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Memphis Art & Fashion Week Begins Friday

Kicking off on Friday, May 2nd, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will host its Memphis Art and Fashion Week, complete with a runway, immersive experiences, and conversations.

“It’s about culture. It’s about art. It’s about music, community, and inclusivity,” says Ramona Sonin, director of Memphis Art and Fashion Week and associate professor at the University of Memphis. “It’s a celebration of art, fashion, and the creatives in Memphis.”

In that vein, interior designers Carmeon Hamilton and Colin Chapman will host a Met Gala Watch Party on Monday, May 5th, and Wednesday’s Culinary Couture event will celebrate chef Karen Carrier as she prepares a menu inspired by the artistry and boldness of high fashion. DJs will take over the runway’s after-party. “Having these wonderful creatives all come together to celebrate art and fashion, it’s just really wonderful,” Sonin says. “I’m so grateful to the Brooks for listening to my ideas.”

Last year was the Brooks’ inaugural Art and Fashion: Runway at the Museum, then a one-night event. “It sold out,” Sonin says. “And then we found ways to make a few more spots again, and then we opened tickets up again and it sold out again in seven minutes. So Memphis has been so supportive of it, and clearly it’s something that they love seeing. Knowing that, we came back this year officially with a Memphis Art and Fashion Week — and not just necessarily the traditional runway but also celebrating art.”

The Friday, May 9th, runway show with nearly 50 designers, local and national, will feature several categories including mini collection, micro collection, wearable art, and more, with headliner Korto Momolu, acclaimed Project Runway designer. “She is an amazing talent I can’t wait for Memphis to see on the runway,” Sonin says. “From watching her on Project Runway, the way she works with fabric and her structure, I’ve always adored that, and her use of fabrics as well.”

At the start of the runway will be works by U of M students in the school’s fashion program. Students will also be backstage helping with models get dressed and undressed and so forth. “It gets super chaotic in a wonderful way,” Sonin says. “It’s something you could never teach in the classroom. You can talk about backstage all day long in the classroom, but until they’re back and they’re experiencing it, they’ll never understand it fully. So I’m so happy that we’re able to do that.”

Almost nine years ago, when Sonin first moved here, opportunities like this didn’t exist for students. U of M’s fashion program didn’t exist. “We already had a fashion merchandising program, which I was hired to come in and revamp. In doing that, I pitched the idea of design, and it was approved. And so the design program has just been growing and growing. 

“There wasn’t anything really here, the love for it was here, but there was not an outlet for celebrating it.”    

Of course, there was the now-closed Arrow Creative’s Memphis Fashion Week, last celebrated in 2023, but as Sonin says, “They had their own mission, and our mission is certainly different.”

Already, the Brooks and Sonin are looking to 2026’s Memphis Art and Fashion Week. “We had so many applications that we are now in the process of considering that the runway may need to be a two-night event,” Sonin says.  

“The Brooks has really embraced the idea of fashion as part of art,” Sonin adds, pointing out the museum’s Couture Collective, whose members can attend exclusive events and have access to opportunities in selecting works of art related to the fashion community. “Fashion is an art, and there’s some very artful things that are done in the creation process of making anything, even for a traditional runway. So I think it’s the celebration of that, and people are starting to realize that as well.”

For more information about Memphis Art and Fashion Week and for tickets, visit brooksmuseum.org/program/fashion. A schedule of events is below. (All events take place at the Brooks unless otherwise noted.)


Memphis Art and Fashion Week Schedule

(Photo: Memphis Brooks Museum of Art)

Blue Suede Vintage After Hours: Shop local, get your unique vintage look, and stand out at Memphis’ week of fashion and fun. | Blue Suede Vintage, 486 North Hollywood Street, Memphis, TN 38112, Friday, May 2nd, 5 p.m., free

Met Gala Watch Party: Kick off Memphis Art & Fashion Week and watch the red carpet arrivals of the Met Gala in style. | Monday, May 5, 6 p.m., free/Couture Collective, $20/museum member, $35/general admission

Culinary Couture: This exclusive dinner features a menu by chef Karen Carrier that celebrates creativity across the senses. | Wednesday, May 7, 6 p.m., $175/Couture Collective, $175/museum member, $195/general admission

Backstage with Korto Momolu: A dynamic conversation with the acclaimed Project Runway designer on creativity and cultural influence. | Thursday, May 8, 6 p.m, free/Couture Collective, $10/museum member, $18/general admission, $7/student

Runway at the Museum + After Party: A showcase of more than 50 visionary designers from across the country followed by a party in the Summer Art Garden. | Friday, May 9, 6 p.m., free/Couture Collective, $35/general admission, $25/U of M student, $110/VIP, $15/after-party only

Cocktails with the Curator: Black Dandyism: An exploration of fashion, identity, and resistance with the assistant curator of photography C. Rose Smith. | Saturday, May 10, 3 p.m., free/museum member, $18/general admission

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Art Art Feature

Greely Myatt’s Starry, Starry

You don’t need to look too far in the sky to see the stars, not at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. That’s where Greely Myatt has installed his Starry, Starry starscape for the museum’s inaugural Winter Art Garden. Consisting of four sculptural elements — Big Star, Star Fall, Star Sprays, and Sirius (Dog Star and Pup) — the starscape, which opened at the end of November, is a constellation of Myatt’s own creation, stemming from the artist’s recent obsession with stars. 

