Crosstown Arts

She's Silver and Orange 2
2016-04-08 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | TN
Nothing rhymes with silver or orange in the English language, so just as these words are unique to our tongues, these women and their works are unique in themselves and stand alone in the world of the contemporary female artist.
Additional gallery hours: Saturday, April 9, noon-6 pm
Group exhibition organized by Barrett Smyth
A portion of sales proceeds benefit Sister Supply

Hustle: Fine Tuning your Studio Practice
2016-04-12 13:00 - 15:00 | story booth, 438 N. Cleveland St., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Your studio practice is the front line of your art career. Making your work needs to be the highest item on your priority list, but how do you get it there and keep it there with all of the other pressures and obligations in your life? Learn some secrets to success for skyrocketing your career while keeping your lifestyle in balance.
Session hosted by Terry Lynn, Susan Maakestad, Lawrence Matthews & Nick Pena
Complimentary food and drinks
Program begins at 6 pm
Hustle: professional development for artists is a free program organized by ArtsMemphis, UrbanArt Commission, and Crosstown Arts. The series will provide visual artists with information, resources, and opportunities to support them in the development of their professional careers. Workshop topics will range from positive studio practices to pricing work and navigating gallery representation. Questions? Contact Mary Jo Karimnia at maryjo@crosstownarts.org

Microcinema Club
2016-04-13 13:30 - 16:00 | TN
Monthly short film screening series presented by Indie Memphis and Crosstown Arts
April Program: The 2015 Best of Ottawa International Animation Festival
The Best of Ottawa touring program showcases many audience favorites and award winners from the OIAF Official Competition.
This year’s highlights include the stunning stop motion tragedy from Estonia, The Master, the singularly unorthodox and oddly hilarious Unhappy Happy, as well as the first ever student film to win the OIAF Grand Prize for Best Independent Short Film, Small People With Hats.

6:30 pm doors open | 7 pm presentation | Pay-what-you can admission | Free food & drinks
SUPPORTED BY ARTSMEMPHIS AND THE FIRST TENNESSEE FOUNDATION | ARTSFIRST

Ancestors Remind Us
2016-04-15 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
Group exhibition curated by Johnathan Robert Payne
Presented by the Collective
Terry Lynn
Vitus Shell
Siphne Aaye
Lester Merriwhether
Lawrence Matthews

Duets for Mellotron
2016-04-16 15:00 - 17:00 | Crosstown Arts Galleries, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
SATURDAY PERFORMANCE IS SOLD OUT!
ENCORE PERFORMANCE ADDED: SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 7:30 PM
Crosstown Arts is pleased to present Duets for Mellotron, a live performance by Jonathan Kirkscey and Robby Grant, organized in collaboration with Winston Eggleston.
This unique performance experience—the world’s first Mellotron duet—features an obscure but ingenious keyboard instrument invented in the 1940s which was designed to reproduce the sound of virtually any acoustic, electromechanical, or synthesized instrument.
The Mellotron is essentially a giant cassette tape player, operated manually by pressing keys on a keyboard. When a key is struck, a prerecorded sound is played/heard, conceptually making the Mellotron an analog forerunner to digital sampling.
The M400 and a new M4000 cycling Mellotron, from Winston Eggleston’s small but diverse Mellotron collection, will be played at the performance. Eggleston will also share a series of new site-specific digital projections to complement the music.
The collaboration will result in a forthcoming limited-release vinyl recording of the performance and other duets for Mellotron composed by the artists.
Event tickets can be purchased in advance, online for $30 (includes a copy of the record) or $15 (performance only). Capacity is limited. Performance location is Crosstown Arts at 422 N. Cleveland, Memphis. A complimentary reception will take place prior to the performance.

