and social revolutions. Meanwhile the “Second World” of the communist Eastern Bloc saw a capitalist West that was actively seeking their downfall. Both sides were, in their own way, correct.
The emerging nations were caught in the middle. Collectively, they became known as the Third World. By 1960, the emerging nations, which included India, threatened to outnumber the First and Second worlds in the United Nations. The two blocs competed for the allegiance of the third world nations in a variety of ways. Sometimes, that meant fomenting an actual rebellion led by ideologically simpatico local politicians. But more often, it was by soft power. The previously colonized peoples of Central Africa were hungry for American music. So the State Department decided to give it to them. Louis Armstrong became America’s jazz ambassador and embarked on a series of goodwill tours through Africa. At one stop in what was then the Belgian Congo, he was mobbed at the airport and played an impromptu show to tens of thousands of people, backed by a local marching band who was on hand to greet him. More government sponsored tours followed, including such jazz luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Nina Simone, and Abbey Lincoln.
Not coincidentally, around this time the Belgian Congo became just Congo, declaring independence in January 1960. Patrice Lumumba won the first election as prime minister, despite the fact that he was in a Belgian jail at the time for inciting an anti-colonial riot. Lumumba was a savvy politician who understood that the emerging nations of Central Africa could play each side of the Cold War off the other. He dreamed of creating a United States of Africa that would consolidate the peoples and resources of the central continent into a powerful nation. When he visited the U.S., he was rebuffed by President Eisenhower but welcomed in Harlem by Malcolm X and John Coltrane.
Grimonprez crosscuts the complex story of Lumumba’s rise and fall with the musicians and artists who were sucked into the intrigue. Armstrong realized he was being used and threatened to immigrate to Ghana. Roach and Lincoln led a protest that turned into a brawl in the United Nations Security Council. Soviet Premiere Nikita Khrushchev, who ought to know, said that Lumumba was not a communist. CIA chief Allen Dulles, who appears smoking a pipe and dripping evil, admitted that he may have overreacted when the CIA assisted the counterrevolution led by now-infamous dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’s stylish use of memoirs by people who were there, as well as copious archival footage, seeks to tame the sprawling Congo Crisis. But you can be forgiven if you end the film with your head spinning from all the details. It’s the expertly curated playlist of mid-century jazz and R&B that keeps things on track and provides the film’s beating heart.
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is now available on VOD via Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime.
A return to Seinfeld and a step away from cable news. (Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment)
On November 7, 2024, I cut the cord on cable punditry. I used to sit in front of the television every night, clicking back and forth between CNN and MSNBC, with occasional painful forays to Fox. But I’m done with it. No more Rachel or Chris or Anderson or Brett feeding my outrage. It was unhealthy to spend my evenings that way, so I stopped. No more going to bed with my head filled with dread and anger.
Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m totally wired into the news of the day (as horrific as it may be). I subscribe to digital editions of AP, TheNew York Times, Reuters, TheWashington Post (still, though I’m wavering), The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and even The Wall Street Journal, and I get alerts from most of them throughout the day. And I read the local newspapers.
In the evening, well, lately I’ve been watching Seinfeld reruns. Every season of the show is on Netflix and I’ve found that viewing a couple of episodes is the perfect palate cleanser to accompany dinner on the couch. No more cable news, baby, as George Costanza might say. I am once again the master of my domain. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
After an hour of Jerry, I read — mostly fiction, and mostly stuff I first read years ago, just to see how it holds up. Much of it doesn’t. J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey? Eh, mostly smoking and self-involved inner monologues. The Sun Also Rises? Off-putting racism, classism, and misogyny. John Cheever? The tribulations of wealthy New Yorkers. Meh. James Salter’s work sustains, particularly A Sport and a Pastime and Solo Faces. But don’t get me started on Robert Heinlein. (Looking at my bookshelves, it’s become obvious to me that I used to read a lot of manly fiction — Jim Harrison, Richard Ford, Thomas McGuane — so I’m trying to work in some more female writers.)
This past week, though, in tribute to the recent death of Tom Robbins, I spent several nights re-reading Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Hoo boy. What I’d remembered from my salad days as a sassy and clever riff on womanhood and sexuality was this time around an overwrought, never-ending slog, loaded with misogynist bilge, creepy sex scenes, hippie philosophizing, and self-referential smugness.
