On December 1st, Memphians will be transported to the rainforest as models take to the runway in exotic and elegant looks at Cossitt Library. Some of them will be literary-themed, harkening to genres and books; some will be high-fashion, while others will be streetwear. All will be a part of the third-ever Category Fashion Show, presented by designer Demi Blvck, this year in support of the Memphis Library Foundation (MLF).
Of his choice to partner with MLF, Blvck says, “I felt like I had a different story to tell” — one being that, in between designing for Miss Universe, New York Fashion Week, LA Fashion Week, the upcoming Paris Fashion Week, and the like, he also “low-key, I mean, low-key” writes short stories. One of these stories is set in a rainforest, about a panther, the king of the jungle, whose unorthodox romance with a serpent becomes the center of unwanted gossip, hence the rainforest theme. “I felt like this show was the perfect way to introduce to the world that I’ve written stories for years, but I’ve always kept it to myself,” Blvck says.
The fashion show will also kick off Cossitt Library’s fashion literacy education program that came about from listening to the needs of patrons, says Brian Lyles, director of Cossitt Library. “It will feature a diverse range of fashion-related events and activities, including sewing classes, T-shirt printing workshops, AI-driven fashion design courses, dedicated areas for merchandise entrepreneurship, financial literacy in the fashion industry, and more.”
Blvck will lend a hand in the implementation of the program. With so many experiences under his belt, he says he wants other Memphians to know about the possibilities in fashion and to have access to gaining those skills. Having learned his own design skills from his mom and “YouTube University,” he never imagined having the career he has for himself, especially since his first time “designing” was hand-sewing sleeves on shirts he bought from Walmart to better fit trends, he says.
Blvck’s desire to give back is also how the Category Fashion Show got started. “I wanted to bring a show to Memphis that felt something like the Met Gala. I design couture, and a lot of designers in Memphis don’t do that, so it’s just good to show that side of things,” he says. “But I also wanted it to be a platform for new designers. That’s very important to me because when I first started designing, I really didn’t have those platforms.”
This year’s designers are Maximus Jewels, Fovrce, Unconvent, Brezerk Clothing, and K.O. Designs, with Blvck headlining, of course. Reserve your spot on the wait-list or purchase a VIP ticket at tinyurl.com/433bddpm. VIP tickets include priority seating, a pre-show lounge, a cocktail experience, hors d’oeuvres, a gift bag, meet and greet, and red carpet experience. The attire is high-fashion rainforest.
The Category Fashion Show: The Library Collection, Cossitt Library, 33 South Front Street, Sunday, December 1, 6 p.m., free/general admission, $50/VIP.
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
Christopher Parker and Kelley Hurt (Photo: Brian Chilson)
When pianist Christopher Parker and singer Kelley Hurt composed the No Tears Suite to commemorate the Little Rock Nine, the Black students who defied Arkansas segregationists and walked into the once all-white Little Rock Central High School in 1957, they never suspected the piece would take on a life of its own. That was over six years ago, when the couple were commissioned by the Oxford American to create the piece, and it made perfect sense to premiere it at the Central High School National Historic Site on the 60th Anniversary of the Little Rock Nine’s actions. Beyond that, however, there were no plans.
“It’s completely amazing,” says Parker of the trajectory of the suite he and his wife composed. “It just keeps snowballing, and now it’s unfolding that this thing was destined to be more than just one performance in Little Rock.” Ultimately, an album of the piece was released on Mahakala Music, but it wasn’t long before it grew into a movable musical feast which, ironically, shrank the original suite’s length to make room for local voices wherever the show took root.
Given the centrality of racial justice issues to today’s America, one might have predicted a second life for the piece, which blends orchestral jazz not unlike that of Gil Evans with Hurt’s invocations of the imagery and names from that day, inspired by Melba Pattillo Beals’ memoir Warriors Don’t Cry. Before long, Parker and Hurt sensed that they had struck a nerve. Their creation was resonating with cities across the region in ways they couldn’t have predicted. In 2019, a new arrangement by bassist Rufus Reid was presented in Little Rock, followed by a live-streamed performance in New Orleans the next year, then shows in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, the year after that. Most recently, the project was presented in St. Louis last month, soon to be followed by a series of events in Memphis from June 10th through 14th.