It all started with a show last year for Eagle Gallery at Murray State in Kentucky. For each show, as with the Winter Garden, Myatt notes that “space is crucial,” meaning that he curates his pieces to suit the space they’re shown in, often creating pieces if he’s so inspired. And for “tool,” as the show was called, Myatt was inspired by the reflective black floor of Eagle Gallery. “I wanted to do something with neon,” he says. 

What exactly, he didn’t know yet. Myatt toyed with the idea of ripples in water, but after playing with a metric folding rule and shaping into a five-point star, he found his subject. “It was a form that wasn’t just erratic. It was fun, and relatively easy to make,” he says. “And so that happened.” And he happened to have an extra five pieces of traffic sign post leftover from another project, so he made a “massive” star and “put neon under it to reflect light and bounce it back up.”

Now that massive star — aptly titled Big Star, with a nod to the Memphis-based band — sits against the Brooks Museum. To the side of it, on the pedestals where statues Spring and Summer once stood, another star is propped up, this one made of charred wood. 

“It’s a fragmented star,” Myatt says of Star Fall as it’s called. “When I was making the other stars [for previous shows], I kind of became interested in, instead of the completeness of it, letting the mind mentally finish it. And I kind of like the incompleteness.”

Star Fall

The wood of this fragmented star comes from a pine tree Myatt grew himself, starting in the third grade. “It was kind of a common tradition that teachers would give students, or at least in Mississippi, a sapling that you would plant and nurture if you were a reasonably good student,” he says. “So I did that, and I planted it behind my mom’s house. And 55 years later, my twin sister called me and said, ‘Hey, I cut your tree. Do you want any of it?’ I said, ‘You did what!’ But my sister was nervous about the storms blowing through and the trees coming down. This was about eight years ago.”

Meanwhile, Sirius (Dog Star and Pup), which is suspended between two trees near the plaza, is made of broom handles, and Star Sprays, which spring up from the umbrella holes in the plaza’s tables like bouquets of sparklers, are made of traffic signs. “I like to have all these materials around because I will use them eventually,” Myatt says. “My mom was like that — some people would call us hoarders. I remember as a kid she taught us how to pull old nails out and straighten them because we had plenty of wood, but we didn’t have any nails and we didn’t have any money. It’s always stuck with me, you know, that kind of idea of reusing material and seeing the good in something old.”

Star Sprays

All in all, though, as he reflects on the use of stars in his work, Myatt says, “They’re abstract, but they’re real. It’s kind of like Dave Hickey once said, ‘A Pollock doesn’t mean anything, but it has meaning.’” 

The installation was made possible through the work of Kristin Pedrozo, Jon Hart, Chris Little, Jennifer Draffen, and more, Myatt adds. 

Starry, Starry, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, through January 2025

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Art Art Feature News News Blog

Arrow Creative to Close, Brooks to Absorb Programming

Earlier this week, Arrow Creative announced its closure following its Holiday Bazaar, which will conclude on December 22nd. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will absorb the majority of the nonprofit’s programming, including workshops and camps, artist coworking spaces, and retail opportunities. 

“Our goal has always been to empower creatives,” said Abby Phillips, co-founder of Arrow Creative, in a press release announcing the closure. “We know that the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is already a very strong champion for this mission.”

The launch of Memphis Fashion Week, which sought to showcase Memphis’ fashion design industry, marked the beginning of Arrow Creative in 2012. In 2017, with the closure of Memphis College of Art (MCA), Arrow expanded its reach, outside of just fashion, to support creative entrepreneurs and engage artists of all skill levels in visual arts, hoping to fill the gap created by the school’s closure. 

In that mission, this weekend, for instance, Arrow will host a Macrame & Mimosas: Tree Wall Hanging workshop ($54.13) and a Winter Watercolor Workshop ($49.87). It will also continue its Holiday Bazaar, where you can shop more than 100 local artists and makers (Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) through December 22nd, which, as aforementioned, will be its last day of business.

(Photo: Arrow Creative | Facebook)

All programming added to the Brooks’ existing framework will be recognized under Arrow Creative’s name, with the transition taking place over the coming months. Expect a schedule in early 2025 at brooksmuseum.org

“By integrating Arrow Creative’s innovative programming into the city’s art museum, we can provide even greater opportunities for artists and creatives of all ages to make and learn while ensuring these resources remain accessible,” said Brooks Executive Director Zoe Kahr in the press release. 

Arrow had also purchased key equipment from MCA in 2019, including tools from the woodworking, ceramics, photography, illustration, painting, fashion design, sound lab, letterpress, paper-making, and print-making departments. Those pieces will be distributed to local and regional art organizations, schools, and individual artist groups. 

