Dorothy Orgill Kirsch, center, with Mario Monterosso and Dabney Coors at a "Simple Song of Freedom" event in 2023 (Credit: Michael Donahue)
It was time to honor Dorothy Orgill Kirsch.
You’ve probably seen her for years at cultural events around Memphis.
Earlier this month, Kirsch was the guest of honor at an ARTSmemphis tribute at the group’s headquarters. “It was attended by a representative of every single organization invited,” says longtime family friend Dabney Coors. “She has supported all of them.”
The celebration was to recognize “65 years of Dorothy Orgill Kirsch’s support for all of our arts organizations,” And, Coors says, “We are going to celebrate her ongoing gifts to the city.”
According to the City of Memphis proclamation, organizations Kirsch has supported include Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Memphis, Playhouse on the Square, and Theatre Memphis, as well as ARTSmemphis.
Other groups she underwrote include Memphis Zoo, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Rhodes College, TheatreWorks, Hattiloo Theatre, Ballet Memphis, and New Ballet Ensemble. “Every theater, every ballet group, you name it, she has underwritten it,” Coors says.
Debbie Litch of Theatre Memphis, Whitney Jo of Playhouse on the Square, Dorothy Orgill Kirsch, and Dabney Coors at the Kirsch tribute at ARTSmemphis headquarters (Credit: ARTSmemphis)
Kirsch also supported Mario Monterosso’s “Simple Song of Freedom” humanitarian project for the war in Ukraine. She underwrote 30 musicians and 30 singers for the project.
Monterosso envisioned using Memphis performers in a video similar to “We Are the World” based on the song by Bobby Darin. The video, which he wanted to use to send a message of peace and freedom, includes a wide range of performers, including Carla Thomas, Kallen Esperian, Amy LaVere, Larry Dodson, Gary Beard, the Stax Music Academy choirs, and the First Baptist Church gospel choir with Rev. Keith Norman. It ended with Priscilla Presley quoting Mother Teresa.
In her speech at the tribute, Coors, who referred to Kirsch as “the angel of Memphis arts” says, “Dorothy was tapping her hands and feet when she listened to ‘Simple Song of Freedom’ and she said, ‘Yes. I want to support this effort.’”
Monterosso premiered his video December 20th at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
Carla Thomas with Mario Monterosso at the “Simple Song of Freedom” premiere at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Kirsch “loves Memphis beyond everything else,” Monterosso says. “In my opinion, every time she sponsors a project, it’s like she’s sponsoring Memphis.”
She “likes to see Memphis behind every single project,” he says, adding, “Everything she does represents Memphis around the world. And this is incredible.”
People like Kirsch “are very rare,” Monterosso adds. “People who do things just because of their love of art, their love of the city where they great up and live their entire life, is so incredible.”
Paint with local women painters on the riverfront this March at Cossitt Library. (Photo: Courtesy Cossitt Library)
With winter melting away, now is the time to spring into the arts as new exhibits, performances, and happenings begin to pop up all over town. So be like the groundhog and come out of your hidey-hole. Spring has sprung, Memphis.
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Painting on the River Series
With March being Women’s History Month, Cossitt Library has teamed up with five local women painters for a Painting on the River Series, offering a painting class each Saturday in March on the riverfront.
“We’re just trying to create an initiative that aligns with our commitment to promoting diversity and just celebrating women’s achievement,” Cobbert says. “I really wanted to highlight a lot of different artists. Me being in the art scene, it’s easily noticeable that sometimes the same artists are always on the pedestal, so I like to highlight local artists to just give them a platform. That’s something that the library can contribute since everybody can’t book out larger venues and stuff.”
Each artist will introduce their own style, Cobbert says. Baker will do a class on healing through watercolors, for instance, while Willoughby will focus on portraiture. “People should be able to find their fix within this group of five talented women.”
The classes are completely free, with all supplies provided through the Memphis Library Foundation. “We plan to have tables outdoors, so people can touch the grass a little bit and just paint,” Cobbert says. “It’ll be a way to build community through people who see painting as a hobby or a career and just come and learn.”
ARTSmemphis’ Art by Design will bring in vignettes of living spaces. (Photo: Laquita Tate)
After a pandemic pause, ARTSmemphis is bringing back its Art by Design fundraiser, a five-day series of events highlighting Memphis’ interior design community. At the core of the fundraiser is the gallery showroom where just over 20 designers will have created vignettes of living spaces. There will be arts activations, music, food, and more, during the showroom’s hours.
“It’s a great way for people to come and not only maybe get inspiration for their own houses, maybe buy a few things, maybe learn about some new Memphis artists they may not know about, but also to support our process,” says Elizabeth Rouse, ARTSmemphis president and CEO. “Most of our work is really focused on raising money and then granting it out and supporting arts organizations and artists in a variety of ways, and so this is just a really unique opportunity for interior designers, who in some cases are competitors, to come together for Memphis and to showcase their own work, which is very different.”
This will also be the first year that Art by Design will implement its Emerging Designers program, through which it will waive the vignette fee for regional emerging designers Colin Chapman, Brittney Murckson, Jurnee Kelley, and Baylor Pillow. “We really see this as an opportunity to help strengthen the interior design field in Memphis and bring that community together,” Rouse says.
Designer Carmeon Hamilton created this program in 2020, and even had designers prepared to participate, before the event was canceled due to Covid. Laquita Tate was one of those initial emerging designers, but she will now be joining Art by Design as a “fully emerged designer.”