But just when I was about to give up on Cowgirls, I came across this passage deep in the book: “The enemy of the Black is not the white. The enemy of capitalist is not communist, the enemy of homosexual is not heterosexual, the enemy of Jew is not Arab, the enemy of the young is not the old, the enemy of hip is not redneck, the enemy of Chicano is not gringo, and the enemy of women is not men. … We all have the same enemy. The enemy is the tyranny of the dull mind.”
That hit home, and it struck me that the current great divide in this country is a result of the ascension of dull minds, or dullards, more precisely. A dullard fears books that challenge their worldview, art they don’t understand, and any sexual or gender deviation from the “norm.” A dullard fears people with different skin, people who speak different languages, people who practice a different religion, people from another country. A dullard thinks Fox News is, well, news.
A dullard spends his days chasing money and power and never has enough of either. A dullard doesn’t want to travel and see the world. A dullard doesn’t think of the needs of others but is intent only on preserving his status quo. Dullards are conformists, threatened by new ideas. It’s why they react with meanness toward those who don’t conform and with cruelty toward the vulnerable.
Dullards want to control what schools can teach. Dullards don’t believe in science. Dullards let their kids get measles. Dullards think Kid Rock is an artist. Dullards think the song “Y.M.C.A.” is a patriotic anthem, not an ode to casual gay sex.
And dullards are suckers for mendacity if it comes from another dullard: When they’re told, for example, that the murderous thug Vladimir Putin is our friend and that Ukraine started a war with Russia, they’re all in. It reminds me of something George Costanza said: “Jerry, just remember, it’s not a lie if you believe it.”
See how the Earth’s annual average temperature has changed — and much more. (Photo: Abigail Morici)
Earlier this year, the Pink Palace Museum & Mansion opened its “Earth Matters: Rethink the Future” exhibit, created by Scitech in Perth, Australia, and produced by Imagine Exhibitions.
“This is a way to introduce kids to the idea of ‘we live on this one planet, how do we take care of it?’” says Sheila Noone, the Pink Palace’s marketing and communications manager. “‘Earth Matters’ is about how we interact with our planet.”
Full of interactive elements, the exhibit engages the whole family in learning more about the connections between humans and the natural elements. Visitors can step into an immersive room that shows how weather patterns have changed over time; they can solve puzzles to learn about insects and their habitats. They can even visualize how much energy it takes to power a town by pedaling stationary bikes. Guests can also come up with their own ideas for sustainability and hear other opinions from people around the world by (literally) putting their heads in sculptural clouds.
“It’s very kid-friendly, it’s very adult-friendly, and it talks about environmental sustainability but doesn’t beat you over the head with it, like ‘you’re doing this wrong or you’re doing that wrong,’” says Raka Nandi, director of exhibits and collections.
Admission to “Earth Matters” is included in general admission to the museum.
“Earth Matters: Rethink the Future,” Pink Palace Museum & Mansion, 3050 Central Avenue, Through May 18th.
There’s no knowing where we’re rowing … (Photo: Movieclips | Youtube)
I need to write something.
It should flow from fingers to keyboard automatically, no long pauses to consider the next thought or word. It’s all there, just below the surface, beginning to bubble up. That’s how it usually works. I’ll attach to an idea, a line of poetry, an encounter, or a moment, and after a few days of simmering in the recesses of my mind, somehow unknowingly, on its own, everything comes together and spills onto the page almost effortlessly. But not lately.
There are too many pots boiling over at once. Especially, of course, in the political landscape. Every day a new executive order, a new hit to marginalized people, another bash to the face of democracy. The shifts are coming fast and hard, whether we like it or not. It’s too much to keep up with, let alone make sense of. The president of the United States is Willy Wonka and we’re all aboard The Wondrous Boat Ride. [*Flash *flicker *horrifying imagery *wild man at the helm] (He’s even offering $5 million “golden tickets” for wealthy immigrants!) I envision the man-child and his sidekick (who is who can go either way) skulking in a darkened room, “Is this frightening enough yet? Have we confused them enough to do whatever we want?”