“Memphis has an indelible legacy of incredible creativity and collaboration,” said DeMarcus Suggs, director of creative and cultural economy at the city of Memphis. “I am excited to see these groups come together to support our artists and the creative community.”

“The board, staff, and I are incredibly proud of our work over the last 12 years,” said Phillips. “We look forward to what the next 12 will look like under the helm of Memphis’ art museum.”

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Opinion The Last Word

Memphis Is My Boyfriend: Fun, but Not in the Sun

With this heat wave, we’ve had to find ways to enjoy our summer, but stay cool at the same time. While my kids, now 16, 12, 12, and 10, would be content lying around the house in their pajamas, I just want them to do … something else. Now don’t get me wrong, I love to play video games as well (my current favorite is My Time at Sandrock), but that can’t be all that they do. This city is too vibrant and their brains are too bright to be only used for video games. 

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

If you haven’t been to the Brooks Museum’s latest exhibit, “People are People” by Christian Siriano, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. This exhibit displays some of Siriano’s contributions to fashion. My daughter’s mouth dropped in awe. (Best mom-feeling ever!) She guided us around the exhibit, reading the captions while exclaiming her opinion of each dress. We saw dresses worn by Michelle Obama, Ashley Graham, and Ariana Grande. The gowns are exquisite and absolutely amazing. My daughter gained a lot of inspiration and drive from this exhibit. She talked endlessly about the alterations she was going to make to some of her clothes and how she finally knows how she is going to finish the shirt she’s been sewing. But the best part was when my boys got excited. The Brooks Museum had a runway set up with clothes on a rack that they could piece together to make a fashion statement. Were they excited to play dress-up? No. But were they excited to play dress-up with their little sister? Yes! We all ran to the rack, donned the coolest attire, and walked the runway. We had the best time! Next, my hubby and daughter used fabric to dress a mannequin while the boys sketched clothes. 

The Brooks Museum is free Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. “People are People” by Christian Siriano will be around until August 4th. 

Contributions to fashion (Photo: Patricia Lockhart)

Kroc Center

We have been members of the Kroc Center for a few years now, and the Kroc has this long hallway that displays the artwork of local artists. As we walked by, the eldest twin slowed his pace. He looked at the artwork, nodded, then moved along. He called our attention to several different pieces, noting content and technique. And then his world changed. Written in the bottom right-hand corner, on a small rectangular piece of paper, was the price the artwork was selling for. It then seemed like several dots connected together in his brain. “This piece sells for $65! That’s more than my allowance!” I just smiled and said, “Yes, it is.” My husband and I have always told him that he could sell his artwork to earn money. Ever since he was 5 and he stated that he wanted to be a “starving artist” when he grew up, we explained to him that he could be an artist without the starving part. But sometimes a parent’s words don’t resonate with their kids until an appropriate moment. Seeing artwork comparable to his own ability for sale ignited something in him. (Insert proud mommy moment.)

My kids also love to swim at the Kroc. They have a wonderful lazy river. (Yep, you read that right!) My kids are perfectly content going around and around and around, relaxing with each churn of the artificial currents.

Summer Curriculum Update

Here’s a brief update on how the summer curriculum is going. The MATA bus ride is scheduled for July. As you’ve probably guessed, they aren’t excited. While they have mastered how to operate Google Calendar and have put several things on the family calendar, they have failed to learn the lyrics to any Aretha Franklin song or “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas with accuracy. I honestly didn’t think it would be hard, but they are seriously struggling.

The grocery shopping and meal prep had an unexpected outcome. Yes, the kids created grocery lists and cooked meals. But we’ve also had to put a cap on “when” meals could be made. The kids were cooking the typical breakfast, lunches, and dinners, but also added “pre-lunch” and a “post-dinner” meals. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t “post-dinner” just dessert? No, not for them, “post-dinner” is the meal you eat after dessert. Usually served after you have stayed up too late and gotten hungry again. Therefore, the kitchen now closes at 10 p.m. (Those P-EBT cards need to hurry up and arrive!)

They’re finishing up their autobiography/biography and school-assigned summer reading books, too. As you probably guessed, they decided to pace their time with books by only reading a chapter a day. I had to gently remind them that at this pace, they wouldn’t finish their books in time for school. And as you know, the summer reading books include a mini-project.

So far they’ve created and gained inspiration, added movement, and nurtured their brains. I think this deserves a video game binge day, but no “post-dinners.” 

Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. By day, she’s a school librarian and writer, but by night … she’s asleep. @realworkwife @memphisismyboyfriend

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News News Blog News Feature

Brooks Museum of Art Expands Programming by 400 Percent

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 4th.

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.

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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Brooks and Run, Dia de los Muertos, and Indian Spice

Memphis on the internet.

Brooks and Run

“The front of Memphis Brooks Museum of Art looked like a hit-and-run crime scene today,” Tom Bailey wrote on Facebook. “Someone driving a van plowed through the front lawn and plaza, striking the 62-year-old installation of three statues, Spring Summer Fall, which for decades have graced the front of the museum.”