“We were able to at least get together and plan some things out [in 2020],” Tate says. “I was able to see how some things work behind the scenes, which helped me, and so I’m just really excited to be able to do this even now, four years later. ”
Ultimately, though, Tate hopes that people will come out to the event for the sake of community. “Memphis is rich with a variety of different types of arts here,” she says, “and people might miss out on some of that with some of the other things that are going on currently in the city, but that should be the most important piece: Come out, support us, support the city of Memphis, and support the arts.”
Art by Design will have several accompanying events in addition to the showroom, such as Dinner with Designers, The Art of Mahjong game night, Cocktails by Design, and a special speaker. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit artsmemphis.org/art-by-design.
Art by Design will take place April 3rd to 7th at Agricenter International.
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“The Concert Photography of Jack Robinson”
“Horns High, Sam & Dave Horn Section, Soul Together” (Photo: Jack Robinson | The Jack Robinson Archive, LLC)
In partnership with the Jack Robinson Archive, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music’s latest exhibit presents 15 of Robinson’s finest images from the iconic Soul Together Concert of 1968. Held just two months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Madison Square Garden concert raised more than $75,000 for two charities, and Robinson was on the job for Vogue magazine, capturing the star-studded roster of Atlantic recording artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, King Curtis, and more.
“Jack Robinson’s work is so well-known,” the museum’s executive director Jeff Kollath says, “and he has this incredible connection to Memphis. People have seen Jack Robinson photographs — they just might not know that they’re a Jack Robinson — but we’ve all seen Jack Robinson photographs. … His style and how he practiced his craft is just so unique and interesting and it really shows in these photographs.”
Yet unlike Robinson’s typical portraits and studio shots, the photos in this temporary exhibit are on-the-scene, so they have a different kind of “energy and raw power,” Kollath says. “He’s taking photo after photo after photo and they show how he’s able to capture movement in a way that still shows so much clarity — especially at a Sam & Dave day concert, where they’re dancing, the band is dancing, and you sense this movement, this speed at which they’re all moving and yet the photos are so clear. He’s a remarkably skilled photographer.”
Robinson’s photographs will be on display through the end of March.
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ON DISPLAY
Coe Lapossy’s “School of Ool”
“School of Ool: Whose Views Ooze Muse” Coe Lapossy revisits artifacts of queerness wedged within a seemingly straight world. Clough Hanson Gallery, through March 22
“Breaking the Rules” Seventy-five paintings, watercolors, and drawings spanning the entirety of Paul Wonner’s and William “Theophilus” Brown’s careers. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through March 31
“Marking Time” Remy Miller’s landscapes and Joe Morzuch’s still-lifes and self-portraits. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through April 14
Curtis Arima, Shifting Hierarchy, 2014. Recycled silver, copper, enamel, recycled gold, found objects. Courtesy of the Artist.
“Shelby Canopy: Our Shared Connection” An immersive public art project that aims to raise awareness of natural resources. Wolf River Greenway, through April 19
“Iliumpta” Birdcap’s retelling of Homer’s Iliad set in the Southernmost bayous of Mississippi. Crosstown Arts, through April 28
“The Earthworm and the Hawk” Melissa Dunn generates drawings intuitively from her imagination. Crosstown Arts, through April 28
“What Were You Meant For?” Kevin Brooks uncovers the seldom-seen layers of Black male identity. Crosstown Arts, through April 28
“Everyday People: Snapshots of The Black Experience” A photography exhibition showcasing Memphis artist Eric Echols’ photo collection of 20th-century African Americans. Museum of Science & History, through July 14
“Branching Out” Discover intricate connections between students, teachers, and casting communities. Metal Museum, through September 8
“A World Apart” Roger Allan Cleaves’ paintings exist in a rich and wondrous multiverse. Sheet Cake Gallery, March 9-April 27
“Christian Siriano: People Are People” Drawing from American designer Christian Siriano’s archive of bold creations. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, March 22-August 4
“Progression” Exhibition of work by Sowgand Sheikholeslami. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, April 14-July 7
Kong Wee Pang, Voyeur Moment, 2023, featured in “Memphis 2024” (Photo: Courtesy Kong Wee Pang)
“Memphis 2024” A dazzling array of work by the most creative men and women working in the Mid-South today. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, April 21-June 30
Kelly Cook, Amber and Ruth, 2023, featured in “Memphis 2024” (Photo: Courtesy Kelly Cook)
“It’s All Relative” Morgan Lugo’s pieces speak to the lasting effects of past experiences. Metal Museum, April 21-July 7
“No Place Like Home” This brief, month-long installation encourages the visitor to consider the concept of “home” in the queer community, and specifically in metalsmithing. Metal Museum, May 1-June 2
ON STAGE
Little Women at Germantown Community Theatre (Photo: GTC via Facebook)
Little Women Jo March gives us her greatest story: that of the March sisters, four dreamers destined to be imperfect little women. Germantown Community Theatre, through March 17
Succession Succession explores the world of Black theater through the actions of Steve Harrison, a promising young actor. Hattiloo Theatre, through March 24
LOCAL: Art Moves Memphis Dance concert presented by Company d dancers with Down syndrome and inspired by the vibrant urban art and murals throughout the Memphis community. Wiener Theater, Hutchison School, March 23
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical This jukebox musical takes you on a journey that realistically documents Carole King’s rise to fame and superstar status as a songwriter and performer. Theatre Memphis, March 8-30
Peter Pan Fly with Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and the Darling children straight to Neverland for a timeless adventure. Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, March 8-10
(L to R) Axel Bernard Rimmele (Christopher Hillard), Giselle Gutierrez (Lydia Hillard), Rob McClure (Euphegenia Doubtfire), and Kennedy Alexandra Pitney (Natalie Hillard) (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Mrs. Doubtfire Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny comes to Memphis. Orpheum Theatre, March 12-17
