There’s just something about Memphis that inspires creativity, making it a national center for innovative cultural production. Dixon’s outgoing exhibition, “Memphis 2021,” boasts more than 50 original works by 20 diverse artists.
In the exhibition, you’ll find examples of fiber art by Paula Kovarik, Sharon Havelka, Jennifer Sargent, and Johana Moscoso. Also featured are colorful paintings by some familiar artists, including Alex Paulus, Roger Allan Cleaves, Juan Rojo, Debbie Likley Pacheco, Katherine George, and Danny Broadway. Creative work incorporating ink by Meredith Olinger and Rick Nitsche, plus an unusual integration of charcoal by Frances Berry and Jonah Westbrook, add depth to varied mixed media pieces.
“The artists in ‘Memphis 2021’ are talented, hugely creative, sometimes hilarious, and always hard-working, but they are also some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet,” says Kevin Sharp, Linda W. and S. Herbert Rhea director at the Dixon. “Their show is amazing and I am very proud of them all.”
Sharp might be referring to exciting detours from traditional mediums when he touts the artists as “hugely creative.” Mae Aur works with hand-cut wood and incorporates sound. Nick Hewlett showcases digital illustrations. Mary Jo Karimnia incorporates seed beads into works highlighting feminine imagery. Justin Bowles utilizes the entire Crump gallery for a sculptural installation. And Carrol McTyre and Mary K VanGieson use found objects in sculpture.
All of the artists give an exciting look at what’s to come in Memphis in the 2020s. See the exhibition, a feast for the senses, before it leaves the gallery this weekend.
Closing weekend for “Memphis 2021,” Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park, Friday-Sunday, July 9-11, free.