photograph by brian groppe
Art imitates life at The Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
The arts in Memphis have come back strong this year from a pandemic that shrunk seasons, canceled performances, and forced different ways of thinking how to present the works of creatives. And yet the organizations were undeterred. Several moved into new facilities or have plans to do so soon. Here’s a look at some of the main institutions and how they’re doing.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis’ oldest and largest art museum closed its doors to the public at the beginning of the Covid-19 era, but increased what it was doing online, including drawing classes and school tours. It’s back on schedule now with three notable exhibitions on display: “Another Dimension: Digital Art in Memphis,” “Henry Ossawa Tanner: The Thankful Poor,” and “Faig Ahmed: Secret Garden.”
In August, the museum announced that Zoe Kahr would be the new Brooks director, effective November 1. Currently the deputy director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Kahr will oversee one of the largest projects in the 100-year history of the institution: the planned relocation from Overton Park to a new facility Downtown, at Union Avenue and Front Street, in 2025. The pandemic slowed some of the initial work, but it is up to speed now to create a building on the bluff that will boast an expansion of the collections, the catalog, and public space. Herzog & de Meuron of Basel, Switzerland, and New York City, is the architecture firm heading up the design with Memphis-based archimania as architect of record.
photograph by brian groppe
Metal Museum
Long known as the National Ornamental Metal Museum, the institution changed its name but remains one of only a few worldwide devoted exclusively to the art and craftsmanship of metalwork. The campus occupies a breathtaking spot overlooking the Mississippi River and has three historic buildings, a blacksmith shop, and a gazebo that’s a popular venue for weddings and concerts. The museum, led by executive director Carissa Hussong, eased back into operation as pandemic restrictions lightened.
It’s now back to offering an array of attractions. It presents the Tributaries series to support metal artists, the Master Metalsmith series to show work of world-renowned metal artists, and a sculpture garden. The Smithy has workshops and there’s a foundry on-site. The museum offers classes for all ages and has school tours. It also has special events, including Whet Thursdays monthly and the annual Repair Days in October.
In addition to the permanent collection, the Metal Museum presents rotating exhibitions. Currently on display are “Tributaries: Morgan Asoyuf Royal Portrait” and “From Artisans to Artists.”
The biggest news for the Metal Museum is its announcement this spring that it has leased Rust Hall, the main building of the former Memphis College of Art in Overton Park. It will keep its current location on the Mississippi River for artist residencies when it makes the move.
photograph by brian groppe
One of many powerful exhibits at the National Civil Rights Museum.
National Civil Rights Museum
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the museum, like all institutions, shut down. But it also went online beyond social media. A commemoration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was scheduled just days after closing, but it was quickly turned into a digital project and had more people viewing it than if it had taken place in the museum’s courtyard as originally planned. The facility stayed relevant as national protests followed the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Many local protests started or ended at the museum and it was able to open its doors for meetings with activists.
The NCRM continues its commitment with several permanent exhibitions featuring films, oral histories, interactive media, and artifacts. Educational programming is essential to the museum’s mission with visits and online resources made available to educational institutions and individuals.
In the last year, Russell Wigginton was named president of the museum. And continuing its commitment to community, it recently launched a business-related initiative, the Corporate Equity Center.
The Dixon Gallery and Gardens
This popular institution has continued to offer diverse exhibitions in the gallery along with its notable collection of Impressionist paintings. And the 17 acres of gardens attract visitors not only to see the flora but to enjoy outside entertainment.
The Dixon’s collection includes more than 2,000 objects. Current exhibitions include “Borders: Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir,” “Ramona Sonin, Flowerful: Fashioning the Armored Feminine,” “Meet the Dixons,” and “Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800 to 1960.”
A significant addition to the Dixon in 2019 was the creation of a new education building. It, like the rest of the operation, had to close because of the pandemic, but in short order, the education and communications teams quickly began producing programming on Facebook and on the museum’s website.
photograph courtesy Collage Dance Collective
A young performer at Collage Dance.
Collage Dance
The professional company, known as the Collage Dance Collective, was founded in New York in 2006 by Kevin Thomas and Marcellus Harper. It moved to Memphis the following year and ever since, it’s been evolving into a cultural force in the city. The company has presented full-length seasons in Memphis plus national and international touring. Its youth training program — the Conservatory — offers classes for up to age 18, and the Continuum is for adults and community engagement.