TICKETS
Duets for Mellotron
Saturday, April 16, 8 pm doors/8:30 pm show (45 mins)
Crosstown Arts, 422 N. Cleveland
Tickets: $15 / $30 with record
SOLD OUT

Duets for Mellotron Encore
Sunday, April 17, 7:30 pm doors/8 pm show (45 mins)
Crosstown Arts, 422 N. Cleveland
Tickets: $15 / $30 with record

Organized by Robby Grant, Jonathan Kirkscey, and Winston Eggleston
More about the Mellotron:
The Mellotron is essentially a giant cassette tape player, operated manually by pressing keys on a keyboard. When a key is struck, a prerecorded sound is played/heard, conceptually making the Mellotron an analog forerunner to digital sampling.
An American engineer named Harry Chamberlin invented the precursor to the Mellotron in the late 1940s. While playing his Hammond organ, he wondered if it would be possible to create a keyboard instrument that allowed the player to reproduce a wider range of orchestral and brass sounds. Over the course of many decades and through the hands of several manufacturers and marketers, the Mellotron’s technology and appearance took many forms.
While the individual instruments sampled for the Mellotron were recorded in the highest available fidelity for the time, the wow and flutter of the tape playback mechanism, as well as the ability to affect volume and speed through the relative amount of pressure applied to the keys all contribute to the instrument’s characteristic sound.
The iconic sound of the Mellotron has helped shape important moments in the history of modern music, such as the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and work by The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, and Led Zeppelin, to name a few.
More about the artists/organizers:
Jonathan Kirkscey and Robby Grant have been playing music together for over 10 years with the band Mouserocket. Jonathan also performs with Glorie, String Theory, the Memphis Symphony, and recently scored the documentary “Best of Enemies.” Robby has performed at Crosstown previously with the experimental band, >mancontrol<. He most recently recorded and released “Let the Little Things Go” under the Vending Machine moniker.

Why are grownups so boring? And other musings
2016-04-17 11:00 - 12:00 | Rhodes McCoy Theater, 2000 N. Parkway, Memphis, TN, 38112, United States
The final performance of story booth’s spring after school acting workshop “Page to Stage“, led by Jazmin Miller, featuring students from Humes Preparatory Academy and student mentors from Rhodes College.
Rhodes Mentors: Karissa Coady, Emma Holtzman, Brynna Newkirk, Emmie Heath, Kevin Guevara, Patrick Leavey, Laura Eckelkamp, Lauren Edmond, Treston Norphlet, CaDana Campbell, Anne Healy, Anne Elizabeth Garrard, Jeanne Wilkinson
Lights, Camera, Actors
6th grade: Madison Ingram, Briana Springfield, Takyla Jones, Shantell Rogers
7th grade: Poeme Sherrod, Dereco Burrow, DeAnna Beckwith, Jalynn Williams, Zametria Scott, Ziyielle Braxton, Sammy Woods, Benjamin Inman, Javarius Smiley, Nicholas Allen
8th grade: Nya Linzy, Kerica Flake, Ca’Von Dalton, D’Airra Gibbs, Raymond Newton, Raymicha Newton, Alex Mendez
Instructors: Cookie Ewing & Jazzy Miller

Duets for Mellotron - Encore
2016-04-17 14:30 - 16:00 | Crosstown Arts Galleries, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
ENCORE PERFORMANCE ADDED: SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 7:30 PM
Crosstown Arts is pleased to present Duets for Mellotron, a live performance by Jonathan Kirkscey and Robby Grant, organized in collaboration with Winston Eggleston.
This unique performance experience—the world’s first Mellotron duet—features an obscure but ingenious keyboard instrument invented in the 1940s which was designed to reproduce the sound of virtually any acoustic, electromechanical, or synthesized instrument.
The Mellotron is essentially a giant cassette tape player, operated manually by pressing keys on a keyboard. When a key is struck, a prerecorded sound is played/heard, conceptually making the Mellotron an analog forerunner to digital sampling.
The M400 and a new M4000 cycling Mellotron, from Winston Eggleston’s small but diverse Mellotron collection, will be played at the performance. Eggleston will also share a series of new site-specific digital projections to complement the music.
The collaboration will result in a forthcoming limited-release vinyl recording of the performance and other duets for Mellotron composed by the artists.
Event tickets can be purchased in advance, online for $30 (includes a copy of the record) or $15 (performance only). Capacity is limited. Performance location is Crosstown Arts at 422 N. Cleveland, Memphis. A complimentary reception will take place prior to the performance.