“There’s no earthly way of knowing which direction we are going! There’s no knowing where we’re rowing, or which way the river’s flowing!”
The stage is set for major bamboozling, with waves of stunned, newly unemployed federal workers, swift cuts to crucial programs, and, surely, impending lengthy legal battles over the many unconstitutional and immoral moves being made by this administration, seemingly to obfuscate the masses. We’re fighting one another in comment sections online, pulled apart between “Making America Great Again” and genuine empathy for our neighbors. Do we not care for the poor? The hungry? Humanity in general? Unfortunately, the leader of this nation is a reality TV host and we’re the forced cast, pitted against each other in a battle to … a battle to … Well, I’m not entirely sure the desired outcome beyond the rich getting richer while the rest of us find side hustles to fill our fridges and gas our cars for the work commute. While we argue each other into the ground. They don’t want us to know their desired outcome. We’re fighting the wrong people.
So sometimes, with all of those thoughts roiling the pots in my brain, nothing sticks. There isn’t a particular thing to cling to for clear direction or inspiration. Too many things; so much noise. But I need to write something. Put it all in one place, outside of my mind. Maybe I’m not there yet.
Maybe I’ll hold onto these words from Charles Bukowski for now.
if it doesn’t come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don’t do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
… don’t do it.
…
if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you, then wait patiently.
…
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness …
don’t do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don’t do it.
There is a red-hot glowing now, a warm pit in my stomach. I’ll see you back here when it burns.
Calida Rawles, Towner For Life, from “Away with the Tides” (Photo: Courtesy Brooks Museum of Art)
When Groundhog Day came, I never bothered to find out if he saw his shadow. Even now, I still haven’t bothered. All I know is that it’s time for me to write the Spring Arts Guide, and that is enough for me to know that spring is here — and so are the arts: visual, theater, dance, and otherwise.
ON DISPLAY
“Regenesis” Johnathan Payne works at the intersection of drawing, collage, embroidery, beadwork, and painting. Clough Hanson Gallery, through March 27
“Accessories” Althea Murphy-Price presents arrangements of armatures and accessories inspired by beauty tools and everyday objects. Sheet Cake Gallery, through March 29
“Tales from the Journeys” Nelson Gutierrez’s work examines the psychological and social consequences of conflict. Sheet Cake Gallery, through March 29
“Beyond the Surface: The Art of Handmade Paper” Explore the shape-shifting quality of paper. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, through April 6
“An Occasional Craving” Chris Antemann cheekily re-envisions the concept of porcelain figurines. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through April 6
“House of Grace” The Memphis debut of Floyd Newsum’s large paintings on paper and maquettes for public sculptures. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through April 6
“Who Is That Artist?” Interact with Jorden Miernik-Walker’s photography-based work. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through April 6
“Small Spaces” Jennifer Watson’s jewel-like paintings. The Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through April 13
“A Journey into the Shadows” Nelson Gutierrez’s three-dimensional cutout drawings. Crosstown Arts, through May 11
“Engorging Eden” Rachel David transforms everyday furniture into fragmented expressions of life’s chaos, joy, and loss. Metal Museum, through May 11
“From the Ashes” Maritza Dávila-Irizarry integrates printmaking, mixed media, photography, and video to confront a studio fire. Crosstown Arts, through May 11
“Supernatural Telescope” Danielle Sierra’s deeply poetic reflection on memory, love, and spirituality. Crosstown Arts, through May 11
“The Colors of the Caribbean” Juan Roberto Murat Salas’ works of bold colors and dynamic compositions. Crosstown Arts, through May 11
“Trolls: Save the Humans” Thomas Dambo’s larger-than-life fairy tale, in which art and nature intertwine. Memphis Botanic Garden, through May 21
“Light As Air” Explore the beauty in tension. Metal Museum, through September 7
“Calida Rawles: Away with the Tides” Picturing water as space for Black healing. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, March 19-September 7
“Summer Art Garden: A Flash of Sun” Khara Woods’ sun-drenched shades, dazzling patterns, and geometric sculptures. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, April 17-October 20
“Colleen Couch and Dolph Smith: Walk in the Light” Showcasing the arc of Smith’s oeuvre, new works by Couch inspired by him, and recent collaborations by the two artists. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, April 20-June 20