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown Experience the magic of childhood and the beloved Peanuts gang in this Tony Award-winning musical. The Circuit Playhouse, March 15-April 13
Zanna Don’t! A Musical Fairy Tale Emerald Theatre Company presents a play, set in a world where everyone is gay — well, almost everyone. TheatreWorks @ The Square, March 15-24
Opera Memphis:La Calisto A baroque masterpiece of love, lust, vengeance and … astronomy. Playhouse on the Square, March 22-23
MOMIX presents ALICE at GPAC. (Photo: Courtesy GPAC)
MOMIX: ALICE Presented by a company of dancer-illusionists, ALICE, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, takes audiences on a journey down the rabbit hole. Germantown Performing Arts Center, March 23
Pink Floyd And The Planets Memphis Symphony Orchestra presents psychedelic tunes and enchanting melodies. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, March 23 | Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, March 24
Feelings & Other Uncomfortable Things Get in your feels with this artistic experience centered around listening to music and creating a collage. Shady Grove Presbyterian Church, March 29
Hattiloo Theatre Presents: Sing, Sistah, Sing Hattiloo celebrates the indomitable spirit of Black women with concerts, step routines, original all-women dance performances, and spoken-word from talented Black female artists. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, March 30
Celia Hottenstein as Glinda and Olivia Valli as Elphaba in Wicked (Photo: Joan Marcus)
Wicked This Broadway sensation looks at what happened in the Land of Oz … but from a different angle. Orpheum Theatre, April 3-21
Fairytales on Ice Presents: Peter Pan and Wendy The beloved, classic story of Peter Pan and his pal Wendy comes to life with dramatic and imaginative enactment, as the Buckman stage converts into an ice rink. Buckman Performing Arts Center, April 4
Hamlet The tragedy by William Shakespeare. Tennessee Shakespeare Company, April 4-21
Master Class A fierce and clever production about diva opera star Maria Callas. Theatre Memphis, April 5-21
Out in the Woods Friends of George’s presents a dragnificent adventure. Evergreen Theatre, April 11-20
Blues in the Night The soul of the blues wails out full and strong in the scorching, Tony-nominated musical. Hattiloo Theatre, April 12-May 5
Science of Movement: Collage Dance Collective Witness how a dancer prepares for the stage and experience excerpts from Collage Dance Collective’s repertory. Museum of Science & History, April 13
American Roots Ballet Memphis’ celebration of Americana through dance. Crosstown Theater, April 19-21
ELEVATE Collage Dance’s spring program. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, April 20-21
Celtic Woman (Photo: Courtesy Orpheum Theatre)
Celtic Woman A blend of traditional and contemporary Irish music. Orpheum Theatre, April 25
Steel Magnolias A touching portrait of women. Theatre Memphis, performances April 26-May 12
Your Arm’s Too Short to Box With God An uplifting musical with gospel-inspired music and inspiring storytelling. Playhouse on the Square, April 26-May 19
Orchestra Unplugged: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture Memphis Symphony Orchestra Music Director Robert Moody brings you inside the minds and music of composers to discover new connections and meaning to incredible works of art. Halloran Centre for Performing Arts, May 9
Constellations Quark Theatre presents a play about free will and friendship, but also about quantum multiverse theory, love, and honey. TheatreSouth, May 10-26
The Hot Wing King Katori Hall’s searing new comedy that follows a group of friends as they prepare for the “Hot Wang Festival” in Memphis. The Circuit Playhouse, May 10-June 2
Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony in the Garden (Photo: Courtesy Dixon Gallery & Gardens)
Symphony in the Gardens The annual Mother’s Day outdoor celebration in a beautiful outdoor setting featuring the MSO Big Band. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, May 12
Opera Memphis:La bohème Puccini’s timeless classic of youth, love, and freedom in a brand-new production. Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, May 17-18
Shrek the Musical This Tony Award-winning fairy tale musical adventure brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life. Orpheum Theatre, May 31-June 2
AROUND TOWN
Resident Artist Talks Crosstown Arts’ spring 2024 resident artists will present artist talks. Crosstown Arts, March 20
Metal Petals & Healing Roots A one-day event where artists will create art from disassembled gun parts. Metal Museum, March 23
Art by Design A curated series of events and presentations designed to highlight Memphis’ interior design community and simultaneously support the local arts community. Agricenter International, April 3-7
Barrel to Barrel Grand Auction Enjoy exclusive wine pairings, premium bourbon tastings, incredible wine and bourbon pulls, and a grand auction filled with unique experiences, rare vintages, and whole barrels of bourbon. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, April 6
Central to the Arts Festival Celebrate the arts with live performances, film showings, fashion shows, and interactive arts booths. University or Memphis, April 6
Art in The Loop 2024 A juried artists market, plus craft demonstrations and performances of classical music. Ridgeway Loop Road, April 12-14
Chalkfest at the Brooks (Photo: Courtesy Memphis Brooks Museum of Arts)
Chalkfest 2024 Join local artists and transform the Brooks’ plaza into the most colorful work of art. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, April 27
Spring to Art with Creative Aging Activities, performances, and discussions for art lovers 65+ and carers. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, April 30
2024 Art For All Festival Arts and culture will showcase performances and art-making from across Shelby County through live performances, artist markets, food trucks, and more. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, May 11
Here Comes the Sun Community Day Enjoy art making, garden tours, musical performances, and more at this community gathering designed for all ages. Dixon Gallery & Gardens, May 11
The Tree of Life, as created by CAG students, in the Mosaic Garden (Photo: Abigail Morici)
Winter is here, and there’s no way to escape it. Unless you consider the arts an escape. In that case, you’re in luck, since Memphis has no shortage of arts events this season, and as always, our local arts organizations are still tilling the soil for us to reap the benefits. In fact, this winter, a few of our favorite organizations are celebrating major milestones — 10, 25, and 60 years (read about them below). Be sure to mark your calendars for what’s to come — an extensive list of winter arts events can be found at the end of this feature or by visiting memphisflyer.com/calendars.
