Pink Palace Family of Museums

For some 45 years, the Pink Palace was known to locals as that singular museum of nature, science, and history. It picked up other similar missions in the region and evolved into the Pink Palace Family of Museums.

Now, it’s MoSH. That stands for Memphis Museum of Science & History, a name change and rebranding that has been percolating for 16 months.

Kevin Thompson, executive director of MoSH, announced the change today, saying that although many locals were familiar with the attraction, it was still having something of an identity crisis.

“For too long, visitors to Memphis have not known what the Pink Palace is or associated our properties together. Even many Memphians do not realize the Pink Palace, Lichterman Nature Center, Mallory-Neely House, Magevney House, and Coon Creek Science Center are all managed by one entity,” he said in a statement.

The “umbrella brand will enable us to unite our holdings and expand throughout our region,” he said.

If you’d been watching closely, you might have seen the change coming. The rebranding began in November, 2019, taking it slow and easy. “We were very sensitive to how the public would perceive changing the name, so we took a transitional approach to rebranding using the interim name Museum of Science & History — Pink Palace which has been in place since February 2020,” said Bill Walsh, marketing manager for MoSH.

If you want to insist on using the Pink Palace moniker, they’re OK with that. “There’s nothing wrong with calling us the Pink Palace,” Thompson said. “We plan to keep the name as a locator to direct you to the right place.”

More than 200 craftspeople offering pottery, glasswork, jewelry, and more will flock to Audubon Park this weekend to take part in the 47th annual Pink Palace Crafts Fair.

“Pink Palace Crafts Fair has been a time-honored tradition for nearly 50 years,” says Linda Foster, co-chairman of the event. “It’s been going on for quite a while, and we’ve even got some people working with us at the crafts fair who were involved with the first one.”

This year, the fair continues its tradition of honoring “the very best” in crafts and art by showcasing one-of-a-kind arts and crafts, as well as live musical acts, food, and beverages.

Pink Palace Museum

Pink Palace Crafts Fair

Juried and demonstrating craftsmen will be available to show the public how their items were made.

“This is a big hit with the kids,” says Foster. “They get to see the crafts made in action, and they realize that things don’t just come from the store.”

A number of performing and musical acts will take the stage over the course of three days, including Ukulele Flash Mob, Mystic River Dance, and Memphissippi Sounds.

A culinary tent will provide a range of grub from fudge to soup, and food trucks will serve their fare, as well.

The event is hosted by Friends of the Pink Palace, a group of volunteers dedicated to fund-raising for the museum.

“We serve over 30,000 county school children every year,” says Foster. “We’re excited that we can continue to provide educational experiences for these children.”

Pink Palace Crafts Fair, Audubon Park, Friday, October 11th through Sunday, October 13th, $5-10 for one day, $17 for two-day pass.