At the heart of the Memphis shows will be a June 10th performance of what has grown far beyond a suite, now known as the No Tears Project, at the newly reopened Cossitt Library on Front Street. It will be an apt use of the newly renovated library space, which has been carefully crafted under the guidance of programmer Emily Marks and other team members into a multimillion-dollar arts hub featuring video labs, recording studios, and performance spaces. Indeed, it’s entirely appropriate that this space, shaped by and for the Memphis community, should play host to a project that’s become a community endeavor in its own right.
As Parker explains, it all began with the Oklahoma show. “We collaborated with these people in Tulsa, and that was really successful,” he says. “We were like, ‘What do y’all do?’ And they were more like the folk rock/singer-songwriter type of ilk. They weren’t really writing civil rights songs, but more about the moral life, folksy and spiritual. So it tied things together in kind of a cool way. People in the audience knew those people and we found some commonality.”
The St. Louis show ramped up the local involvement considerably, with the involvement of a bona fide jazz great, saxophonist Oliver Lake, founding member of the World Saxophone Quartet. “Oliver’s poetry was hitting it on the head,” says Parker, “with five poems about Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Amadou Diallo. Not only was it very piercing, but it had this dark humor.”
The original suite was shortened to make time for those poems, and others by Treasure Shields Redmond, not to mention the dancing of Ashley Tate. Now all those elements will be presented in the Memphis show, plus trumpeter Marc Franklin’s new arrangement of Memphis pianist Donald Brown’s song “A Poem for Martin.” And Parker’s especially excited about the native Memphians who’ll be in the band. “[Saxophonist] Bobby LaVell’s daddy was Honeymoon Garner! And he lived with Fred Ford, who was his saxophone teacher. Then there’s Rodney Jordan, the best bass player I ever met.” Multiple Grammy-winning drummer Brian Blade will also participate.
Parker pauses a minute to let those names sink in, happy to minimize his own role in what was originally his baby. “I mean, with players like that, all I’ve got to do is just cut them loose. I don’t have to do a thing.”
UPDATE: Due to technical issues, the venues for this series of performances have changed:
Education Concert NEW TIME: Saturday, June 10, 2023 – Noon to 1 p.m. NEW LOCATION: Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Free to the public; seating is limited and reservations are required via Eventbrite.com
A 60-minute education concert for youth and families featuring No Tears Project ensemble members. The artists will play short selections of music interspersed with dialogue that highlights key moments and people from Memphis, Little Rock, and Jackson involved with the civil rights movement.
Community Concert NEW TIME: Sunday, June 11 – 2 p.m. NEW LOCATION: The Green Room at Crosstown Arts Free to the public; seating is limited and reservations are required via Eventbrite
A 90-minute concert from the No Tears Project ensemble led by Christopher Parker (piano) and Kelley Hurt (voice). The band will perform the world premiere of new works written by and in collaboration with Memphis artists, including saxophonist Robert “Bobby LaVell” Garner. A new arrangement of Memphis pianist Donald Brown’s song “Poem for Martin,” written by Marc Franklin, as well as selections previously written by Oliver Lake, Parker, and Hurt, in honor of the Little Rock Nine will also be performed with poetry accompaniment by Treasure Shields Redmond, and dance by Ashley Tate.
Community Concert NEW TIME: Sunday, June 11 – 6:30 p.m. NEW LOCATION: The Green Room at Crosstown Arts Free to the public; seating is limited and reservations are required via Eventbrite
A reprise performance of the same 90-minute program, designed to serve additional Memphis community members.