Carpenter Art Garden
The Purple House on Carpenter was once a site of unseemly activity — “if you know what I mean,” says Megan Banaszek. Now, the house, which was rebuilt from the foundation, is home to Carpenter Art Garden (CAG), for which Banaszek serves as executive director. It’s still purple, but today its porch holds a communal bookshelf, bulletin boards of community activities, and a table of free bread and hats. Inside you can find art and music lessons for kids, community meetings, and a laundry co-op. “It’s funny,” says Banaszek. “People are like, ‘The Purple House does what now?’”
With the intention to make up for a lack of art programming in Binghampton, the nonprofit started in 2012 in the empty lot next door, now dubbed the Art Garden. “The idea for this space was to be an outdoor art classroom,” Banaszek says, “so people cleared it out, put down a shipping container [for storage], put down some picnic tables, and just met here on Tuesday afternoons to lead different art classes.
“There were a lot of opportunities for firsts in terms of having access to these programs. For any age student, just having something that you get to sit, focus on, hands-on is a way to unwind, connect with people you’re familiar with after school, and be expressive.”
Those Tuesday drop-in art classes continue today, but by 2014, CAG wanted to do more. So it bought the Purple House and started offering small-group classes throughout the week. Classes range from violin with Iris Orchestra to ceramics with staff and guest artists. “And if someone says, ‘I wanna learn about screen printing,’ we’ll try and track someone down and do a class,” Banaszek says. They’ve even added opportunities for teen employment.
Now there’s also the Carpenter Street Workshop, where kids can learn bike mechanics, sewing, and cooking; Aunt Lou’s House, where tutoring is offered; two community gardens, where staff tend to seasonal crops that are sold at the twice-weekly pop-up market; and the Mosaic Garden, where community members can sit and enjoy CAG’s various mosaic creations, which were designed and executed by the student-run Mural Arts Apprentice Team.
“Any time something gets added, I kind of can’t believe it,” Banaszek says, “but I think it’s at a good spot right now.”
This week, through December 8th, CAG is hosting its annual Holiday Bazaar, where patrons can purchase student work, with 70 percent of the sales going to the student and the rest into CAG programming. Popular items include Griz Hearts ornaments, pot holders, Christmas cards and gift tags, and bead hangings. As a bonus with each purchase, Banaszek says, “The kids get a sense of pride when they are able to sell.” You can also purchase work online at carpenterartgarden.org/shop.
2021 fellow Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo’s final project:The Sinkhole (Photo: Courtesy UrbanArt Commission)
UrbanArt Commission
For UrbanArt Commission (UAC), the canvas stretches from one end of the city to the other, with endless opportunities for public art. So far, the organization, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, has filled that canvas with 130 projects — from sculptures in Binghampton to murals at Central Station Hotel. Yet, even with such a widespread footprint, Lauren Kennedy, UAC’s director, never worries about running out of space.
“I can drive around town, dream up like 15 projects, just going to Kroger and back,” she says. “There are so many great ideas that we haven’t gotten to tap.”
Since 1997, UAC has worked with the city, neighborhood groups, and municipal authorities to produce meaningful public art, from murals to sculptures. “Public art, when you boil it down, is about making an investment in a shared space,” Kennedy says. “When public art is doing what it should do, it is also reflecting the people and experiences in that community. It’s a real boon for neighborhood pride.”
For Kennedy, the project she takes most pride in is the Concourse B installation, completed this year. For it, UAC, in partnership with Memphis International Airport, selected more than 40 works of contemporary art for the airport with a goal to highlight Memphis’ vibrant and eclectic range of artists and to reflect the city as a whole — not just Elvis, blues, and barbecue, but everything in between that gives the 901 its texture.
Of course, the Concourse B installation wasn’t the only project that came to fruition recently. After a pandemic-induced delay, the nonprofit kicked off its New Public Artists Fellowship in 2021, wrapped up the first cohort’s experience this summer, and will accept another six artists in the spring. The fellowship provides in-depth training and professional development for artists wanting to break into public sculpture, and it’s capped off with a temporary public installation. Fellowships like this and the District Mural Program, which Kennedy describes as “the same concept but focused on murals,” allow UAC to leverage their funding to prepare local artists for more opportunities down the road, in and out of Memphis.
“Large-scale public art is not something that is particularly easy to dive into,” Kennedy says. “It’s one thing to have your work in a gallery or a museum, but to paint the side of a building that thousands of cars are driving past on a regular basis is really huge.”
After all, public art lasts lifetimes, and UAC cares that the community continues to enjoy the projects long after their completion. “In the past five years, in particular,” Kennedy says, “we’ve put more emphasis into thinking about how people continue to interact with these things over time.”
