August – Memphis Flyer

Lawrence Matthews, ‘Vote III’

FRIDAY

Lawrence Matthews, i.e. Don Lifted, “In a Violent Way” at Crosstown Arts (6PM — 9PM):
You may have seen Matthews perform as his alter-ego, Don Lifted, without knowing that the emerging artist is also a prolific painter. For this exhibition, Matthews reimagines famous images of the civil rights struggle.

Nick Pena’s “Crosscut” at Christian Brothers University (5:30PM—7:30PM):
Pena’s paintings are meditations on the fissure of The American Dream. If you haven’t seen Pena’s work before, this is a great chance to check it out.

CEREAL at GLITCH (6PM—10PM):
A group show featuring work by Lance Turner, Derrick Dent, Ariel Claiborn and others. There will also be music from C – Stilla, Dick Solomon, Purplecat Jane and Sleepy Barksdale.

SATURDAY

Animated Film: The Secret of Kells at the Brooks (2PM)
This seems promising: “Young Brendan lives in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids. But a new life of adventure beckons when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from foreign lands carrying an ancient but unfinished book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers. To help complete the magical book, Brendan has to overcome his deepest fears on a dangerous quest that takes him into the enchanted forest where mythical creatures hide. “

Still from ‘The Secret of Kells’

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Second Terrain Biennial, all day, around the city:
Artists Terri Jones, Lindsay Julian, Melissa Dunn, Between Worlds Collaborative, Greely Myatt, Johnathan Payne, Terri Phillips, and Lester Julian Merriweather created work to be shown in yards around Memphis. A map is available at the Rhodes College website. Rhodes is hosting the event to kick off This Must Be the Place, a year-long exploration of art’s relationship to place, presented by Clough-Hanson Gallery.

The Dutch name for August is “Oostmaand,” which derives from the sound one makes when the backs of one’s thighs come in contact with the leather seat of a car that has been parked in the sun all day. Traditionally, the first syllable is expressed very loudly.

Actually, Oostmaand means “harvest month,” which is certainly a more optimistic way of looking at summer’s final chapter. When I was kid, these were the “dog days,” a time of contradictory emotions. Nothing, for example, seemed more endless than an August day spent mowing yards or weeding my mother’s garden in the broiling sun. Yet no month ever seemed shorter or more precious than this one, the last thin calendar page between summer freedom and the start of school.

August suffers from an identity crisis these days. Kids head back to school halfway through the month, meaning August — and summer — gets shortchanged. School used to start after Labor Day and end in late May. Now it runs from mid-August to early June. What happened to the theoretical three months of summer? I’m sorry. When it’s 106 outside, it’s not freakin’ autumn! August should be celebrated, not truncated.

I think the problem is that August lacks a holiday. Nobody ever talks about cutting a few days out of Christmas break. Christmas and New Year’s anchor December like a boulder. You don’t mess with December. August, on the other hand, gets no respect.

So, in the grand tradition of “Festivus,” the fictional holiday on Seinfeld which featured “feats of strength” and the “airing of grievances,” I propose that August 25th become “Augustus.”

Augustus shall be celebrated by gathering family and friends for an evening meal. Holiday rituals will include “the manly blackening of raw meat over coals,” “the sharing of a cheap 12-pack,” and “the pushing of at least one unsuspecting person into a pool.” Also, there must be at least one person with a camera whose job it is to catch people with their mouth full or nodding off — or preferably both. Happy holidays.

Bruce VanWyngarden

brucev@memphisflyer.com