TICKETS
Duets for Mellotron
Saturday, April 16, 8 pm doors/8:30 pm show (45 mins)
Crosstown Arts, 422 N. Cleveland
Tickets: $15 / $30 with record
SOLD OUT

Duets for Mellotron Encore
Sunday, April 17, 7:30 pm doors/8 pm show (45 mins)
Crosstown Arts, 422 N. Cleveland
Tickets: $15 / $30 with record

Organized by Robby Grant, Jonathan Kirkscey, and Winston Eggleston
More about the Mellotron:
The Mellotron is essentially a giant cassette tape player, operated manually by pressing keys on a keyboard. When a key is struck, a prerecorded sound is played/heard, conceptually making the Mellotron an analog forerunner to digital sampling.
An American engineer named Harry Chamberlin invented the precursor to the Mellotron in the late 1940s. While playing his Hammond organ, he wondered if it would be possible to create a keyboard instrument that allowed the player to reproduce a wider range of orchestral and brass sounds. Over the course of many decades and through the hands of several manufacturers and marketers, the Mellotron’s technology and appearance took many forms.
While the individual instruments sampled for the Mellotron were recorded in the highest available fidelity for the time, the wow and flutter of the tape playback mechanism, as well as the ability to affect volume and speed through the relative amount of pressure applied to the keys all contribute to the instrument’s characteristic sound.
The iconic sound of the Mellotron has helped shape important moments in the history of modern music, such as the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and work by The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, and Led Zeppelin, to name a few.
More about the artists/organizers:
Jonathan Kirkscey and Robby Grant have been playing music together for over 10 years with the band Mouserocket. Jonathan also performs with Glorie, String Theory, the Memphis Symphony, and recently scored the documentary “Best of Enemies.” Robby has performed at Crosstown previously with the experimental band, >mancontrol<. He most recently recorded and released “Let the Little Things Go” under the Vending Machine moniker.

Open Crit
2016-04-19 13:00 - 15:00, 2016-05-10 13:00 - 15:00 | TN
Artist installation 5-6 pm
Discussion 6-8 pm
Crosstown Arts’ Open Crit series, organized in partnership with ArtsMemphis, is a monthly critique event where visual artists are invited to bring new and/or in-progress studio work for critical feedback and group discussion particular to each artist’s practice.
A dedicated facilitator with experience in a group critique setting will guide discussion for each critique event, which will include up to 4 artists’ work, with 15-25 minutes devoted to the work of each.
All visual artists and anyone interested in joining the discussion are welcome to participate regardless of their level of expertise, prior professional art experience or background/education in fine art. Participation is free and open to the public. Input during the critiques from everyone in attendance is welcomed and encouraged.
No formal preparation is necessary for participating artists, who will have an opportunity to introduce and contextualize their work on view at the beginning of each critique. Participating artists are only asked to be open to (and interested in) considering reactions to their work by the group, which will always be done in a supportive, constructive and casual environment, but could at the same time be challenging.

To participate, artists can sign up here:
Open Crit Request form

Artists are asked to bring no more than 8 individual pieces (in any medium). Maximum run time for time-based work(s) is 10 minutes.
Participating artists are encouraged to invite friends, peers and colleagues to the open crits, both to see their work in progress and to give constructive feedback.
Organized by Crosstown Arts in partnership with ArtsMemphis ArtsAccelerator.

Party with the Pinch
2016-04-21 13:30 - 16:30 | story booth, 438 N. Cleveland St., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join the staff of The Pinch Literary Journal in celebration of the official release of their stunning Spring 2016 issue!
There will be food and drink, of course – Pinch Punch!
You will be regaled with readings from featured contributors, including those of award-winning poet, Madison McCartha and melty-cheese West Coast loving fiction writer, Kerry Donoghue.
Back by popular demand is the silent auction with more fabulous literary and wholesome goodies so don’t miss your chance to bid and help raise funds that keep our journal in print.
We could be persuaded to dance again…
Join us!
The Pinch Literary Journal facebook page

Perfect is Boring
2016-04-22 13:00 - 15:00 | TN
Opening Reception: Friday, April 22, 6 – 8 pm
Performances and Talks: Saturday, April 23, 1-3 pm
“Perfect is Boring” a multi-media exploration of the roles of peer pressure, ideal and model form and behavior in exacerbating mental and physical health. From eating disorders to stress induced ulcers, people of all ages are hurting themselves in trying to attain a mythic ideal foisted upon them by pop culture.
A collection of artists, musicians, and storytellers relating their life experiences and views on mistakes, perfection and resilience.
The show is curated by Jessica Shea, a licensed clinical social worker, whose practice, Forward Counseling, deals with such issues on a daily basis. The show is co-curated by Ken Hall.
The opening reception will be held on Friday, April 22, from 6 – 8 pm. On Saturday, April 23, a series of talks and musical expressions will take place from 1 – 3 pm. A portion of proceeds from the sale of artwork will benefit the Church Health Center. For more information call Forward Counseling at 310-3911.