This year, after a pandemic pause, UAC brought back its bi-monthly Artist Happy Hour Series, where artists can network, and its Revisiting Series, which are temporary site-specific responses to existing public art projects. The nonprofit also offered yoga by current projects twice this year, and Kennedy assures, there’s more public programming to come in 2023.
New Ballet Ensemble’s NutRemixis just one project ArtsMemphis helps to fund.(Photo: Mary Gunning)
ArtsMemphis
Founded in 1963 as the Memphis Arts Council to help fund various local arts organizations, ArtsMemphis has navigated all the ups and downs that have come within those 60 years. But Elizabeth Rouse, the organization’s president, says, the effects of the pandemic on the arts in Memphis was like nothing they’ve seen before.
“We saw how overnight so many were out of work,” she says. “It was certainly hard on artists and arts administrators.” Pre-pandemic, nonprofit arts in Memphis had a $200 million economic impact and boasted more than 6,000 full-time positions.
With so much at stake, though, both the general public and the arts community had a reinforced appreciation for all that the arts can offer, and from that, opportunities for change and growth arose.
“Like many funders, we, over the pandemic, have been much more connected with our grantees,” Rouse says, “and it’s really helped to foster a sense of community as everyone in the art sector navigates new times. The pandemic also forced organizations to be a bit more flexible and think differently about how they deliver programs.”
For ArtsMemphis, one of the biggest changes was being able to support a larger number of individual artists than ever before. About 10 years ago, the nonprofit had started to “tiptoe” into the arena with a few yearly grants, but the pandemic spurred the Artist Emergency Fund, which has since shifted into the Recovery Fund, both in partnership with Music Export Memphis. As of last month, through this fund, they have given out $1 million to artists of all disciplines, but particularly music.
Last year, the organization gave out $3.1 million to 68 organizations and hundreds of individual artists. “Those organizations are doing work in every zip code in Shelby County,” Rouse says. “It’s really about using the arts as a community resource and to bridge differences and offer these points of healing and connection and so much more.” And that includes economic impact. “We’re in the midst right now of doing a new economic impact study, and we’re excited to see how those numbers have hopefully grown.”
Part of this success, Rouse attributes to the intentional collaboration among the arts community. “It’s what makes Memphis unique,” she says. “And I think that’s represented during ArtsWeek.”
For ArtsWeek, which began on December 3rd and ends December 11th, various organizations are hosting events throughout the city. “In 2020, when things were actually shut down,” Rouse says, “Mayor Harris and Mayor Strickland designated a week to celebrate, support, and build awareness for our local arts sector. Our hope is that people will experience something new in the arts.”
And this ArtsWeek also happens to be the kick-off for ArtsMemphis’ 60th anniversary. “There’s an exciting future ahead, especially as we continue to expand our support for both organizations and artists and as people engage with the arts in new ways and the arts become much more accessible.”
Find out more about ArtsWeek and year-round events at artsmemphis.org.
WINTER ARTS GUIDE
ON DISPLAY
once a river, once a sea Maysey Craddock’s paintings, examining growth and decay along the Gulf Coast. David Lusk Gallery, through Dec. 23
Les Paul Thru the Lens Gallery of photos highlighting the life of Les Paul. Stax Museum of American Soul Music, through Dec. 30
Tennessee Triennial A major statewide contemporary art event organized by Tri-Star Arts and including the Brooks, Memphis River Parks Partnership, TONE Memphis, and UrbanArt Commission. Various locations, Jan. 27-May 7
Tommy Kha’s “Eye Is Another” will open in 2023 at the Brooks.
Tommy Kha: Eye Is Another Site-specific, photography-based installation by Tommy Kha. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Jan. 27-May 27
ArtsMemphis has announced $1 million in grants through the nonprofit’s fiscal year 2023 cornerstone Operating Support program.
The grants have been awarded to 46 local arts organizations. (See the list here.) In a statement, ArtsMemphis said it has been “intentional in our approach to equitable funding and commitment to diversity in this process.”
In analyzing the arts organizations that are recipients of the grant, ArtsMemphis said that “57 percent operate with budgets below $500K, and 35 percent are led by a person of color with a board composed of majority people of color.”
The Midsouth Philanthropy Network’s Equity Audit has provided data collected through grant applications across ArtsMemphis grant programs for the past five years. The audit shows that grants to organizations that serve audiences that are majority people of color have jumped from 19 percent in 2017 to 50 percent in 2022, and dollars awarded have increased from 12 percent to 48 percent.
Stax Music Academy students creating video for Rhythm & Revolution in 2021. (Credit: Billie Worley)
The pandemic dealt a brutal blow to the local arts scene, forcing arts groups and funding organizations to pull together and find ways to survive.
One of the significant efforts was a partnership among ArtsMemphis, the Memphis Music Initiative, and Music Export Memphis that resulted in the recent completion of a $1.8 million Arts Recovery Fund. The focus of the fund was — and still is — to support individual artists and arts organizations, particularly those that had fewer opportunities for government relief funding due to capacity or revenue.
About $845,000 has been distributed to various groups and individuals. The remaining funds will be given out over the next year or so.
As stated by organizers, the fund aims to “accelerate recovery and support a resilient arts ecosystem by providing an immediate and targeted infusion of investment into the people, processes and programming that will make our arts community stronger and more accessible.”
The money given out so far includes:
$250,000 to the Black Arts Fund, a holistic and comprehensive capacity-building effort with Memphis Music Initiative serving 15 Black- and Brown-led local organizations with annual revenue under $500,000.
