Memphis Art Museum – Memphis Flyer

While the new Memphis Art Museum got the green light to begin construction on Front Street last week, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Overton Park is expanding its public programming by 400 percent.

The Brooks will change its name when it moves Downtown. For now, museum officials said they want make it a hang out spot for the entire community.

“We are quadrupling the number of public programs with a goal to deepen community bonds for countless Memphians — and we’re just getting started,” said Brooks executive director Zoe Kahr. “We’re excited to grow the many ways Memphis’ art museum can be the go-to place for Memphis’ families all week long, all summer long. The museum is not only a place to view beautiful artwork, but also a gathering place for everyone in our community.”

The museum is not only a place to view beautiful artwork, but also a gathering place for everyone in our community.”
Brooks executive director Zoe Kahr

Expanded programming highlights include:

Music events held weekly: cabaret-style performances in the Terrace Room, gallery performances inspired by the art on display, and headliner shows in the Hohenberg Auditorium.

Super Saturday: Free, drop-in art-making sessions for families will now happen weekly instead of monthly starting August 3rd. Registration is required, but the sessions are free.

Figure drawing: Five times a month, artists of all levels can practice and improve their skills drawing the human form at Memphis’ art museum. All sessions are led by a local artist and either include a clothed or nude model.

Wine and art events: Wine classes, wine tastings, flower arranging workshops, art dinners, and and more.

“Christian Siriano: People Are People”: The fashion exhibition closes on August 4^th.

The Brooks museum will also now be open late (until 8 p.m.) on Thursdays instead of Wednesdays.

For more information, visit brooksmuseum.org/visit.

Construction on the new Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Downtown can continue “full steam ahead” after a court ruling Friday.

Shelby County Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson denied a request from Friends of Our Riverfront (FOR) to stop the build. The group has long contended that land at the top of the bluff, where the new museum is being built, is public.

“Neither the city nor Brooks owns this property,” the group has said. “Memphians have an easement to use the property as a public promenade and the city is the trustee. This means that the city can use this land only for the specific purpose of a riverfront greenway.”

With this, the group sued the city and the Brooks in September to halt construction. The court ordered the group to post a bond of $1 million to offset damages to the project should it be temporarily halted. FOR urged the court to waive the bond. The Brooks and city officials asked the bond to be set at $5 million.

The group never posted the bond. So, the judge dismissed its request to stop construction.

“This victory paves the way for us to bring Memphis one of the greatest cultural institutions in the country,” Brooks Chief development Officer Melissa Whitby said in an email to museum members. “This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our community, patrons, and partners. We are deeply grateful for your trust and commitment throughout this journey.”

FOR made no immediate public comment on the decision. In a Facebook post Thursday, the group said, “hard to believe a huge Soviet-style building that blocks the riverfront is actually good for anybody, Brooks included.”

The group has long fought projects along the bluff. It wants to conserve the riverfront from Big River Crossing to the Wolf River Greenway “as green space for public enjoyment, preserving its historic, natural, and authentic character.”

The Brooks broke ground last year on the new museum at the corner of Front and Union, the site of the former Memphis Fire Services Division headquarters. The museum will have a new name, the Memphis Art Museum, and is slated to open next year.

In her email, Whitby said the facility is expected to attract 150,000 new visitors to Memphis, generate about $100 million in economic impact, and “provide transformative experiences to more than 30,000 school-age children annually.”

“For years, our goal has been to establish for the people of Memphis one of the greatest cultural institutions in the country,” said Carl Person, chair of the museum board. “Today, thanks to the unwavering dedication of many, many supporters, we are closer than ever to making that dream a reality. This portion of our riverfront will soon be home not only to a world-class art museum, but acres of new, open, art-filled, and accessible public space for everyone to enjoy.”