Collage is one of the largest Black-led performing-arts organizations in the South and gives a particular focus to expanding access to classical training to communities of color. It’s making a mark: Last year it received a $3 million contribution from philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett. That followed an $11 million capital campaign and the completion of its $9 million center for dance that is 10 times larger than its previous space.
Playhouse on the Square
The theater is part of a group that includes Circuit Playhouse and TheatreWorks@TheSquare. Executive producer Michael Detroit recalls that when the pandemic hit, the hope was that it wouldn’t last long. But, like other performing-arts organizations, the reality was that staying closed was going to last longer than hoped, and that it would be necessary to adapt. All the venues had to go dark, but the company stayed alive with online performances and educational offerings.
Now it’s back with several productions under its belt and a full season of 15 shows coming up. It includes works new to the region (Something Rotten!), family favorites (The Wizard of Oz), musicals (Jersey Boys), and works of social significance (The Scottsboro Boys, Roe). And POTS’ educational programming serves about 30,000 children, teens, and adults every year in the region.
photograph courtesy theatre memphis
The new Theatre Memphis campus.
Theatre Memphis
By sheer coincidence, the 100-year-old company managed to be dark during the Covid-19 era not because of the pandemic, but due to a long-planned upgrade of TM’s building. Construction continued during the down time and the new facility opened last year. The 2022-2023 season has, among its offerings, Guys and Dolls, Sondheim Tribute, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, and the perennial A Christmas Carol.
Its ShoWagon program performs in schools and libraries, bringing theater to young people in the region. Theatre Memphis also offers several classes, camps, and workshops for all ages.
photograph by brian groppe
Opera Memphis’ 30 Days of Opera.
Opera Memphis
Going out into the community has been a strong suit of the organization under the leadership of Ned Canty. Its 30 Days of Opera has been a success for several years, although slowed down by the pandemic. Its Sing2Me program, which features a singer and accompanist traveling in a van with a trailer to various neighborhoods, was able to make some limited forays around town. It also has an online library of performances with considerable variety.
As it is with several other arts organizations, Opera Memphis is moving to a new home. The location hasn’t yet been determined, but it did sell the Clark Opera Center out east in June. The group is hoping to move to a place more in the Midtown/Downtown area.
Ballet Memphis
The company went digital when the pandemic hit and employed various ways to keep dance visible. When it came time for the annual Nutcracker production, the company turned out a video version, filmed while adhering to safe practices. In the last year, under the guidance of president and CEO Gretchen Wollert McLennon and artistic director Steven McMahon, it returned to the stage, not only for Nutcracker, but for contemporary works such as In This Moment, Winter Mix, and SOUL.
Hattiloo Theatre
Hattiloo founder Ekundayo Bandele has kept the freestanding Black repertory theater vital through the pandemic. While the stage was dark, the company continued reaching out on digital platforms that have been beneficial to its educational programming. It has developed a strong regional audience and is nationally known for its efforts. Bandele received a grant to write a play about the 2017 removal of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue. Tumbling Down debuted this spring.
The upcoming season — Hattiloo’s 16th — has a rich variety of shows. Among them are Five Guys Named Moe, Master Harold and the Boys, Kill Move Paradise, Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery, and Sistas the Musical.
Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Although the pandemic silenced the MSO, it kept going with virtual teaching in its partnership with Shelby County Schools. With its recently announced 2022-2023 season, it will be bringing a concert by Reneé Fleming, and works by Gershwin, Schubert, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and more. Under the direction of maestro Robert Moody, the MSO will also perform the inaugural concert at the Scheidt Family Music Center on the University of Memphis campus with a performance of Mahler’s Titan Symphony.
Iris Collective
At the end of last year, the singular organization announced it was shutting down due in part to financial realities and Covid-19 pressures. But even as it neared its final concert in April, it found new life. The musicians banded together to reinvent the organization. Iris will continue to perform ensembles, chamber music, orchestra concerts, and doing community engagement, including partnering with schools. It also started the Iris Fellows Program for rising professional musicians.
