10 Must-Visit Art Exhibition Spaces In Memphis

Named after the capital city of Egypt’s Old Kingdom, the modern-day Memphis is best known as the hometown of Elvis Presley. ‘Graceland‘ is the city’s biggest tourist attraction; but off the beaten path, Memphis is home to a plethora of high-quality exhibition spaces.

1. Dixon Gallery and Gardens

Museum

Bequeathed by Margaret and Hugo Dixon, the Dixon Gallery and Gardens is now open to the public. Their home, gardens, and art collection is rooted in the Dixons’ love of Impressionist paintings, and has expanded over the years to include more than 2,000 works of art. The space hosts approximately ten exhibitions per year, with themes investigating traditional and digital methods of contemporary illustration in Memphis to the self-explanatory Color! American Photography Transformed. Visitors favoring the 18th and 19th centuries will gravitate towards their permanent collection, whereas modern and contemporary connoisseurs will take interest in the space’s rotating exhibitions. The Dixon Gallery and Gardens delivers quality programing in a peaceful, bucolic setting.

2. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Museum

Serving the local community for approximately 100 years, the Brooks Museum is a local and regional leader in the arts. The museum’s permanent collection houses works of art from antiquity to the present day. Modern and contemporary art highlights include works from Barbara Kruger and Nam June Paik’s Vide-O-Belisk; the latter of which was commissioned for the museum in 2002. To accompany the Paik commission, the museum also hosted The Paik Sessions, in which musicians responded to the sculpture with original compositions. The Brooks Museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, but is open late on Thursdays.

3. Memphis College of Art Galleries

University

Memphis College of Art is adjacent to the Memphis Brooks Museum in historic Overton Park. The college exhibits contemporary artwork in three galleries: the Main Gallery and the Alumni Gallery in Rust Hall, Overton Park, and the Hyde Gallery in the Nesin Graduate School, located in the heart of the South Main Arts District downtown. Exhibitions include professionally curated shows, as well as work by current students and alumni. MCA has educated generations of artists, many of whom remain in the Memphis area, contributing to the city’s rich visual arts culture. Successful graduates of the College include Emily Jacir, 2008 winner of the Hugo Boss prize (administered by the Guggenheim Museum) and the Alpert Award (California Institute of the Arts), and Jack Myers, motion and graphic designer in New York, whose work has been featured on HBO, Showtime, MTV, VH1, The New York Times, Print Magazine, Wired and Newsweek.

4. Art Museum at the University of Memphis

Museum, University

Beginning as a temporary exhibition space at the University of Memphis, the Art Museum changed its name after accumulating a significant permanent collection over the course of 15 years. The Art Museum’s permanent collection has particular strengths in Egyptian antiquities and Sub-Saharan African art, as well as two suits of Japanese armor. The Caseworks Galleries provide space for temporary exhibitions of contemporary works, featuring artists such as Daryl Thetford and Jan Hankins, while the museum’s ArtLab is a space designated for “new, experimental, unreviewed, non-mainstream, and otherwise under-represented work.” This innovative space provides an important forum for underground artists as well as work that may be considered too avant-garde for mainstream exhibition.

5. Jay Etkin Gallery

Jay Etkin Gallery

The Jay Etkin Gallery can be found in the Cooper-Young district of Memphis. Dedicated to displaying the work of contemporary artists and African tribal art, Etkin also has a sister location in Santa Fe. The Memphis gallery has been in operation for over 25 years, demonstrating Etkin’s acute business sense and eye for quality art; Etkin has represented some of his artists for more than 20 years. The gallery tends to focus on painting and ethnographic sculpture. Etkin is also an artist in his own right, and occasionally exhibits at other local spaces.

Jay Etkin Gallery, 942 Cooper Street, Memphis, TN, USA, +1 901 550 0064

6. Gallery Fifty Six

Gallery Fifty Six

Showcasing regional artists, Gallery Fifty Six focuses primarily on painting, but also includes ceramics and sculpture. Group and solo shows are exhibited on a regular basis. One of Gallery Fifty Six’s strengths is the dynamic range of works exhibited by the artists represented, ensuring that no two exhibitions are the same. Another factor that has contributed to its success is the owners’, Frank and Mindy Roberts, strategic decision to place the gallery in the historic Cooper-Young district.

Gallery Fifty Six, 2256 Central Avenue, Memphis, TN, USA, +1 901 276 1251

7. David Lusk Gallery

Art Gallery

David Lusk Gallery has two locations in Tennessee; one in Nashville and the other in Memphis. Beginning in Memphis, Lusk has recruited both local and national talent over the last 20 years. The gallery represents Memphis photography legend William Eggleston, as well as the estate of Carroll Cloar. The gallery’s artists possess clean, modern aesthetics with strong 20th century influences, and work across the mediums of photography, painting and sculpture. Shows rotate monthly, and the gallery typically features the work of two artists simultaneously.

8. Metal Museum

Museum

The Metal Museum is “the only institution in the United States devoted exclusively to the art and craft of fine metalwork.” The museum is the industry museum of the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association. Housed in a former United States Marine hospital dating back to 1884, it showcases its collection and temporary exhibitions in three historic buildings, hosting group and solo shows of emerging and mid-career metalsmiths. The space also exhibits the Master Metalsmith show each year. Works on display range from functional items such as door latches and locks to large-scale industrial sculpture. Visitors can also see metalsmithing in action and enroll in workshops.

9. L. Ross Gallery

Art Gallery

The L. Ross Gallery showcases established artists working under the remit of contemporary Expressionism. Featuring an impressive representation of female artists, gallerist Linda Ross explains that her artists portray “a deep sense of the unknown.” Her roster includes graduates of the Memphis College of Art as well as artists educated at the Ringling College of Art and Design, and Indiana University. Primarily focused on painting, Ross exhibits a variety of Expressionist works from the abstract to representational pieces and landscape depictions. In all of these works, there is an underlying sense of wonder and respect for the sublime.

10. Tops Gallery

Art Gallery, Building

Curating a small roster of represented artists, Tops Gallery displays some of the most innovative and experimental contemporary art in Memphis from its basement; the former coal chambers of an industrial loft building. Many of the artists are well-established and have ties to the New York scene, where curator Matt Ducklo launched his career. The gallery exhibits photography, painting, sculpture, collage and other mixed media, and is a must-see for culturally-inclined visitors.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.