Memphis Cartonera Project Exhibit & Workshop
2016-04-23 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
Saturday, April 23, 6-9 pm Opening Reception
Sunday, April 24, 12-5 pm Exhibit & Workshop
Celebrate with Memphis Cartonera!

Come learn about the fast-growing “Cartonera” movement from South America, and its revolutionary new way to think about art and literature’s place in our lives.
We are a cooperative publishing house dedicated to democratizing literature and art, to foster literacy, and to work in sustainable ways.
Join us for our exhibit and workshop and:
• Learn about the origins of Cartonera publishing in Latin America, and now in Memphis
• Meet the local artists and organizations spearheading the project (Centro Cultural Latino, Latino Memphis, Cazateatro, Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl, Refugee Empowerment Program, and Caritas Village)
• See original works and hand-made editions of the classics
• Paint, read, and make your own Cartonera book
• Enjoy Enedyi’s Tamales and aguas frescas, paletas from La Michoacana, and other South American treats

Organized by Rhodes College + Centro Cultural Latino, Latino Memphis, Cazateatro, Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl, Refugee Empowerment Program, Caritas Village

Art by RL Banker
2016-04-27 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
Exhibition by local artist RL Banker

Belongings II: Repurposed
2016-04-29 05:00 - 2016-05-21 13:00 | Crosstown Arts Galleries, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Opening Reception: Friday, April 29, 6-9 pm

Call to Artists – February 2016
Belongings II: Repurposed
An open call exhibition organized by Crosstown Arts and the Cleveland Street Flea Market
This second incarnation of the Belongings show continues in the spirit of community and the reuse and re-imagining of objects. All artists are invited to participate by purchasing any object of inspiration from the Cleveland Street Flea Market at 438 N Cleveland to transform into (or use as inspiration for) a new work of art.
The nostalgia and surprise felt when browsing at a flea market is a ripe field for artistic interpretation. A psychedelic print from the 70’s can inspire a color scheme or shape motif. A plastic bust of Scooby Doo can evoke early childhood Saturday mornings in front of the TV. A cover of an early genre pulp fiction paperback might be a poignant reminder of how prevalent attitudes have changed since the 1950’s.
One submission per artist will be accepted based on the guidelines below. All artists are welcome to participate regardless of their level of expertise or prior art experience.
Belongings II: Repurposed will be on view at
Crosstown Arts Gallery, 422 N Cleveland, April 29- May 14, 2016

Call for Submissions
1. Submit via Formstack
Click here to submit
2. Important Dates
Artwork submission deadline/drop-off: Monday, April 25, 2-7 pm at Crosstown Arts at 422 N Cleveland
Opening Reception: Friday, April 29, 6-9 pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, April 29 – May 14, 10 am – 6 pm
Artwork pick-up: Sunday, May 15, 2-5 pm and Monday, May 16, 12-6 pm
3. Fees
There is no fee to participate in the show other than the cost of purchasing an item from the Cleveland Street Flea Market to be incorporated into or used as inspiration for the artwork for the show. Prices of objects in the flea market are $1+
4. Size limit
There is no restriction on size of artwork other than reasonable passage through a standard doorway.
5. Display requirements
All artwork must be delivered ready to hang/install to be included in the exhibition. Please communicate any specific installation needs (special handling, pedestal needs, AV equipment needs, etc) by email to maryjo@crosstownarts.org before delivery.
6.Sales
Crosstown Arts will facilitate sales via cash, check (made out to the artist) or Visa/MasterCard via square during the run of the show. More details to follow.
Contact: For more information please contact Mary Jo Karimnia at maryjo@crosstownarts.org or 901-626-6298

Javon McBride: Exclusive
2016-04-29 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
Reception: Friday, April 29, 6-9 pm
On view: Saturday, April 30, 11 am-5 pm
This show will showcase original oil paintings and sculptures created by JaVon McBride.