Recognition Before Reconciliation Tuesday, June 13, 2023 – 6:00 p.m. NEW LOCATION: Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Free to the public; seating is limited – register via Eventbrite
A panel discussion featuring civil rights heroes and activists including Memphis 13 member and daughter of Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles Dwania Kyles; Little Rock Nine member Elizabeth Eckford; and activist Reena Evers-Everette, daughter of Medgar and Myrlie Evers. Dr. Russell Wigginton, President of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis will moderate the discussion. Superintendent Robin White of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site will provide opening remarks and context for the discussion.
Story Time with Elizabeth Eckford Wednesday, June 14, 2023 – 10:30 a.m. NEW LOCATION: Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Free to the public; seating available on a first come first served basis.
Capping the residency in a 60-minute program for youth and families, Little Rock Nine member and heroine Elizabeth Eckford will share personal experiences and read from her book, The Worst First Day: Bullied While Desegregating Central High. Eckford, who as a 15-year-old in 1957 faced an incensed mob of segregationists and soldiers alone, will inspire the next generation with her words and story.
Cossitt Library, the oldest public library in Memphis closed its doors in January 2018 in preparation for a renovation and in a little less than two months, that work will finally begin.
In the now emptied foyer of the library, Shamichael Hallman, director of Cossitt talked to a group of Memphians Tuesday, detailing the plans for the space.
“Over the last several years, there’s been a lot of discussion about the library,” Hallman said. “It’s been on the chopping block a couple of times. People have really questioned if this library can continue to live and be relevant in a changing society, which is a question I think a lot of libraries are asking.”
The project will be completed in three phases, Hallman said. The first part of the library transformation will be the exterior courtyard on the corner of Front and Monroe.
Maya Smith
The new courtyard will house seating, green space, and public art.
Hallman said the revamped courtyard will feature seating, landscaping, a large, “eye-catching” piece of artwork, and green space for yoga and other fitness classes.
The fence currently separating the courtyard from Front Street will be torn down, as Hallman said it’s a “literal barrier” that hinders people’s access to the space.
“The hope is that for the people who are walking or driving by the message is clearly ‘You’re welcome in this space,’” Hallman said. “We want people to come, sit, and hang out.”
The second phase will target the interior of the library, beginning with the first floor and moving to the second level.
Hallman said the goal of the first floor is to create a gathering space: “From wall to wall, we’ll have tons of social seating.”
“We want people to be able to come in and meet a neighbor or a friend and have a conversation. We really want to go against the ‘Shh, we’re in the library’ mentality.”
To create that kind of environment, there will be a cafe on one end of the first floor, serving coffee, juice, salads, sandwiches, and other refreshments.
For those who want to work in quiet, there will also be meeting rooms with river views on the first floor.
Along the back wall of the library’s first floor, Hallman said there will be a mural paying tribute to the African American students who participated in a series of sit-ins and read-ins at Cossitt and other segregated public libraries in the city during the 1960s.
“There’s a lot of history here,” Hallman said.
Maya Smith
Renderings of the new library displayed on the library’s second floor
On one end of the second floor, there will be a performance area for dance, theater, music, and fitness classes, as well as a technology workshop where local professionals can give classes on various topics such as programming, photo and video editing, and robotics.
The opposite end is slated to house music stations where visitors can listen to a collection of vinyl records. There will also be a studio for producing graphic design, music, and video projects, which Hallman said will be “digital playground for adults.”
Finally, the second floor will also be home to the Memphis Jookin Academy, where Memphis youth can come learn to jook from Memphis actor and dancer, Charles ‘Lil Buck’ Riley.
Every program, class, and space will be available to anyone with a library card with no charge, Hallman said.
Another change the library might see is extended hours. Before the library closed in 2018, its hours were 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but Hallman said those hours didn’t allow the library to serve as many people as it could.
To extend hours, Hallman said additional funding is needed.
In addition to the new programming, Hallman assured that the library will still have “quite a few” books.
“Libraries have always been a place to openly access information and knowledge,” Hallman said. “Those things will be very much still in tact. We just want to build on that and meet some of the needs of the changing community.”
The renovation of the library is a piece of the larger national Reimagining Civic Commons initiative meant to improve civic engagement, socioeconomic mixing, environmental sustainability, and value creation in five cities. Memphis, along with Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Akron, were chosen to be demonstration cities for the three-year project.