“with abundance we meet” Suchitra Mattai’s installation is made of “fruit” sculptures, ripe with possibilities, conjuring wombs and fertility spirits. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, May 22
ON STAGE
A Body of Water This darkly comic, existential mystery play will leave you laughing, guessing, and gasping until the very last second. TheatreSouth, through March 9
12 Angry Jurors Tempers get short, arguments grow heated as jurors convene during a murder trial. Germantown Community Theatre, through March 16
Beauty and the Beast Based on Disney’s film, the classic story of Belle and her beastly bestie. Theatre Memphis, through March 30
Orchestra Unplugged: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony Robert Moody explores the mind of Beethoven and his most celebrated work. Halloran Centre, March 6
Children of Eden Follow Adam and Eve’s descendants through storms and strife. Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, March 7-9
Elena Urioste to play Piazzolla, Shostakovich, and Richter’s Recomposed (Photo: Courtesy Iris Collective)
Recomposed: Elena Urioste The celebrated London violinist performs Recomposed by Max Richter, an interpretation of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Crosstown Theater, March 8
Dance Nation A group of girls fight to find themselves in the preteen competitive dance world. TheatreWorks at The Evergreen, March 14-23
Thoughts of a Colored Man The first Broadway play written, directed, produced by, and starring Black men. Hattiloo Theatre, March 14-April 6
Shakespeare in the Cemetery Tennessee Shakespeare Company actors perform one hour of Shakespeare’s best death scenes. Elmwood Cemetery, March 15
Variations on a Theme Opera Memphis’ curated evenings span opera, musical theater, and vocal music. Opera Memphis, March 15-16| April 26-27
Scheherazade and Butterfly Lovers Concerto Robert Moody leads the Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO). Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, March 15 | Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, March 16
Celtic Concert: A Celebration of the Emerald Isle The Slainte Singers bring the Irish magic. Germantown Community Theatre, March 16-17
The Great Gatsby World Ballet Company takes you back to the Roaring Twenties. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, March 2
Punk Rock Girl! Rough and unapologetically authentic. Playhouse on the Square, March 21-April 13
Tick Tick BOOM! The story of the composer of Rent. TheatreWorks @ The Square, March 21-30
Dance, Girl! Celebrating Black girlhood through poetry, dance, and music. The Green Room at Crosstown Arts, March 22
Bartlett Community Concert Band Offering both classical masterpieces and modern movie soundtracks. Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, March 28
Chloé Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies A renowned touring female tap group. Germantown Performing Arts Center, March 28
R.E.S.P.E.C.T., a tribute to Aretha Franklin at the Orpheum Theatre (Photo: Jeremy Daniel)
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. An electrifying tribute to Aretha Franklin. Orpheum Theatre, March 30
The British Isles – Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” and Grainger’s “Danny Boy” A sweeping musical adventure. Crosstown Theater, March 28 | Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, March 30
Black Violin: Full Circle Tour Mixing classical depth and hip-hop’s pulse. Orpheum Theatre, April 1
Dragged Thru Time: Goldie & BeBe’s Extravagant Adventure Two drag queens accidentally warp through time and must navigate history’s most iconic moments. TheatreWorks @ The Evergreen, April 4-12
Lessons Learned: A Tap Concert Hot Foot Honeys probe the human condition through dance. Germantown Community Theatre, April 4-5
Saint Joan George Bernard Shaw’s chronicle of the heroism of French army leader Joan of Arc. Tennessee Shakespeare Company, April 4-19
The ICON, Babbie Lovett, Fashion Legend Tennessee Ballet Theater’s homage to the life and legacy of one of Memphis’ most influential leaders. McCoy Theatre at Rhodes College, April 4-12
The River Bride Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group’s charming story of mystery, love, and family. TheatreWorks @ The Square, April 4-20
Some Like It Hot Two musicians flee mobsters after witnessing a hit in Prohibition-era Chicago. Orpheum Theatre, April 8-13
Silent Sky The story of 19th century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt. Theatre Memphis, April 9-19
Homecoming Brothers Randall and Miles Goosby return to their hometown, playing chamber music with friend and pianist Zhu Wang. Highland Capital Performance Hall at GPAC, April 10
Memphis Symphony Big Band ft. Joyce Cobb & Patrice Williamson A mix of timeless classics and exciting new arrangements. Crosstown Theater, April 12
The O’Kays Three young men chase fame and fortune in Memphis’ 1970s R&B music scene. Halloran Centre, April 19, 2 p.m.
