Past Events
April 2024
Cyrena Wages with Lilly Winwood
Cyrena Wages fell in love with music on the country backroads between Millington and Shelby Forest, two small towns just north of Memphis. Her upcoming debut album, Vanity Project, is both an exercise in rebellion against years of conditioning, as well as a way of processing her own struggles, healing, and growth. As much as Memphis shaped her positively, there were aspects of growing up as a woman in the South that didn’t align with who she wanted to become. Cyrena tapped producer Matt Ross-Spang (Charley Crockett, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Margo Price) to helm Vanity Project at Southern Grooves Studio in Memphis.
Modern Masters Jazz Series: Steve Masakowski and The Ted Ludwig Trio
Steve Masakowski is an award-winning jazz guitarist, educator, and inventor. He invented the guitar-based keytar and the switch pick, and has designed three custom-built seven-string guitars. He developed an approach to playing the guitar by using his pick design, allowing him to switch from fingerpicking to flatpicking.
Resident Artists Open Studios
Crosstown Arts is proud to invite the Memphis community to visit the Resident Artists’ studios during the Open Studios night. Crosstown Arts Spring 2024 resident artists will have their studios open to the public. Residency alumnus Nelson Gutierrez will present his installation A Journey into the Shadows spanning from the second-floor balcony to Crosstown Theater.
Sacred Soul Queen of Memphis: Elizabeth King
Elizabeth King, the Sacred Soul Queen of Memphis, will release her new album Soul Provider with this special record release concert at The Green Room at Crosstown Arts. A special performance by the Jubilee Hummingbirds will open up the evening.
Those Pretty Wrongs
Those Pretty Wrongs enter their tenth year as a band having just toured the U.S., UK, and Australia in support of their best-reviewed album yet, Holiday Camp, which Mojo called “irresistible” for its “celestial harmonies and dealing with wrangled emotions” while Uncut hailed the album for its “dreamily autumnal mastery of the power pop form”.
The Crosstown Arts Film Series presents DAYS OF HEAVEN
One of the most critically acclaimed films of all time, Days of Heaven is a moving story about two men who love the same woman. Richard Gere, a fugitive from the slums of Chicago, finds himself pitted against a shy, rich Texan (Sam Shepard) for the love of Abby (Brooke Adams). Writer/director Malick’s first film since Badlands is an extraordinary cinematic achievement of sight and sound.
MicroCinema: Pitch Rally Selects
As part of the return of the Pitch Rally, Indie Memphis and Crosstown Arts are excited to present a selection of works from past and current Pitch Rally participants. For some of these works, it will be the first time they’ve screened publicly, so please join us in continuing to celebrate these artists by seeing their films! From a rainy Sunday morning spent getting to church, to the exploration of a young boy growing up in the 7th Ward in New Orleans, these works highlight the early and continued talents of these filmmakers.
Shoot & Splice: Black Creators Forum Pitch Rally
Join us for an exhilarating evening where film lovers and filmmakers converge, as eight talented creators pitch their projects, vying for a chance to secure $10,000 to bring their cinematic visions to life. From captivating narratives to thought-provoking documentaries, immerse yourself in a diverse array of stories waiting to be told.
March 2024
Spring Is in the Air: Patrice Williamson and Friends
Jazz Times magazine states that “Patrice Williamson isn’t a singer, she’s a one-woman jazz sampler. — She is a woman of many voices, each distinctly intriguing, all distinctly her own.”
Paul McKinney and The Knights ft. Jamille “Jam” Hunter
With a core in the music experience of the Black Church, The Knights salute the contributions of traditional jazz artists and composers. The eclectic and seasoned audience members that enjoy impassioned blues and hearty R&B are embraced. The soundscape produced stirs the soul and rouses the hands and feet.