Here the initiative focuses on re-imagining the riverfront, including the Cossitt Library, the River Line Trail, Memphis Park, and the Mississippi River Park.
Memphis Public Libraries
A postcard featuring the Cossitt Library in 1906
Cossitt first opened its doors in 1893 as the Cossitt-Goodwyn Institute. It was a library and a museum.
The building serving as the library today, was added in 1958, when a part of the original structure was torn down.
Now, the only remnant of the original library is the red sandstone building sitting west of the current library.
Hallman said the library is in talks with officials from the Brooks Museum of Art, which might have a use for the historic building, but “it’s pretty wide open now.”
Hallman said contractors should begin work by mid-summer and “if there are no mishaps,” anticipates the library re-opening in February 2020.
After close to two years of construction, the Pink Palace Mansion is set to re-open December 8th, the museum’s officials announced Wednesday.
Relocated and refurbished exhibits in the mansion will include a Piggly Wiggly store replica, a rural early 20th century country store, and a restored Clyde Parke Miniature Circus, which will be displayed on the second floor of the mansion — a section that has been closed to the public for 40 years.
Bill Walsh, marketing manager for the Pink Palace said opening up the second story of the mansion will “will be a great opportunity for many visitors to see a side of the mansion they’ve never seen.”
Pink Palace
Rending of proposed Clyde Parke Miniature Circus exhibit.
The revamped Piggly Wiggly exhibit will be recreated based on patent drawings and photographs of the original store. There will also be space dedicated to Clarence Saunders, the founder of Piggly Wiggly, who first began building the mansion in the 1920s, but had to turn the house over to the city for a museum after declaring bankruptcy.
The renovated mansion will also house new exhibits like the Cossitt Gallery, featuring more than 600 artifacts from the city’s first culture and history museum. The museum was set up in a room in the Cossitt Library in the early 19th century. The new gallery will aim to recreate the look of that first museum.
Other new exhibits will include a Memphis streetscape meant to depict the symbolic intersection of black and white culture and history from 1900 to 1925.
The mansion will also have “plush new event rental facilities, state-of-the art lighting and a refurbished grand staircase,” Walsh said.
Walsh said construction is slated to wrap up soon and then the process of installing the exhibits will begin. “The exhibits are going to be spectacular. We’re excited that it’s re-opening during the holidays too. It’s sort of a holiday gift for Memphians,” Walsh said.
Saturday evening at the Downtown Cossitt Library, the final Pandemonium Cinema Showcase event of the year will honor the 45th anniversary of a beloved children’s classic.
Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka
When Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was released in June 1971, it made money but was not a huge hit for Paramount and director Mel Stuart. But over the years of Sunday night TV reruns and home video rentals by parents of young kids, it would become a beloved cult film, eventually landing on the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.
The 45th anniversary of the visually colorful but surprisingly darkly themed film comes at a poignant time, with the recent passing of Gene Wilder, the genius comic actor whose turn as Wonka would prove to be a warm up for his double shot of Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles.
The Pandamonium series, masterminded by Black Lodge Video’s Matt Martin and director Craig Brewer, was started to not only strengthen the cinema community in Memphis, but also increase the visibility of the long neglected Cossitt Library. The shows have been elaborate, interactive affairs, and this screening promises Oompa Loompas handing out candy in real time and much more. Best of all, it’s totally free!
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory will begin at 5:30 PM at the Cossitt Library. The movie is free, but seating will be limited to 100 people. Then at 7:00, a second film based on a Roald Dahl story, James and the Giant Peach, followed by an encore of Wonka at 8:45.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Celebration Slated Saturday At Cossitt Library
Downtown’s Cossitt Library is one of the city’s most overlooked and underused assets. This Saturday, Aug. 27, the film tag team of Craig Brewer and Black Lodge Video will try to start changing that.