Angels in the Architecture With Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations, a grand season’s end from Ballet Memphis. Germantown Performing Arts Center, April 25-27
Caroline, or Change A Black maid for a Jewish family is trying to take care of her own kin at the dawn of the Civil Rights movement. Playhouse on the Square, April 25-May 18
Cougars A play set in the high-octane world of a Memphis car dealership. TheatreWorks @ The Square, April 25-May 4
Rumors A wedding celebration turns chaotic. Theatre Memphis, April 25-May 11
Orchestra Unplugged: Peter and the Wolf – More Than a Children’s Story A whimsical setting for Prokofiev. Halloran Centre, May 1
The Drop That Contained the Sea The MSO with Memphis Symphony Chorus and guests perform Tin’s gem. Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, May 4
Cabaret The great musical of decadence and Nazis. Germantown Community Theatre, May 9-25
Chicken & Biscuits Can two sisters at odds set aside their differences to honor their father? Playhouse on the Square, May 9-June 1
Buckman Dance Conservatory’s Spring Celebration of Dance A blend of ballet and contemporary dance. Buckman Performing Arts Center, May 10-11
Symphony in the Gardens A Mother’s Day tradition with the MSO Big Band. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, May 11
The Boy Who Kissed the Sky A musical inspired by the early life and influences of musical icon Jimi Hendrix. Hattiloo Theatre, May 16-June 8
Romantic Masterworks by Rachmaninoff and Saint-Saëns The MSO’s take on the “Egyptian” Piano Concerto and other works. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, May 17 | Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, May 18
La Calisto A jewel from the golden age of Venetian opera. Playhouse on the Square, May 21-23
A Particle of Dread: Oedipus Variations A reimagination of the ancient Greek tale as a modern thriller. TheatreWorks @ The Square, May 23-June 8
AROUND TOWN
SneakFest Sneaker Expo For fans of sneakers and urban fashion. Agricenter International, March 22, 1-11 p.m.
Metal Petals + Healing Roots Art from disassembled gun parts collected during the Guns to Gardens initiative. Metal Museum, March 29
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The Dixon and Theatre Memphis present Women in the Arts. (Photos: Courtesy Dixon Gallery & Gardens)
Women in the Arts
On Saturday, March 8th, Dixon Gallery & Gardens and Theatre Memphis will co-host their fourth Women in the Arts event, a day celebrating the women shaping the arts in Memphis. As in years past, the event will have performances, demonstrations, classes, panels, and an artist market.
When the event kicked off in 2021, Kristen Rambo, the Dixon’s communications manager, says, “It was like, why is there not an event like this happening in Memphis? … Once it started, we didn’t want to stop.”
The day’s full schedule will be posted to the Dixon’s website on Friday, March 7th, with programming planned for both the Dixon and Theatre Memphis campuses. Guests can take a free shuttle to and from both locations throughout the event.
“There’s something for everyone to do, whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert,” Rambo says, adding that the event is family-friendly. “We also have some of our community partners that are going to represent themselves and maybe have an activity, like the Memphis Public Libraries, the Metal Museum, Women in Memphis Music, Girl Scouts of [the United States of] America, and Cazateatro [Bilingual Theatre Group]. … So that’s something we always like to highlight as well — supporting all the arts communities in Memphis so we can all improve the arts.”
“Memphis is so full of amazing women, artists, and arts administrators, people who might not be artists themselves but work and thrive in the arts,” Rambo adds. “And whether that artist is a performer or visual or anything in between — we have some comedians coming — it’s just an exciting way to highlight these artists on one fun, special day. And of course, we should be celebrating women artists all throughout the year, but you can be really embedded in the Memphis art scene and still meet and see people you’ve never met or heard of before at this event, which is so exciting.”