Shoot & Splice: Examining Video Art
2016-05-03 13:30 - 16:00 | TN
A Method to the Madness: Examining Video Art
Traditionally Shoot & Splice has explored technique rooted in narrative, documentary, and commercial film and video production, but this month we will examine the craft of capturing moving images solely to facilitate creative expression.
Join accomplished video artists Brian Pera, Corkey Sinks & Jill Wissmiller for a discussion on the concepts, production, and showing of video art.
Brian Pera‘s films include The Way I See Things, Woman’s Picture, and Only Child. The latter two are part of an ongoing series obsessively preoccupied with women he remembers from his childhood. With perfumer Andy Tauer he created a perfume line, Tableau de Parfums, the scents of which relate thematically and otherwise to the universe of the films. He’s the author of the novel Troublemaker and co-editor of Life As We Show It: Writings on Film. Currently he’s working on an installation piece called Sorry Not Sorry with Joel Parsons and Terri Phillips.
Corkey Sinks (b. Dallas, TX) is an artist based in Memphis, TN. Sinks works in a variety of media including sculpture, textiles, printed matter, and video. She received a BA in Media Studies from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands, CA in 2005 and an MFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. Sinks is the current artist in residence at Crosstown Arts. She has exhibited work throughout the United States and Mexico. In 2015, her book, Demon Baby Project: Events, Coincidences, and Repercussions was published by No Coast. Upcoming exhibitions include Artificial Tide, a solo exhibition at The Packing Plant in Nashville, TN and We gave Our Best, Now the Rest is Up to the Hope Chest, a group show at Im Ersten in Vienna, Austria.
Jill Wissmiller is a Midwestern farmer’s daughter transplanted to the Midsouth, where she is Chair of Design and Associate Professor of Digital Media at the Memphis College of Art. Wissmiller’s research and creative work is concerned with nontraditional cinema spectatorship and production. She has recently completed a motion picture manifesto that calls for a strict ban of standard definition video being projected upon anything other than glitter. Her video work has been screened at a variety of venues both nationally and internationally, including the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival, and Electrofringe New Media Arts Festival Australia.

Presented by Indie Memphis and Crosstown Arts
DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 PM | PANEL DISCUSSION BEGINS AT 7:00 PM | FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Northwest Prep Residency Book Release: Stereotyped from the Jump
2016-05-05 10:00 - 11:15 | story booth, 438 N. Cleveland St., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
story booth would like to thank the administration and faculty of Northwest Preparatory Academy for working with us to to create our first-ever class residency.
For four weeks in March on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, young writers from Northwest Prep met in story booth for workshop sessions as part of their English class to produce the writing (and the cover art) for each of these original, limited-edition books.
Specific thanks go to Ms. Crystal Johnson-Evans, teaching artist and Northwest Prep’s English Language Arts Department Chair; and to Northwest Prep Principal, Mr. Roger Jones, for embracing the idea and allowing Northwest Prep students to participate in this literary-arts experience.

Chaotic Alignment: New Work by Corkey Sinks
2016-05-05 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
Exhibition: Thursday, May 5, 6-9 pm | 430 N. Cleveland
Lecture: Saturday, May 7, 4 pm | Residency Studio, 424 N. Cleveland – Back entrance
ONE NIGHT ONLY! This exhibition features new work by Corkey Sinks, created during her residency at Crosstown Arts. Sinks embraces the human tendency to find meaningful patterns within the noise of collective information. Through sculpture, textiles, printed matter, and drawing, Sinks’ works explore American occultism and self-help culture, objects manifested through a struggle to understand the systems we occupy.
Corkey Sinks (b. Dallas, TX) is an artist based in Memphis, TN. She received a BA in Media Studies from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands, CA in 2005 and an MFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. Sinks has exhibited work throughout the United States and Mexico. In 2015, her book, Demon Baby Project: Events, Coincidences, and Repercussions was published by No Coast. Upcoming exhibitions include Artificial Tide, a solo exhibition at The Packing Plant in Nashville, TN and We gave Our Best, Now the Rest is Up to the Hope Chest, a group show at Im Ersten in Vienna, Austria.
Image: Corkey Sinks, Thirteen Is a Cozy Number, 2016, Hand-cut, heat fused plastic, brass grommets, 9’x9′

The Moonpie Project presents: Birdcap & Ninjacat
2016-05-05 14:00 - 17:00 | TN
A new interactive collaboration by Birdcap + Ninjacat
Due to rain, the activation/projection is postponed: new date TBA!