$145,000 of direct artist support that continues the Artist Emergency Fund that helped artists of varying disciplines in 2020 and 2021. The funding was designed to initially support artists immediately impacted by the widespread shut-downs, and is now aiming to support artist recovery.
$450,000 for unrestricted operating support sub-grants. These went to 36 of ArtsMemphis’ operating support grantees with smaller budgets.
Over the next year to year-and-a-half, the Arts Recovery Fund will distribute additional monies to individual artists and art organizations for short-term needs and long-term planning. Those include $375,000 for individual artist support, and $640,000 for arts organization support.
Funding has come from a variety of sources, including AutoZone, Belz Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Memphis’ Midsouth COVID Regional Response Fund, FedEx, First Horizon Foundation, Hyde Foundation, Kresge Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and individual contributors.
Elizabeth Rouse, president and CEO of ArtsMemphis, said, “Memphis was just one of 22 communities across the country to get $500,000 from the American Rescue Plan through the NEA to distribute. That was part of the recovery fund that we’ve already distributed.”
She said, “The good thing is we’re able to be flexible and for this to evolve as the needs change. In the last several months, thankfully, the state of Tennessee, through the American Rescue Plan, invested a significant amount of money in mostly large arts organizations. So through this recovery fund, we’re going to be able to prioritize some of those smaller groups that haven’t had as much access to those government funds.”
Putting all this together required an unprecedented effort at collaboration and partnerships.
“In March of 2020, arts organizations of all sizes and of all artistic disciplines started coming together to meet every other week,” Rouse said, “basically about how they were shutting down and how they were navigating Human Resources issues and Paycheck Protection Program [PPP] loans.”
As terrible as the pandemic became, there were beneficial results from the efforts of groups and individuals to deal with the widespread shut-downs.
“Arts leaders who didn’t know each other at all were all of a sudden going through the same things together,” Rouse said. “So, in a lot of ways, I think the arts community is more connected and working together more closely. The other amazing thing, and to me one of the most exciting things that’s happened, is all the creativity that has come over the last two or three years as artists had to change the way they were creating content. I think we’ll continue to see new partnerships and different artistic disciplines working together. In a lot of ways, the arts are almost more accessible now than they were before because arts organizations are changing how they deliver those opportunities.”
She pointed to some of the collaborations that have recently flourished, such as Ballet Memphis and the Stax Music Academy performing together at Crosstown, and the Carpenter Art Garden teaming up with the Iris Orchestra. “Their art forms complement each other and make for a more enhanced experience, but also it’s a way to reach audiences that a single group couldn’t reach on their own.”
Meanwhile, funders had to also think and act creatively and quickly to make an impact.
The Kresge Foundation, for example, provided support to the Recovery Fund early in the pandemic, with some of it “specific to the capacity-building program that Memphis Music Initiative is running for small organizations,” Rouse said. “These organizations expanded their work and are now creating structures to be able to sustain it and to grow.”
Local funders also provided crucial support “above what they normally do to support the art sector, and we’ve been grateful for that.”
When things settle down and get into the groove of the “new normal,” Rouse hopes arts organizations can take the next several years and use some of this recovery funding to plan for a new future. “That new future is not necessarily going to be anything like the past,” she says. “You know, we’re never going to go back to a time when earned revenue looks the same for these organizations. My hope is that they really use these next couple of years to collaboratively plan for what the new future looks like, what new business models look like.”
She mentions that pre-pandemic, only about half of arts groups had a reserve or endowment. “I hope in the next couple of years, that organizations will have created structures that help them to be in a better situation should something happen.”
Rouse said that “there are tons of offerings as organizations have launched their new seasons and after-school programs get restarted. It’s an exciting August and September time. And it’s good for these organizations that are continuing to have to make changes and evolve and be flexible.”
Tennessee Shakespeare Company (Courtesy ArtsMemphis)
ArtsMemphis has released the names of the seven recipients of their 2022 Enhancement Grants. According to ArtsMemphis, the Plough Foundation established the grants in 2005 “to strengthen organizational infrastructure and position [selected organizations] for sustained growth and community impact.”
The grants were awarded to Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, the Metal Museum, Soulsville Foundation, Memphis Youth Symphony Program, the Young Actors Guild, Arrow Creative, and the Tennessee Shakespeare Company.
“This program encourages our operating support grantees to pursue significant projects that propel their missions forward and enable them to, in essence, ‘enhance’ their presence and impact both locally and globally,” said ArtsMemphis President & CEO Elizabeth Rouse in a statement.
All of the recipients have received Operational Support Grants in the past from ArtsMemphis to assist with their general functioning and programming costs. The Enhancement Grants have arrived at a critical juncture when many local arts organizations are continuing to recover from the pandemic and its myriad effects.
Some of these organizations, like the Soulsville Foundation, have existed for decades, while others, such as the Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, have been formed relatively recently.
Soulsville School (Credit: Jesse Davis)
The Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group aspires to transcend cultural divides in the Mid-South through arts programming, language workshops, and festivals that celebrate and promote Latin American and other underrepresented cultures. Dorimar Ferrer, the executive director of the Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, elaborated on the organization’s origins, which began with a small group of dedicated Latina women, as well as their community-oriented mission.
“We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was approved in 2014,” Ferrer said. “We wanted to educate. We wanted to share our Latin American culture, to be proud of our own culture. We wanted to build a cultural bridge between cultures.”