Día de los Muertos

Posted to Facebook by Overton Square

Well before the hit-and-run incident, a Día de los Muertos parade left from Overton Square to the Brooks for a fun, holiday event with loads of Las Catrinas, authentic food, and amazing music and performances.

Indian Spice

Posted to Reddit by u/Manephian

“Nothing spices up Downtown like an Indian wedding,” wrote u/Manephian this past weekend. Sounds about right to us.

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Art Cover Feature News

Fall Arts Guide 2023

As the temperatures are cooling down, the Memphis arts scene is heating up — with exhibitions, performances, and unique experiences. See for yourself in our Fall Arts Guide.


Calida Rawles, United States, b. 1976, Thy Name We Praise, 2023. (Photo: Courtesy Terra Foundation for American Art and Spelman College Museum of Fine Art)

“Black American Portraits” at the Brooks

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the general public was flooded with images of Black pain and suffering. From news stations to social media feeds, these images, proliferated by modern technology, were and are instantaneous with nothing, really, to prevent them from surfacing on our screens.

To counteract this, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) curated the “Black American Portraits” exhibition, filled with portraits celebrating and depicting Black joy, power, and love. And now the exhibit has made its way to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

As a majority-Black city, Memphis needs this, says Brooks executive director Zoe Kahr. “It’s so important to see every Memphian reflected back in the museum.”

Though this exhibition originated in Los Angeles, the Brooks has included additional pieces to lend the experience a Memphis touch. An Augusta Savage sculpture is on loan from the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, and works by Jarvis Boyland, Derek Fordjour, Catherine Elizabeth Patton, Jared Small, Ernest Withers, and the Hooks Brothers Photography Studio punctuate the gallery walls. “We wanted to highlight talent in Memphis and show it in a national context,” Kahr says.

With 129 pieces of art in total, the sheer number of works, encompassing a variety of media and spanning over 200 years in history, is in itself a feat. “One of the things that struck me about this show and taking it here is just this idea of abundance,” says Patricia Daigle, the Brooks’ curator of modern and contemporary art. “So there’s this idea about being prolific, and the impact of what it means to see this many portraits of Black people in one space.” 

“Black American Portraits” is on display through January 7th. For more information about the exhibition and its related programming, visit brooksmuseum.org.


In his artist statement, Theaster Gates writes, “This is my small contribution to the possibility of healing.” (Photo: Patrick Coleman)

Tom Lee Park Activates the Community Through Creativity

In 1925, Tom Lee rescued 32 passengers from the numbing waters of the Mississippi River. The steamer they were on had capsized, and the Black river worker, passing by in his small wooden skiff, soon became their hero, even though he couldn’t swim. Today, his bravery is largely forgotten, but with the recently completed renovation of Tom Lee Park, named in his honor in 1954, the folks with Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) are hoping to change that and to inspire Memphis to channel his spirit of community, heroism, and selflessness. 

For the renovation, MRPP commissioned Chicago-based and world-renowned artist Theaster Gates to create an art installation, complementing David Alan Clark’s Tom Lee Memorial, which depicts Lee in a moment of heroism. Gates’ A Monument to Listening overlooks this original sculpture and features 33 “thrones,” representing those Lee saved in 1925 and Lee himself. 

All the thrones are made out of the same basalt stone, are the same height, and are marked with imperfections — all except for one that’s taller and “is perfect in a sense. That’s the one that represents Tom Lee,” says Michalyn Easter-Thomas, MRPP director of education initiatives and strategic partnerships. The idea is that all who sit upon the thrones are made equal and are (almost literally) given an equal platform from which to listen and to be listened to. 

To enrich visitors’ experience with the sculpture, MRPP has enlisted three organizations to curate activations: UrbanArt Commission, the Orpheum Theatre, and The Big We Foundation, a collective of local Black artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs. These activations are expected to be unique experiences that will evoke emotions, challenge perceptions, celebrate creativity, and foster dialogue. 

So far, activations have included an American sign language class with UrbanArts Commission and an open meeting with The Big We Foundation. More activations will be held through the end of the year, and next year, a new cohort of curators — this time creative individuals — will build upon the work of the current group. “And ‘creative’ doesn’t necessarily have to be the arts,” adds Easter-Thomas. “We’ve searched out folks in the food scene, in architecture, in philanthropy. It’s really about how you envision connecting Memphis to the Tom Lee story — how can we ensure that everybody knows this story?”

Keep up with the activations surrounding A Monument to Listening at Tom Lee Park on MRPP’s social media and at tomleepark.org.


Cremaine Booker (Photo: Courtesy Iris Collective)

Iris Collective Introduces Its Small Business Series

When Iris Collective rebranded from being the Iris Orchestra in 2022, the group began to think of itself not as a concertizing organization, but as a “community music organization that does concerts,” says Iris’ executive director Rebecca Arendt. “The idea is that everything we’re doing is with community rather than for community.”

Over the years, Iris has mentored hundreds of high school and middle school students in Memphis and Shelby County, regularly visited patients at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and worked with memory care and nursing home patients at retirement homes — just to name a few examples of the collective’s commitment to community. 

