Photo by Julie Ray
Memphis Flyer Burger Week
Try a burger like this beefy delight at Southall for $5.99 this week during MF Burger Week at participating locations.
Memphis Flyer Burger Week
For participating locations, visit memphisflyerburgerweek.com
Through Tuesday, July 27
Who is ready to get out and try some tasty burgers at a great price?
You know the drill if you have indulged in past years. Check out the fancy interactive map to find a participating restaurant, read the commandments of Burger Week (it addresses tipping, contest rules for prizes, and such), and feast on a featured burger for $5.99.
It’s that simple. I’ll see you at either Flying Saucer in Downtown Memphis, Farm Burger at Crosstown, Southall or Pimento’s in East Memphis, or Huey’s in Midtown. Aw, who am I kidding? — I'll see you at all the burger joints. Check back for updates and new restaurants that will be added during the week. And be sure to read some of the editor’s reviews in this week’s Memphis Flyer.
Burger Week benefits the Mid-South Food Bank, so eat lots.
Bye Bye Birdie
Landers Center, 4560 Venture, Southaven, MS
Opens Friday, July 23, 7 p.m., continues Friday-Sunday through August 1
In this musical comedy, the wholesome enclave of Sweet Apple, Ohio, is turned on its head when superfan Kim MacAfee wins a goodbye kiss from rock star Conrad Birdie. Women love the mega rock star Birdie, men want to be him, and teenage girls around the country scream with glee at the mere mention of his name. But when the United States Army drafts Birdie, manager Albert Peterson sees his meal ticket preparing to fly the coop. Desperate for a publicity stunt big enough to help them survive Birdie’s departure, Albert, along with his long-time love interest Rose, hatch a plan: send Conrad to small-town America to plant his goodbye kiss on one lucky fan for the entire world to see. What could go wrong?
Also opening this weekend on Friday, July 23, 8 p.m. is a wonderful family-friendly performance of Ken Ludwig's Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood. Julie Reinbold directs the play at Germantown Community Theatre Friday through Sunday until August 1.
Photo courtesy of Urevbu Contemporary
Exhibition preview for “The Naked Truth: An American Story in White, Red and Blue,” Urevbu Contemporary
Exhibition preview for “The Naked Truth: An American Story in White, Red and Blue”
Urevbu Contemporary, 410 S. Main
Saturday, July 24, 4-6 p.m.
Ephraim Urevbu of Urevbu Contemporary gallery, formerly Art Village Gallery, has a new exhibit headed to Belmont University in Nashville to be shown in the university’s Leu Gallery this fall. The full exhibition consists of more than 50 original paintings inspired by the advent of public demonstrations surrounding issues of social justice, the unjust treatment of African Americans, and the normalized presence of systematic racism.
Ahead of the university exhibition opening in late August, the artist will hold a preview exhibition, an artist-led talk, and a private tour this Saturday with a cross-section of paintings on display — a suite of 20 abstract expressionist paintings from the series. Many will be paired with a short essay or reference material, which function as key components to provide interactive and layered experiences to viewers. A line of limited-edition candles titled “Good Trouble” and a coffee-table book titled after the exhibition are to be released in the late fall of 2021. Both items can be pre-ordered at the event.
Also on Saturday, visit the Metal Museum from 3 to 6 p.m. for Tributaries artist Tiff Massay’s artist talk for “Everyday Arsenal.” The Detroit interdisciplinary artist displays works inspired by African standards of economic vitality. It includes both large-scale and wearable sculptures, music, and performance. The Tributaries series allows emerging and mid-career metal artists to show their work in solo exhibitions at the Museum. The Museum celebrates some of the most talented artists who are shaping the metals field today and actively collects the work of these artists to document the early and evolving stages of their careers.
Be sure to read a recent article by Chris McCoy about a new generation of Black artists in Memphis.
“Inside the Walt Disney Archives”
Graceland Exhibition Center, 3717 Elvis Presley
Opens Saturday, July 23, continues through January 2, 2022
As a prelude to Elvis Week 2021, visit the Graceland Exhibition Center and celebrate the legacy of the Walt Disney Company archives. The self-guided tour will give you behind-the-scenes access never before granted to the public within the 10,000-square-foot traveling exhibit on loan to Graceland, which premiered at D23 Expo Japan in 2018.
Walk through a dazzling display of more than 450 objects, including original artwork, costumes, and props that tell the story of the Archives, the Walt Disney Company, and Walt Disney himself. From nostalgic classics like rarely displayed sketches for Fantasia and ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction to modern-day favorites like a maquette from Frozen and a Wolverine costume, the exhibition is an immersive treasure-trove for the entire family.
The exhibit spans multiple Disney properties including items ranging from Disney live-action to animated films, Walt Disney’s personal effects, items from various Disney Parks, vintage Disney merchandise, 20th Century Fox films, and more. Some of the highlights of the exhibit include:
- Jack Sparrow’s compass from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Costumes from Beauty and the Beast, 101 Dalmatians, Pretty Woman, Walk the Line, and more
- Mary Poppins’ original carpetbag
- Davy Crockett’s raccoon-skin cap
- Wilson (the soccer ball) from Cast Away
- Vehicles from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and Tron: Legacy
- The sword from Zorro
- Magic Bedknob from Bedknobs and Broomsticks
- Prop storybook from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Alien Xenomorph prop figure from the Disney Hollywood Studios attraction The Great Movie Ride
- Tombstones and Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction
- Electromagnetic Shrinking Machine from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- Lumiere and Cogsworth props from 2017’s Beauty and the Beast
- Dead Man’s Chest from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
- Congo Queen Model Boat from Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise
Look for upcoming special events in conjunction with the exhibition, including Disney Trivia Nights, a Haunted Mansion Zoom panel with evening tours of the Disney exhibit and the Graceland Mansion, a Tour + Dive In Dinner & Movie Screening of The Lion King at the Guest House at Graceland pool, tea parties, The Princess and The Frog screening and Zoom panel with Disney animators/filmmakers, Halloween holiday activities, and more.
Wayne Thiebaud, Pies, Pies, Pies, 1961. Oil on canvas.
“Three Takes on a Thiebaud: A Panel Discussion’
“Three Takes on a Thiebaud: A Panel Discussion”
Online from The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, dixon.org
Sunday, July 25, 2 p.m.
There is a sweet new exhibition opening at The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, “Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings.” The American painter who lives in Mesa, Arizona, is 100 years old, soon to turn 101 in November. He is known for his colorful works depicting commonplace objects including pies, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries, and hot dogs, as well as for his landscapes and figure paintings.
On the opening day of the exhibition, join a discussion moderated by Scott A. Shields, associate director and chief curator, Crocker Art Museum, with the artist’s daughter, model, and writer Twinka Thiebaud; painter and professor Hearne Pardee; and critic and art historian Julia Friedman, Ph.D., for a singular program on Thiebaud and his life, via Zoom.
An accompanying exhibition by local artist Greely Myatt is already on view at the Gallery: “Piece of Cake: Confectious Sculptures.”
For a full list of what’s happening this weekend in and around Memphis, check out our calendar of events. Also, be sure to tag your favorite Instagram photos of Memphis while you are out and about with the #memphismagazine hashtag. I hope you have a great weekend.