While Ferrer acknowledged the ongoing effects of the pandemic, she emphasized that the company adapted quickly and continued providing programming, albeit digitally.
“We never stopped for the pandemic,” Ferrer said. “We said, ‘Okay, it is time to be creative.’ We made all of our programs virtual. During the pandemic, we did 150 programs.”
Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group (Courtesy ArtsMemphis)
Ferrer spoke on how the pandemic empowered the company’s leadership to learn new technologies and discover nontraditional ways to connect with others.
“We created programs called ‘Storytimes’ on Facebook Live,” Ferrer said. “We did a ‘reverse’ parade for the Day of the Dead celebration. We had the parade stationed at Overton Park, and people drove by to see the parade. It has been a great opportunity for us to learn new skills.”
The company intends to use the Enhancement Grant funds to support and expand their local bilingual theater workshop program, which meets regularly at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. Ferrer looks forward to seeing more workshops proliferate throughout the city and compensating their theater teachers for their time.
“We do [workshops] the third Saturday of every month,” Ferrer said. “They’re free for the community. We hope to grow the program by expanding locations. We want to pay our teachers too because it is important for us to pay our artists.”
Cazateatro celebrates Black History month annually with an Afro-Latino week that features speakers, workshops, and programming. In addition to expanding the theater workshops, the company plans on using the Enhancement Grant to convert this event into a month-long affair that will feature more performers and artists than was previously possible.
“We hope to grow the [Black History Month] program,” Ferrer said. “Three or four days is not enough. We hope to do other events during the year as well to celebrate Afro-Latino culture.”
Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group (Courtesy ArtsMemphis)
Ferrer has created a welcoming space open to people of all identities and backgrounds. Her and the company strive to make the arts more inclusive for everyone, regardless of their nationality.
“With this accent, it was impossible for me to do theater [in Memphis],” Ferrer said. “And I don’t want that to happen for my community. Our door is always open no matter what.”
Ferrer encourages interested parties to reach out to her or visit the company’s website for more information on upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.
“We are always looking for people to help us at the theater,” Ferrer said. “You do not need to have theater experience to be part of Cazateatro. Everyone is welcome.”
Other organizations, such as the Soulsville Foundation and Arrow Creative, will use the grant money in a different way to promote organizational growth and community outreach. Both plan to use the money to renovate their respective spaces.
“The challenges and opportunities over this past year have forced our organization to fight harder and to become more innovative in ways that we provide service and fundraise. We have been more intentional in assuring we meet the needs of Memphis children within the communities we serve,” said Sabrina Norwood, Executive Director of Young Actors Guild. “Our programs constantly evolve and shift to continuously meet the needs of those we serve. Every challenge has been met with a creative eye and innovative planning to make the necessary adjustments.”
ArtsMemphis has announced that they are now accepting applications from organizations for their next round of Operating Grants. Those interested can find more information about Operating Grants and the full list of Enhancement Grants recipients at artsmemphis.org.
“Despite the pandemic pause on our industry in 2020, we as an organization have never pressed pause,” said Rouse. “Continuity in our support of local artists and arts organizations has been critical, and we all must contribute to keep these organizations not only afloat but thriving in our city.”
Yvonne Bobo with the Emmett Award (Photo courtesy ArtsMemphis and Renasant Bank)
Yvonne Bobo has been named recipient of the Emmett O’Ryan Award for Artistic Inspiration, known as “The Emmett.”
The Emmett is awarded annually by Renasant Bank to a distinguished visual artist in Shelby County. This is the 10th year of this award, which now carries a $10,000 prize — the largest unrestricted cash award given to a visual artist in Shelby County. It is named in honor of Emmett O’Ryan, a founding board member of Metropolitan Bank, which merged with Renasant in 2017. Since the award’s inception, the award amount has increased, resulting in more than $60,000 granted to individual artists.
Bobo is a sculptor, metal fabricator, designer, and engineer. The announcement from ArtsMemphis says that although metal is her primary medium, her passion lies in mixed media combining glass, steel, wood, lighting, plastics, and more. “Yvonne’s art focuses on the interaction between invention and nature. Her wind-activated art captures the playful character of a breeze and creates a constantly changing experience for the viewer.”
Bobo’s work is in Memphis public spaces, including Peabody Park, Overton Park, Overton Square, Southside Park, and Raleigh Springs Town Center. It’s also in Cancer Survivors Park, West Cancer Clinic, Methodist Transplant at Shorb Tower, and LeBonheur Children’s Hospital.
Nominees for The Emmett are selected by a committee of artists, curators, and ArtsMemphis volunteers, including Ruthie O’Ryan Lichterman, daughter of the award’s namesake. Finalists for this year’s award included visual artists Coriana Close and Erin Harmon.
“We’re so grateful for Renasant’s continued contributions to our arts sector, especially through this generous award,” said ArtsMemphis president and CEO Elizabeth Rouse. “The vision for this award inspired ArtsMemphis’ individual artist grant program, ArtsAccelerator. Together, these programs have provided $225,000 in funding to local artists.”
Images of Bobo’s work throughout Memphis are on display at the Renasant Convention Center.
ArtsMemphis grants will help organizations and individual artists. (Photo: Jon W. Sparks).
ArtsMemphis has awarded $900,000 to 45 arts organizations for operating support and another $70,650 to 26 groups through the Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant program.
The operating support grants have long been central to ArtsMemphis’ mission of helping to grow a sustainable arts community. The unrestricted funding comes from local individuals, foundations and corporations, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Organizations are assessed on their capacity to meet mission and goals, impact in the community, the level of their board’s engagement and support, financial need, and accountability.