For the 2023-2024 season, Iris will be debuting its new Small Business Series, through which they will partner with three small businesses to highlight the intersection of entrepreneurship and the arts. “It’s a fun and nontraditional way for people to engage in music and dialogue around things that are important to them,” Arendt says. 

The first performance of this series will take place in December at the soon-to-be-opened Cafe Noir, Jasmine Settles’ bookstore that specializes in highlighting BIPOC and LGBTQ authors. Cremaine Booker, aka ThatCelloGuy, principal cello for Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra and Jackson Symphony Orchestra, will perform and will work “with an author of Cafe Noir’s choosing to put together a program that talks about being an artist from an underrepresented community.”

The following performances in this series will take place at Music Box in January and ARCHd in March. “As you know, these are all very small environment venues,” Arendt says, “and so you can get up close and personal. Not only will you get to hear great music, but you’ll be able to talk back and forth, express ideas, and use it as a chance to see how arts can make our community better. … The Small Business Series speaks to where we want to be, where we want to have that shared artistic experience, and we feel that one of the best ways to do that are small environments where people can come together with a shared interest.”

Cremaine Booker performs on Friday, December 8, 5:30 p.m., at Cafe Noir. Tickets are $20. For more information on Iris Collective and its upcoming season, visit iriscollective.org.


Chiffon Thomas, A mother who had no mother, 2018, is on display at Clough-Hanson Gallery. (Photo: Clifton Thomas)

ON DISPLAY

“Hued”
Rachelle Thiewes’ jewelry empowers its wearer through rhythmic repetition, architectural forms, and vibrant auto paint.  
Metal Museum, through January 28

“Overstuffed”
This exhibition features mixed media fiber artists Sharon Havelka and Paula Kovarik. Gallery talk on October 14, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
ARTSmemphis, through December

“The Molasses Man & Other Delta Tales”
The show serves as an anthology of stories based on Ahmad George’s life and experiences with people they’ve encountered here and not. 
Crosstown Arts, through January 21

“Young, Gifted and Black”
This show champions an emerging generation of artists of African descent. One of the artists, Sadie Barnette, will give an artist talk on November 2 at 6 p.m. An artist panel will take place on November 14.
Clough-Hanson Gallery at Rhodes College, through December 9

“Lens Language” 
Explore the depths of love from behind the lens of MadameFraankie and Kai Ross. Opening reception on October 7, 4-7 p.m.
TONE, October 7-December 12

“Woven Arts of Africa”
This comprehensive visual exhibition defines the major woven artistic styles and traditions derived from cultural/regional groups from all over Africa. Opening reception on October 7, 3-5 p.m.
Art Museum University of Memphis, October 7-January 20

Kaylyn Webster, Light Show in July, 2023; Oil on canvas; Courtesy of the artist.

“Commune”
Memphis artist Kaylyn Webster’s paintings capture, with quiet honesty, the divine aspects of communing with those we love. Artist’s reception on October 26, 2-3 p.m.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, October 8-January 7

Zaire Love
Zaire Love’s films and photography honor, amplify, and immortalize the stories and voices of the Black South. Artist’s reception on October 27, 5-8 p.m. 
Beverly + Sam Ross Gallery at Christian Brothers University, October 16-December 10

“Black Artists in America: From Civil Rights to the Bicentennial”
This exhibition considers the various ways in which Black American artists responded to and challenged the cultural, environmental, political, racial, and social issues of the era from the Civil Rights Movement to the Bicentennial.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, October 22-January 14


Beetlejuice, pictured (l-r) Britney Coleman (Barbara), Will Burton (Adam), Isabella Esler (Lydia) and Justin Collette (Beetlejuice). (Photo: Matthew Murphy)

ON STAGE

Shout-Out Shakespeare Series: The Tempest
Tennessee Shakespeare Company performs the Bard’s final romance for this free outdoor series. The final two performances will be ticketed. 
Various locations, through October 29

Father Comes Homes From the Wars
An explosively powerful drama about the mess of war, the cost of freedom, and the heartbreak of love.
Hattiloo Theatre, through October 22

Variations on a Theme
Opera Memphis presents a new series of intimate, curated evenings of vocal music in all its forms. 
Opera Memphis, October 7, November 11

Funny Girl
The indomitable Fanny Brice becomes one of the most beloved performers in history.
Orpheum Theatre, October 10-15

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Ballet Memphis reimagines the iconic Shakespearean play.
Playhouse on the Square, October 13-15

Blithe Spirit
A spiritualist, a crime writer, an ex-wife back from the dead — what more could you want from this farcical and outrageous play?
Lohrey Theatre at Theatre Memphis, October 13-29

Moody Conducts Beethoven 5
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra performs this revolutionary work.
Crosstown Theater, Friday, October 13, 6:30 p.m.
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, October 15, 2:30 p.m. 

Underwater Bubble Show
This show incorporates drama, pantomime, dance, puppetry, juggling, aerial arts, acrobatics, contortion, sand art, and imagery with the beauty of soap bubbles. Participants of all ages will delight in this colorful, magical utopia that merges science, light, and imagination.
Buckman Arts Center at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, October 26, 5 p.m. & 7 p.m.