Women in the Arts, Dixon Gallery & Gardens | Theatre Memphis, Saturday, March 8, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
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Luminarus’ cavern wall in progress (Photo: Courtesy Alison Heverly)
Luminarus
Yvonne Bobo and a collective of artists, students, and astronomers are building a planet at Off the Walls Arts (OTWA). The planet will have crochet pods, a cavern wall, and sculptural flora and fauna. “It’s a performing arts place, so we’re gonna have all kinds of events in it — music, dance, just a place for the community to explore,” Bobo says.
The project began from conversations about the extraterrestrial unknown. “We started to think about it in a social situation: What would we do if we ran into aliens? What would we share with them? And if we don’t have the same language or culture, we can share through art, through music, through dance. They’re sort of like our mediums that we can try to express who we are.”
As such, this new planet, created through these media and host to these media, is called Luminarus, Bobo says, because “we’re gonna illuminate people, shine a light on people’s talents.”
Since the first Saturday of February, OTWA has hosted Community Build Days, inviting anyone, regardless of skill, to help construct the multimedia installation inspired by the cosmos. “We built it around an idea of community, and it’s nice to see a community forming,” Bobo says. “People seem to be really energized by the project and what they could bring or how it could kind of feed their creativity.”
People are trying their hand at carpentry, seeing their progress come to fruition at the end of the day; they’ll get a chance to learn large-scale crochet later on as the building progresses. In the meantime, 3D artists can submit their work to make up the flora and fauna in the installation. “We’re just doing a massive call,” Bobo says. “Let them be weird; let them do their thing; let’s just tell stories.”
Students from Bellevue Middle School and Crosstown High School are also participating, with some of them creating sculptures for the group exhibit and others taking part in an alien fashion show. “Everyone knows that art departments are often not well-funded,” Bobo says. “So we like to bring in artists in the community to help to enrich their art programs.”
Also in collaboration members of the Memphis Astronomical Society will provide their photography of galaxies and constellations. The group is also hosting an Evening Astro-Watch on March 7th at 5 p.m. at OTWA to capture the imaginations of Luminarus builders.
So far, with all these partnerships (and more), Bobo says, “I feel like I made the infrastructure, and now it’s just taking off, getting its own life. That’s what’s valuable with a collaboration. Maybe one person starts the sentence, but it keeps evolving, and then it’s way more interesting than I could have just imagined on my own.”
Luminarus will open Saturday, May 10th, 6 to 8 p.m. The first major event following will be a free family-friendly community day on May 17th that will include the student-led alien fashion show. Other events, both family-friendly and adult-only, are on the horizon. To participate in the Community Build Days or to submit work, visit offthewallsarts.org.
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10-Minute Play Festival
This April, Hattiloo Theatre will host its inaugural 10-Minute Black Theatre Festival. “Part of putting it on is to explore the hidden talent we have here in Memphis,” says Jarrod Walker, Hattiloo’s theater manager. “We’re very intentional about cultural storytelling and giving voices to those people who may need an outlet to express their voice.”
In the fall of 2024, Hattiloo opened submissions for the festival, accepting works only from Shelby County residents. “The pieces had to amplify the Black cultural experience in some way,” Walker says. “We wanted to talk about the diaspora because a lot of times, once people think about Black experience, it’s very unilateral. So we want to show the diversity in these stories. … We’re a free-standing Black theater, one of four in the nation, and part of our mission and vision is to amplify these stories.”
The chosen plays are Lele Uku by Levi Frazier Jr., Peekin’ by Velvet Gunn, Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band Saved This Jewish Lesbian by Sarah Ellin Siegel, Vindication by Dabrell Thompson, Cutting Corners by Danica Wilks, and honorable mention Elderberry by Najwa Watson.
Walker hopes that the play festival will “give someone their big break. Some of these, they may workshop and go back and do some rewrites, and who knows, they may end up being developed into a full-length piece.”
Not only that but the 10-minute plays may see some directorial debuts or even acting debuts for others in the theater community. “We just did Black Odyssey, and we had an actor and it was on her bucket list. So she was like, you know, ‘I’m a seasoned woman. I’ve always wanted to try and audition.’ And she got cast in the show and did a phenomenal job on stage. So, hopefully, this may be someone else’s story with this festival.”
Auditions for the 10-Minute Black Theatre Festival will be held on March 22nd at 10 a.m. at Hattiloo Theatre. The festival will take place April 24th to 27th.
