photograPHY COURTESY ELVIS PRESLEY'S GRACELAND
“90 for 90 Exhibit”
Elvis Presley’s Graceland
Through December 2025
In fourth grade, the only thing I wanted for Christmas was snow. As a kid living in New Orleans I’d only seen it once when it snowed on Christmas Day in 2004, but my mom didn’t let me outside (to this day, I don’t know her reasoning). That first week of December my grandparents came back from their trip to New York City with a souvenir gallon Ziploc bag of snow … well, melted snow … water … which I’m now thinking wasn’t ever snow in the first place because how did they get that through TSA? Anyways, the next week it did snow. And I was convinced I had power over the weather. I wanted it; I got it. To top it off, not only did my mom let me outside this time; she took me and my sister out of school. It was magical.
And here I am, twenty-something years later, wishing for no snow, and realizing I have no power over the weather. And that makes this “Five Things To Do This Weekend” very hard to write because what if everything is closed or canceled or postponed? But I still have a deadline to meet. No snow day for me in this time of remote working. So on I must write, yet certainty I don’t have. And this you must know. So when I tell you that there’s an exhibit at Graceland this weekend, and there is, it may or may not be open. But if it’s not, it’ll be around through December, so you’ll manage, okay?
Oh, and that exhibit is celebrating Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday with “90 curated ‘stories’ told through items specially selected from the over 1.5 million artifacts housed at the Graceland Archives at Preseley’s home in Memphis. These artifacts, each embodying a unique moment from the singer’s life, range from iconic items easily recognizable by fans to rare, personal pieces that capture Presley’s private moments out of the spotlight.” (The parts in quotes come from Alex Greene’s article on the exhibit, which you should read.)
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE
Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin
TheatreWorks@TheSquare
Friday, January 10 – 26
Now if I tell you that there’s a new play coming out this weekend and the performances get canceled because of Winter Storm Cora, please take it out on any snowmen you make, and not on me. Performances are scheduled through January 26th, so there is time to see Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin, the play in question.
“Set in a neglected part of the Kremlin, this abstract play follows two actors as they prepare for their most significant role yet: Joseph Stalin. The play offers a fictional narrative inspired by the real lives of Alexei Dikiy and Felix Dadaev, two of Stalin's body doubles.” — Playhouse on the Square
Find out more, like performance times, here.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CROSSTOWN ARTS/LESTER MERRIWEATHER
Artist Talks: Lester Merriweather and Alex Paulus
Crosstown Arts
Saturday, January 11, 2 p.m.
I cannot guarantee that Lester Merriweather and Alex Paulus will be able to deliver their artist talks at Crosstown Arts. But their exhibits are on display through January 19, and both of them are worth viewing. Merriweather’s “ANA•LOG” examines agency over Black visualization within American popular culture through layered, hand-crafted collages while Paulus’ “Size Matters” explores scale and human existence with captivating landscapes and portraits that reflect on life’s peculiarities.
Shanghai Express - 2
Shanghai Express: Film Screening and Discussion
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Sunday, January 12, 2 p.m.
The Brooks might cancel its Shanghai Express screening, but that’s okay because you can stream it or pop in an old DVD/VHS or whatever you have if you’re really looking forward to it — though nothing compares to the big screen. You will also miss out on the discussion with SunAh Laybourn and Katie Gee Salisbury, author of Not Your China Doll, if that happens. But if not, you’ll get to delve into the groundbreaking career of Anna May Wong, the film’s star and the first Asian-American woman to achieve significant recognition in Hollywood. Tickets are $5.
In any case, the Brooks will also screen Always Be My Maybe, followed by a discussion with Laybourn on January 19.
photography by anna traverse
Stay Safe
That’s the fifth thing to do this week, folks. Use common sense if you have it and listen to those who do if you don’t. Even if the events listed above aren’t canceled and you don’t feel safe going out in the snow and icy roads, don’t. Stay up to date with everything at the organizer’s websites and social media.