Carmina Burana
Opera Memphis and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra present a Halloween-inspired concert.
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, October 28, 7:30 p.m.

Randall Goosby & Zhu Wang: Rising Stars
This phenomenal duo returns to Memphis.
Harris Hall at University of Memphis, October 28, 7:30 p.m.

Beetlejuice
This musical brings Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film to the stage. 
Orpheum Theatre, October 31-November 5

Orchestra Unplugged: Scary Music – Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Journey to the depths of the visionary composer Berlioz’s mind and music. 
Halloran Centre, November 2, 7:30 p.m.

Sons of Mystro
Brothers Malcolm and Umoja interpret reggae classics, American pop songs, and their own creations, accompanied by a DJ and a drummer.
Buckman Arts Center at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, November 2, 7 p.m.

Silent Sky
The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who changed the public’s understanding of the heavens and Earth.
Next Stage at Theatre Memphis, November 3-18

Schoolhouse Rock, Live!
This show is based on the cherished animated series that taught generations of youth.
The Circuit Playhouse, November 11-December 22

NutRemix
New Ballet Ensemble presents an electrifying and innovative production set on Beale Street. 
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, November 17-19

Take the Soul Train to Christmas
This holiday spectacle is a time machine through the evolution of the African-American Christmas experience.
Hattiloo Theatre, November 17-December 17

The Wizard of Oz
Dorothy Gale is whisked away by a powerful twister and finds herself in the mystical land of Oz.
Playhouse on the Square, November 17-December 22

The North American Tour Boleyn Company of SIX. (Photo: Joan Marcus)

SIX
This new original musical about Henry VIII’s six wives is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over.
Orpheum Theatre, November 21-26

Who’s Holiday
See a whole new side of Cindy Lou Who.
The Circuit Playhouse, November 24-December 22

Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance
A unique combination of high-energy Irish dancing, original music, storytelling, and sensuality.
Orpheum Theatre, November 29

The Importance of Being Earnest
Tennessee Shakespeare Company presents Oscar Wilde’s trivial comedy for serious people.
Tabor Stage, November 30-December 17

A Christmas Carol
Ebenezer Scrooge returns to the stage for this holiday tradition.
Lohrey Theatre at Theatre Memphis, December 1-23

It’s a Wonderful Life: The Live Radio Play
A radio-play adaptation of the Christmas classic.
Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, December 1-3

Magic of Memphis
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra offers a beloved holiday tradition, complete with a collage of Memphis performing groups.
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, December 2, 6:30 p.m.

The Nutcracker
Ballet Memphis’ production promises to delight in both familiar and unexpected ways.
Orpheum Theatre, December 9-17

Clara & the Nutcracker
Tennessee Ballet Theater presents a charming rendition of the classic tale. 
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, December 10, 2 p.m.

The Nutcracker Ballet
This production of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet features dancers from Center’s Esprit de Corps Dance Company.
Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, December 15-17


Christmas Fiesta at the Dixon returns for a third year. (Photo: Angel Ortez)

AROUND TOWN

First Wednesdays at the Brooks
Every first Wednesday the Brooks will have incredible live music.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, first Wednesdays of the month, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Jazz in the Galleries: Saturday Series
Every third Saturday of the month enjoy good jazz and great times in the galleries at the Brooks.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, third Saturdays of the month, noon-2 p.m. 

Munch and Learn
Every Wednesday during lunchtime, join the Dixon for presentations by local artists, scholars, and Dixon staff sharing on a variety of topics.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Wednesdays, noon-1 p.m.

Super Saturdays at the Brooks
The first Saturday of every month, the Brooks will have free admission from 10 a.m.-noon and art-making. (PS: Every Saturday, admission is free from 10 a.m.-noon.)
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, first Saturdays of the month, 10 a.m.-noon

Free Family Day
On the second Saturday of each month, the Stax Museum offers free admission for everyone. There will also be food trucks, games and activities, arts and crafts for children, bouncy houses, face painting, balloon artists, and live music.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music, second Saturdays of the month, 1-5 p.m.

Art History Lecture
The Brooks’ art history lectures series covers virtually every aspect of human history and experience, with new topics each week.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Fridays through October 27, 12:30-3 p.m.

Artwalk
More than 40 local artists will be on hand selling a variety of handcrafted items at this year’s Artwalk.
V&E Greenline, October 7, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Teen Arts Fest
Young artists (ages 13-19) are invited to an informal social and networking event.
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, October 14, 2-5 p.m.

Repair Days
Bring your metal items to the Metal Museum to have them restored to their former glory. 
Metal Museum, October 19-22

Family Fun Day
The Metal Museum hosts a day of free hands-on activities, demonstrations, and kid-friendly games, plus free admission to the museum.
Metal Museum, October 21, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

RiverArtsFest
This two-day festival is a celebration of fine arts and fine local music with live artist demonstrations and hands-on art activities for all ages.
Riverside Drive, October 21-22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Art on Fire
Enjoy live music, tastings from local restaurants, drinks, an art sale, and a roaring bonfire.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, October 21, 7 p.m.