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the arts community hard. ArtsMemphis reports that grantees experienced a collective $24 million reduction in revenue, primarily earned income from ticket sales, classes, and workshops. It likely would have been worse if not for relief funding such as Payroll Protection Program, TN CAREs, and Shuttered Venue Operators Grants. ArtsMemphis estimates a 62 percent reduction in local and state government revenue generated by the arts.
Although arts groups added virtual and outdoor and socially distanced events, community participation in such events is down 41 percent.
ArtsMemphis says that data shows a 53 percent reduction in staffing, most of which is contract staff. ArtsMemphis will reopen its Artist Emergency Fund on Monday, September 27th for another round of funding for individual artists in Shelby County across arts disciplines. This new round brings ArtsMemphis’ Artist Emergency Fund total distribution to $640,000 since the onset of the pandemic.
A list of the operating support recipients is here.
The ABC program is done in partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission, and directly supports arts projects that broaden access to arts experiences and aid in the sustainability of the organizations.
ArtsMemphis has also named Julie Wiklund as its new Chief Financial Officer. In addition, Kathy Gale Uhlhorn is now chair of the Board of Directors, and Dr. Russ Wigginton, president & CEO of the National Civil Rights Museum, is Vice Chair. Kera Wright, senior vice president of finance for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, is the newest member of the board.
Vintage901 brings wine, food, and music to the Shell. (Photo by Paul Burns, Courtesy of Levitt Shell)
There’s something intoxicating about the clinking and tinkling of wine glasses. There is something exhilarating about the arts and community. Put them together and you have Vintage901.
Founder Stephanie Ferreira says, “The best things happen over wine and food. Wine, food, and music are the catalyst. The big-picture piece is all the people who come to the experience. Bringing people together. Community.”
In its fifth year, Vintage901’s Grand Tasting will look a little different. This year, it will be held at the Levitt Shell with safety in mind, using open pods so that the community feels connected.
“The Levitt Shell was built during the depression to build morale,” says Natalie Wilson, the Shell’s executive director. “We want to go back to our roots and build community in these uncertain times.”
This concept is a direct result of the pandemic.
“It’s going to be a space for more uses, for more people to experience the magic,” Wilson says. “We are so happy to have Vintage901 here at the Shell this year.”
There will be an afternoon session from noon to 3 p.m. and an evening session from 6 to 9 p.m. The sessions will be different so that participants can enjoy both.
The musical lineup includes Memphis Youth Symphony, Opera Memphis, Memphis Jazz Workshop, Hope Clayburn and the Soul Scrimmage, and a presentation by Memphis Black Arts Alliance. Chefs will include Chef Tamra “Chef Tam” Patterson, Chef Jimmy Gentry, and Chef Aaron Winters. Wine experts Michael Whaley and Rick Farwell return this year, along with Kym Clark, who will emcee for this one-day outdoor event. Proceeds will benefit ArtsMemphis.
Vintage901, Levitt Shell, 1928 Poplar, Saturday, May 15, noon-3 p.m. and 6-9 p.m., $100.
Collage Dance Collective was a beneficiary of the ArtsFirst grant. (photo courtesy ArtsMemphis)
The local arts are getting another boost, this time to the tune of a cool $450,000.
Eighteen local organizations are set to benefit from the investment thanks to a partnership between ArtsMemphis — the primary arts funder for Memphis and Shelby County — and First Horizon Foundation.
“Arts organizations have persevered during this pandemic and, as a result, have uncovered new, innovative ways to engage audiences and create works we can all appreciate,” said Bo Allen, regional president for First Horizon. “We’re proud to partner with the arts community to help bring their programs and productions to life.”
The grant is part of ArtsMemphis’ ArtsFirst program, which aims to promote excellence and enrichment in the arts throughout Memphis and Shelby County. Since the program was founded in 2012, it has raised more than $4 million for 43 local arts organizations.
“Our city and county’s vibrancy in the arts would not be possible without corporate generosity,” said Elizabeth Rouse, president and CEO of ArtsMemphis. “First Horizon Foundation’s leadership and support of ArtsMemphis and arts organizations has been transformative. We are honored to celebrate 10 years of the ArtsFirst program and grateful for their investment to enable a powerful return of the arts this year. It’s an honor to work alongside their team to administer this unique grant program.”
Grant recipients pose on the lawn outside the Levitt Shell (photo courtesy ArtsMemphis)
Read the full list of ArtsFirst grant recipients and accompanying programs below:
Arrow Creative | Youth Summer Camp Scholarships
Ballet Memphis | Ballet Memphis Midtown Campaign
Carpenter Art Garden | Mosaic Program
Collage Dance Collective | Breaking Through Campaign
Creative Aging Memphis | Operating Support
Crosstown Arts | Crosstown Theater
Dixon Gallery and Gardens | Black Artists in America: 1929-1954
GPAC | The Grove at GPAC
Hattiloo Theatre | Sensory Friendly Shows
Levitt Shell | Operating Support
New Ballet Ensemble & School |Springloaded Gala 2021
Opera Memphis | Company Artists Sponsorships
Orpheum Theatre Group | Annual Auction
Soulsville Foundation | Stax Music Academy’s Music Career Fair and Spring Showcase
Tennessee Shakespeare Company | Season Sponsorship
The CLTV |Juneteenth Gala
Theatre Memphis | Season Sponsorship
UrbanArt Commission | Revisiting and Responding Project
