Brittney Boyd Bullock – Memphis Flyer

Have you ever watched a movie or witnessed a painting and wondered how on earth did someone come up with that? Well, this Thursday, you can peek into the processes of Crosstown Arts’ fall-session resident artists: Nelson Gutierrez, Angelo Madsen Minax, and R Jason Rawlings.

Each of these artists will present a 20-minute talk, followed by a Q&A session. “You’ll learn about the artists’ priorities, how they got where they are,” says artist residency manager Mary Jo Karimnia. “It’s not a comprehensive talk about their practice; it’s more like a window into their practice. The talks are always fascinating. I never get tired of learning how artists approach things.”

“All of the artists bring something unique to the table,” Karimnia says, before adding that this cohort of three-month residents happens to have a local flair. Both visual artist Nelson Gutierrez and filmmaker R Jason Rawlings are from Memphis, and filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax, a current Guggenheim Fellow, taught at University of Memphis back in the day, though he now resides in Connecticut. The fourth resident, Brittney Boyd Bullock, is also a local and will give her artist talk in the spring.

The talks will also be an opportunity to learn more about Crosstown Arts’ residency program, Karimnia says. “[The residency] can be a really concentrated time to work on your practice. … We want people from elsewhere to learn about the great stuff that’s happening in Memphis, and we also want the people who are working in Memphis to be able to network with the greater arts world.”

In addition to this speaking engagement, Minax and Rawlings will screen some of their work on November 9th, with yet another Q&A to follow. “I think [the two films] will complement each other well,” Karimnia says. “They’re sort of a different type of filmmaking.”

Rawlings’ short film “Natives” follows a traditional narrative structure, telling the story of a claims adjuster returning home to New Orleans two years after Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, Minax’s feature North by Current is much more experimental and personal, exploring the inconclusive death of his young niece in Michigan. “It’s a lot of found footage and interviews,” Karimnia says. “It’s very aesthetically beautiful, but also not what you expect.”

Applications for Crosstown Arts’ 2023 residencies are now closed, and the next application period will open May 15th for residencies in 2024.

Crosstown Arts Resident Artist Talk, The Green Room at Crosstown Arts, Thursday, November 3, 6 p.m., free.

Film Screening by Resident Artists, Crosstown Theater, Wednesday, November 9, 6:30 p.m., free.

Put a pin in it, hold on to that thought, we’ll circle back, let’s revisit another time — some phrases are too often used for empty, soon-to-be-forgotten promises. But sometimes, if we just have a bit of faith, people can come through. Take for instance the UrbanArt Commission (UAC), now celebrating its 25th anniversary. After launching its “Revisiting” series back in mid-2019, only to have to put the project on pause before completing its second installment in spring of 2020, UAC is ready to bring back the series this summer.

“‘Revisiting,’” explains Gabrielle Brooks, UAC’s communications and development manager, “is a series of temporary site-specific responses to existing public art projects created by UAC.” These responses that are works of art themselves can go beyond visual art forms and can incorporate performance art, dance, and music.

For the series’ first installation since 2019 and second installation ever, artist Brittney Boyd Bullock will respond to the colorful storybook trees of Nancy Cheairs’ Summer at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library by transforming the work into an immersive forest of fabric and textiles. “Her project is centered around rememory,” Brooks says. “So the concept of thinking things through texture and color and remembering her childhood and past. She will be having a choral performance in addition to her installation. The chorus is called the Freedom Singers.”

Boyd, whose work is featured in the airport’s Concourse B, is also one of eight New Public Artist Fellows with UAC, which opened its first New Public Artists exhibition this May. The exhibition, which will remain on view until the fall at the University of Memphis, consists of sculptures by Boyd and other fellows, and is also worth a visit, Brooks urges.

In addition to adding to its roster of more than 130 public art projects, UAC plans to begin a “Responding” series, an additive to the “Revisiting” series, but these responses will be on a smaller scale, Brooks says, and with fewer rules and guidelines for the artist.

Overall, Brooks looks forward to redeeming losses incurred over the last two years. “It’s been kind of hard to hold on to some of these great ideas and put them on pause,” she says, “so we’re really glad to be able to start this again and work with more artists to showcase some of the [public art] projects we take for granted around the city.”

A reception with refreshments will follow Boyd’s “Revisiting,” along with the opportunity to speak with the artist about her work.

“Revisiting Series: Brittney Boyd Bullock,” Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, Thursday, May 26th, 6 p.m., free.