Indie Memphis Film Festival
This festival presents a range of independent features, documentaries, and short films from all corners of the world.
Various locations, October 24-29

Night at the Museum
AMUM will have several interactive, kid-friendly programs inspired by the visual arts in the collections that will bring the museum to life. 
Art Museum University of Memphis, October 27, 5-8 p.m.

Día de los Muertos Festival & Parade
The Brooks, along with the Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, invites you and your family to honor your ancestors and celebrate the cycle of life and death.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, October 28, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Collage’s Annual Gala
This brunch is an enriching affair with performances by Collage’s world-class professional company and students from the Collage Dance Conservatory.
FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms Park, October 29, 2 p.m.

ARTSmemphis Anniversary Celebration
ARTSmemphis celebrates its 60th anniversary with a dynamic, lively, interactive, immersive, and spirited evening.
The Kent, Thursday, November 9, 6:30 p.m.

Oak, Willow, and Maple: A Celebration of Public Art by Martha Kelly
Martha Kelly and Elmwood Cemetery will unveil a new public, permanent art installation. 
Elmwood Cemetery, November 19, 3-5 p.m.

Raised by Sound Fest
This free event showcases local and regional talent, honoring Memphis music, new and old, across genres.
Crosstown Concourse, December 12, 1-11 p.m.

¡Christmas Fiesta!
Learn about the Christmas traditions of Latin America and the Caribbean with Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group, Opera Memphis, and the Dixon.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, December 9, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

Brooks Museum Unveils New Rooftop Features For Riverfront Location

The Memphis Brooks Museum Of Art designers have unveiled the design for a free-to-access rooftop park that will be featured at the riverfront location.

According to the museum, the pathway will offer views and vantage points previously unavailable. It also stretches “nearly a quarter of a mile,” and is meant for “more than observing.”

The space, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, will also feature connecting art, architecture, the Memphis skyline, as well as views of the Mississippi River.

“A continuous pathway connects discrete pavilions scattered across the roof, encouraging visitors to explore the museum’s unique location at the intersections of river, city, and art,” said the museum in a statement.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art executive director Zoe Kahr, said this space will “bring together every corner of our community.”

“It’s just one of the many ways we;re creating pathways into the museum and connecting with the downtown urban landscape,” said Kahr.

Museum board president, Carl Person, echoed these sentiments saying that the roof is designed to bring people together. “Nowhere else in Memphis can get you 360-degree views like this, and the roof is just one of the free civic spaces in the Memphis’ art museum,” said Person.

The rooftop will also feature paintings chosen by an international landscape architecture firm, OLIN. The paintings will feature “regional, native, and robust plants,” and “a mixture of scales, colors, and textures.”

This announcement comes shortly after it was announced that Friends for Our Riverfront filed a lawsuit against the museum and the city of Memphis. The museum broke ground on the museum facility in June 2023. According to the museum, the $180 million project is expected to open to the public in late 2025. 

In the lawsuit, Friends for Our Riverfront said that the museum’s move from Overton Park to the riverfront location is the city of Memphis’ “most recent violation.”

“What seemingly began as a consultant’s recommendation for a relatively small ‘cultural amenity’ on the river bluff at Union and Front Street has ballooned into a massive building project that covers an entire block, leaves no space for a greenway, and violates an easement that provides free access to all Memphians,” said the organization.

A Chancery Court hearing on the matter is scheduled for September 20th.

Categories
We Saw You

WE SAW YOU: “Black American Portraits” Opens With a Bash

Memphis filmmaker Kevin Brooks was impressed with “Black American Portraits,” the new exhibit at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. The exhibit, which features 129 works of art and 90 artists, was curated by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

“As I walked through the gallery — as a black artist myself — I was profoundly moved by the intention of the curation,” Brooks says. “It was a poignant reminder that the Black experience is multifaceted and complex, encompassing a wide spectrum of emotions and experiences. I left there with a renewed sense of pride and purpose. It reminded me of the transformative power of art to shape perspectives, challenge narratives, and celebrate the beauty of the black experience.”

Brooks, who attended with Kathryn McCullough, were among the more than 750 people who attended the opening party, which was held August 17th.

Kevin Brooks and Katheryn McCullough at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Babbie Lovett at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Toni Crutchfield and Dianne Fletcher at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Logan Scheidt and Brooks executive director Zoe Kahr at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Brooks board president Carl Person at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Christine Moore, Carl E. Moore, Roy Tamboli, Eric O. Harris, Carol Bachman at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Valerie Person, Angela Wright, Leslie Johnson, Tamika Richmond at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)

It was great to be holding a big party at Brooks again, says Patricia Daigle, Brooks curator of modern and contemporary art. “We have a few good years left in our Overton Park location,” she says. So, it’s nice to see people “really excited about the Brooks and what we’re doing here.”

As far as the reaction to the show, Daigle says, “Many people have just been happy and excited to see such incredible works here. A special part of the show is how many of those works by significant artists, both historical and contemporary, are on view.”

“Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
MIckell and Chonisa Lowery at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Aniseya Butler, Michael Butler Jr., and Marley Smith at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Emma Primous, June Griffin James, Elaine Parks at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
“Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Jason and Molly Wexler at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Matt Roumain, Alexis Miche, Linda McNeil, Major McNeil at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Daigle says she’d love to have all these artists included in the permanent Brooks collection, but, in the meantime, visitors are fortunate to get to see work by artists, including Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, and Kerry James Marshall, on display at the Brooks.  

And, she says, visitors appreciate the fact they can see these works in Memphis.“The general feeling I’ve experienced is just the excitement and the joy the exhibit is really trying to lean into.”

No single piece of art is the most popular, Daigle says. Some people are drawn to “the largest work and the most sort of physically-demanding work. But other people really gravitate to a small drawing. Something quiet.”

Part of the appeal is the range of visions in the show, she says. “There’s something for everybody.”

Deejay Jared “J B.” Boyd played music during the evening. Boyd also curated, according to the Brooks website, “a soundtrack of Memphis music that exemplifies Black Love, Power, and Joy. The 901 Black American Portraits Soundtrack celebrates the vibrant legacy and future of Black musicians in the city of Memphis.”

Jared “Jay B.” Boyd at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)

“Black American Portraits” will run through January 7th. “We’ll have it for a good long time. I think it gives people a chance to make it out and see it.”

The museum will be featuring a number of programs during the show. Among those will be “Super Saturday: Black American Portraits,” which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon September 2nd. Free admission and art making. The event will celebrate and discuss the “Black American Portraits” exhibit.

Efe Igor Coleman, Blackmon Perry Assistant Curator of African American Art & Art of the African Diaspora at the Brooks Museum, will give a special gallery talk on the exhibit from 6 to 7 p.m. September 13th.

“Bia Butler in Conversation,” a talk with the contemporary textile artist, will begin with a reception at 5 p.m. and the talk at 6 p.m. on September 22nd. Daigle will moderate the conversation.

Shamessia Lee, Lydia Milton, Yvonne Jones at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Logan Scheidt, Cameron Mann, Lauren Kennedy, Justin Taylor at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Willie Taylor, Raven Martin, Ariel Cobbert, Aljammi Davis, Charlene Graves at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Anita Williams and Jerome Smith at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Caitlin Bertsch and Brad Vest at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Ashley and Jeff Borgsmiller at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Billie Gholson, Sandra Burke, Karen English at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Paul Thomas, Margaret Craddock, Amy Greer, Charlie Nelson at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
We Saw Me and Atlanta Ellington at “Black American Portraits” (Credit: Michael Donahue)
We Saw You
Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Brooks to Open New Exhibit, “Black American Portraits”

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the general public was flooded with images of Black pain and suffering. From news stations to social media feeds, these images proliferated by modern technology were and are instantaneous with nothing, really, to prevent them from surfacing on our screens.

To counteract this, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) curated the “Black American Portraits” exhibition, filled with portraits celebrating and depicting Black joy, power, and love. And now the exhibit has made its way to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

With 129 pieces of art in total, the exhibition spans over 200 years in history, from 19th-century studio photography to paintings completed as recently as this year. The works hang in the “salon style” with the art lining the walls in a way that one might adorn their own walls — a more contemporary piece may be placed beside antique tin types, one artist’s work may hang above that of another. It’s almost domestic in that way, says Patricia Daigle, the Brooks’ curator of modern and contemporary art.

Still, the exhibition is divided into three gallery spaces, with each space focusing on power, love, and joy, respectively. “I think a lot of us think we understand what power looks like or what love feels like,” says Daigle, “but I think one thing you’ll see in this exhibition is that these are really complicated concepts and emotions. And they’re presented through a Black lens.”

“We’re not trying to present an image that’s like a rose-colored-glasses view of the past,” adds Efe Igor Coleman, Blackmon Perry assistant curator of African-American art and art of the African Diaspora at the Brooks. “But it’s important to see that [power, love, and joy] existed and still exists, … [that] people are able to find joy and love and power in periods of incredible difficulty or suffering.”

While some of the images are from historical moments or of recognizable figures, a large portion of the pieces highlights the ordinary: the love of spending time with family, the joy of listening to music, the power in seeing oneself represented. As Coleman says, “For Black folks, owning yourself, owning your own presentation, like literally being able to hang an image of yourself, is really important,” and that’s also part of why the Brooks wanted to bring this exhibition to Memphis, a majority-Black city. One of the questions that the curators ask of every show they generate at the Brooks is, she says, “Why Memphis?”

And thanks to Daigle and Coleman, the exhibition has Memphis connections with works by local artists Jarvis Boyland, Derek Fordjour, Catherine Elizabeth Patton, and the Hooks Brothers. “Memphis has always been joyful,” says Coleman. “So [the exhibition’s] banking on that legacy and showing off that legacy, especially as we’re part of this monumental national tour.”

“Black American Portraits,” Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, on display August 17-January 7.