Location: Crosstown Arts alley between 430 & 438 N. Cleveland
Free food + drinks
The Moonpie Project is an ongoing, rotating mural series curated by Michael Roy in memory of muralist Brad Wells
Organized in collaboration with Crosstown Arts

Impossible Language
2016-05-06 14:00 - 16:00 | TN
NEW LOCATION: Crosstown Arts at 430 N. Cleveland
The final “episode” of this season Impossible Language will incorporate poetry and visual projections. Featuring readings and more by:
DOUGLAS PICCINNINI was born in New York City in 1982. He has been awarded residencies by The Vermont Studio Center, Art Farm in Marquette, NE and, The Elizabeth Bishop Society of Nova Scotia. In 2014, he was selected by Dorothea Lasky as a winner of the Summer Literary Seminars for Poetry. He is the author of Story Book: a novella, and a collection of poems, Blood Oboe.
CHRIS HOSEA was born in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1973, and his first book of poems, Put Your Hands In, was selected by John Ashbery as the winner of the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets. His work as a visual artist includes Over Time Across Space, with Kim Bennett, which was the subject of a 2015 full-gallery exhibition at Transmitter in Brooklyn, New York. His poems have appeared in 6×6, The American Poetry Review, Boston Review, Brooklyn Rail, Web Conjunctions, Denver Quarterly, Harvard Review, New American Review, Prelude, White Wall Review, and VOLT. He lives in Brooklyn.
JONATHAN MAY grew up in Zimbabwe as the child of missionaries. He lives and teaches in Memphis, TN. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in [PANK], Superstition Review, Shark Reef, Duende, One, Winter Tangerine Review, and Rock & Sling. He’s recently translated the play Dreams by Günter Eich into English. Read more at http://memphisjon.wordpress.com/

Artist Talk: Corkey Sinks
2016-05-07 11:00 - 12:00 | Crosstown Arts Studio Residency, 424 N. Cleveland - Back Entrance, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Current resident artist Corkey Sinks will give a talk on the work she created during her residency at Crosstown Arts.
Sinks embraces the human tendency to find meaningful patterns within the noise of collective information. Through sculpture, textiles, printed matter, and drawing, Sinks’ works explore American occultism and self-help culture, objects manifested through a struggle to understand the systems we occupy.
Corkey Sinks (b. Dallas, TX) is an artist based in Memphis, TN. She received a BA in Media Studies from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands, CA in 2005 and an MFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. Sinks has exhibited work throughout the United States and Mexico. In 2015, her book, Demon Baby Project: Events, Coincidences, and Repercussions was published by No Coast. Upcoming exhibitions include Artificial Tide, a solo exhibition at The Packing Plant in Nashville, TN and We gave Our Best, Now the Rest is Up to the Hope Chest, a group show at Im Ersten in Vienna, Austria.
Image: Corkey Sinks, Thirteen Is a Cozy Number, 2016, Hand-cut, heat fused plastic, brass grommets, 9’x9′

NJ Woods: House Keys
2016-05-07 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
“House Keys,” New works by N.J. Woods celebrating one of the most fundamental needs for all people: shelter. This exhibition will feature collages of ordinary wood keys, a tool made to tighten stretched canvas, repurposed varying bands of warm colors. N.J.’s genre paintings on canvas will also be on display, Saturday, May 7th, at Crosstown Arts, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
N.J. Woods
Inspired by her Memphis upbringing and Mississippi relatives, NJ Woods paints scenes of rustic life from memory and imagination. NJ’s distinctive creativity blossomed by watching her father Yancy paint in the middle room of their shotgun home. Where, as the third born of nine children, NJ used tempera paint to scribble pictures on the windows. She’s since traded in the tempera for acrylic and window panes, for canvas.
NJ grew up in the shotgun littered community of Orange Mound, the first African-American neighborhood built by African-Americans in the United States. Most of her work revolves around the shotgun house and its imprint on the African-American and Southern experience.
Her primitive style of painting, heavily influenced by visits to her Grandma Sarah’s house in Coldwater, MS and other country relatives, often reflects the dichotomy of city life juxtaposed with rural traditions and stories. These stories transferred onto the canvas, typify slices of life during the sharecropping and civil rights eras marked by her adroit use of emotive colors, folksy compositions and poetic titles. NJ’s subject matter and style is often compared to renowned artists Carroll Cloar and Clementine Hunter.
Although NJ’s been painting professionally for more than 12 years, just before her work really began to sell she was a home health attendant for several years. Today, NJ’s work has been shown in several galleries around the country — Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas and New York, to name a few. Her work has been exhibited at Dixon Gallery and Gardens Museum and the Brooks Museum, both in Memphis, Tennessee. In August 2008, NJ was invited to be a guest lecturer for the Lunch and Learn series at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, during the Ancestry and Innovation: African American Art from the American Folk Art Museum exhibition. She opened her first temporary pop-up gallery in 2013 through the MEMShop incubation program, where she introduced and exhibited her own work and art from established and emerging artists to the community in the Broad Avenue Arts district. You can see her latest public art project in her neighborhood, titled “Headshots”, an abstract, geo-centric mural at Jackson and Evergreen in the Vollintine and Evergreen community. NJ plans to do more public art work projects in the future to expand her practice.