A new interactive film series called Pandemonium Cinema Showcase will debut with the Video Game Movie Meltdown. The all-night, mini film festival will include films inspired by video games, including the 2012 smash hit Wreck It Ralph, the smash hit Walt Disney animated film that stars John C. Riley as a video game big boss who’s tired of battling players and just wants to be loved. The second film is a 1989 curiosity called The Wizard, a Fred Savage vehicle that extolls the virtues of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
Wreck-It Ralph
Then, a Disney classic that could fairly be called the birth of the video game movie genre, Tron. In 2016, the plot of the 1982 film, which involves super hacker Flynn (Jeff Bridges) being sucked into a computer and forced to fight in a life-or-death video game arena, is now eye rolling, but the images remain as fresh as ever. Released just three weeks after Blade Runner, the two sci fi films couldn’t be more different in tone or subject matter, but together they defined a new cyberpunk aesthetic that now permeates popular culture.
Tron
The only documentary on the program is The King of Kong: A Fistfull of Quarters. It’s one of the must-see documentaries of the last decade, tracing the epic battle of two ordinary men obsessed with owning the high score of the most difficult classic arcade game, Donkey Kong. And finally, the evening will close with the infamous 1989 trainwreck Super Mario Bros. Starring Bob Hoskins as Mario and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa, it’s the leading cautionary tale of why plots that work to motivate action in video games usually don’t translate to the big screen.
But there will be plenty of action on the little screen at the Library, too. The film screenings will accompany a play-a-thon of vintage and contemporary video games, ranging from Atari 2600s to Xboxes, with literally hundreds of games to choose from. There will also be a cosplay contest with prizes for the best video game themed costumes.
Games and movies begin at 4:30 PM on Saturday, August 27 at the Cossitt Library Downtown.
Gospel artist Mahalia Jackson is truly inimitable, but Deborah Manning Thomas challenges that theory. She and Sameka Johnson star in Mahalia: A Gospel Musical originally performed at the Hattiloo Theatre. Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Mahalia moves into Downtown’s Cossitt Library for a free one night only performance. (Long empty upstairs area).
Hattiloo Invites You to a Free Performance of ‘Mahalia’ at the Cossitt Library
For something completely different, Marcus: or the Secret of Sweet, the third play in Tarrell Alvin McCranney’s Brother/Sister plays runs at Hattiloo through May 8.
With all this talk lately about what to do with the riverfront and cobblestones, I’d thought I’d share a great old photo I found, taken by J.C. Coovert, a professional photographer based in Memphis who captured many scenes in this region in the early 1900s. Judging from the buildings seen in the background, this shot was taken sometime between 1907 and 1910.
First of all, you can’t help noticing all the cotton, in bales and bags, just piled outside. I guess this is a stupid question, but wouldn’t that stuff just swell up like a balloon if it rained?
There are lots of interesting details in the background (and just to be helpful, I’ve enlarged portions of the photograph below; you’ll have to scroll down or go to the next page). First of all, the big white building with the twin towers (one of them, if you squint, has two clock faces), is the old U.S. Customs House, later a post office, and currently being converted into the law school for the University of Memphis. Next to it is the rounded extension of the original Cossitt Library, one of the finest buildings ever constructed in this city. Look carefully, and you can see the red-sandstone turret (it’s kind of hidden behind an extremely tall telegraph/telephone pole.)
The two tall white buildings in the distance are (I believe) the Tennessee Bank and Trust Building (erected 1904-1907), and to the right of it, the Memphis Trust Company building (erected in 1904). That second building was expanded in 1914 by simply doubling the width of it; it’s still standing today on Main Street as the Commerce Title Building, and if you stand in front of it, you can see the vertical seam where the addition was slapped on.
Now what’s really interesting is the cute little square building, right in the top center of the main photo (and shown in detail below). It’s hard to see in the scan, but wording around the edge of the roof tells everyone this was the office of “S.W. Green — Wharfmaster” and it was his job to keep track of all the boats and wagons and carts that you see here. He must have been a busy man.
Maya Smith 
Maya Smith 
Maya Smith 
Memphis Public Libraries 
Pink Palace 
Pink Palace 