Microcinema Club
2016-05-09 14:00 - 17:00 | TN
Monthly short film screening series presented by Indie Memphis and Crosstown Arts
May program: Best of Indie Memphis Film Festival After Dark Shorts
7 pm doors open | 7:30 pm screening | Pay-what-you can admission | Free food & drinks
SUPPORTED BY ARTSMEMPHIS AND THE FIRST TENNESSEE FOUNDATION | ARTSFIRST

Woodworking Show
2016-05-12 12:00 - 15:00 | story booth, 438 N. Cleveland St., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Peruse fine woodworking designed and handcrafted by Caleb Sweazy right here in Memphis, Tennessee.
Organized by Caleb Sweazy

Galleria Oscuro
2016-05-13 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
Group show of work by Steven Crowe, Wess Loudenslager, and Kyoku Kashu
Organized by Silent Scream Enterprises

Hustle: Website Design & Management
2016-05-17 13:00 - 15:00 | TN
Making artwork is the best part of an art career but promoting your work can be a critical key to success. Demystify the process of promoting yourself through a website and complementary social media strategies. Learn how to do it yourself or what to consider when hiring a professional.
Program begins at 6 pm
Complimentary food and drinks
Hustle: professional development for artists is a free program organized by ArtsMemphis, UrbanArt Commission, and Crosstown Arts. The series will provide visual artists with information, resources, and opportunities to support them in the development of their professional careers. Workshop topics will range from positive studio practices to pricing work and navigating gallery representation. Questions? Contact Mary Jo Karimnia at maryjo@crosstownarts.org

Spillit & Crosstown Arts present: Dear Diary
2016-05-19 13:00 - 16:00 | Amurica, 410 N. Cleveland, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Come witness Spillit’s collaboration with Crosstown Arts: Pecha Kucha Night – Dear Diary
You asked, we listened. Here’s what to do:
1. Bust out your old diaries from childhood and adolescence and pick out golden entries. Awkward, sweet, idiotic, embarassingly hopeful… you get the idea.
2. Pick 20 images that will be slides to go along with your diary reading. You’ll have twenty seconds per slide, making your presentation six minutes and forty seconds of glory.
Interested in presenting? Email Emily Halpern: emily@crosstownarts.org
Link to example presentation:
https://vimeo.com/album/3464881/video/68457336

Six Points
2016-05-20 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
On view: Wednesday-Friday, May 18-20 from 10-6pm
Closing event: Friday, May 20 from 6-9pm
Six Points is anchored by Six Chairs by six Memphis artists: Mary K VanGieson, Jennifer Sargent, Carrol McTyre, Paula Kovarik, Mary Jo Karimnia and Kerri Dugan, who have been meeting monthly for the past year, in each other’s homes and studios, to share artwork, food and conversation. In addition, each artist has created an individual piece for the show. The work is as much about coming together as it is about individuality and is a reflection of the comradery, support and elevated level of excellence we are currently feeling in our local visual arts culture. Please come and celebrate with us!
The exhibition is organized by the artists.
Learn more about Six Points

Rod Kirby Show: A Volatile Mix of Creativity and Imagination
2016-05-21 07:00 - 13:00 | TN
Featuring fine art, photography, and multimedia from artist & photographer, Rod Kirby.
Light refreshments available.
Organized by the artist

If a Tree Falls
2016-05-24 13:00 - 16:00 | TN
What happens when 8 artists from different backgrounds and mediums are given identical giant cross-section of the same tree?
Group exhibition organized by Cara Di Stefano
