Past Events
December 2022
Crosstown Arts Resident Artists Open Studio Night
Crosstown Arts is proud to invite the Memphis community to visit the artist studios. Artists in residence will have their studios open on Friday, December 2, from 5 to 7 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public.
May 2022
Brazil By Day
Get immersed in the rich and diverse cultures found throughout the regions of Brazil – from the Amazon’s to Bahia, Rio and beyond through fine art, live music, dance performances, Capoeira demonstrations, local cuisine and so much more!
This celebration of Brazilian culture is free, family friendly and open to everyone!
Presented by Collage Dance, Iris Orchestra, Crosstown Arts, & Carpenter Art Garden
February 2020
Exhibition Artist Talks
Artists with work on view at Crosstown Arts will deliver talks in their respective galleries.
Artists Susan Lichtman and Dennis Congdon will discuss their work in Here Is Where We Meet in the West Gallery at 1 pm. Curator Laurel Suscy will deliver their introduction.
Artist Keiko Gonzalez will discuss his work in STUDIOS in the East Gallery at 2 pm. Crosstown Arts residency manager/artist Mary Jo Karimnia will deliver his introduction.
Free and open to the public
December 2019
Crosstown Arts Open House
All Crosstown Arts spaces — galleries, The Green Room, Crosstown Theater, the cafe, Art Bar, Shared Art Making, and artist studios — will be open to the public. Live music, hot cocoa, performances, tours, art exhibitions, and more.
During this event, Crosstown Arts fall 2019 session resident artists will open their studios to the public in a behind-the-scenes look at the residency program. Residents will present musical performances, readings, visual art, and more.
Free and open to the public. This event is happening concurrently with the annual Crosstown Concourse holiday lighting party.
August 2019
Continuum Music Festival
A festival of collaborations among musicians and artists of diverse genres from Memphis and beyond, bringing to life unique performances and workshops in the award-winning Crosstown Concourse. Now in its third year, this festival for the adventurous listener will include performances at Crosstown Theater, The Green Room, East Atrium Stage, and a special collaboration with Opera Memphis.
A free festival kick-off performance featuring Blueshift Ensemble and ICEBERG New Music will be held at Crosstown Brewing Company on Thursday, August 15.
July 2019
Crosstown Arts Resident Artist Showcase
Join us for a multidisciplinary art showcase featuring work by Crosstown Arts resident artists. Free and open to the public.
Youth Zine-Making Workshop
THIS WORKSHOP HAS REACHED CAPACITY! Please join us for Memphis Zine Fest on Friday, July 19 though! Free and open to the public.
During this week-long course, students will learn about the origin of zines, how to develop their ideas into a tangible product, and how to flex their social skills muscles. At the end of the week, students are given the opportunity to sell their wares at Memphis Zine Fest.
Taught by local artist and Zine Fest curator Erica Qualy.
We provide all of the basic supplies they’ll need to get started, they just need to bring their ideas. Classes run Monday July 15 – Friday July 19 from 2:30-5:00 pm (with the option of students sticking around and selling their wares at Zine Fest on Friday July 19 from 5-8 pm).
Artist Residency Open Studio
Join us for a FREE Open Studio event featuring Crosstown Arts resident artists Nick Peña, Tad Lauritzen Wright and Alex Paulus. Followed by a performance in The Green Room featuring resident artists Eden Wiseman, Ori Dvir, Baishui, and Marcus Tate.
From 6-8 pm, guests can tour the studios of Nick Peña, Tad Lauritzen Wright and Alex Paulus. These studios are across the street from the Concourse building, at 424 and 416 N. Cleveland Street.
From 8-9 pm, Eden Wiseman ….
June 2019
Open Studio: Eden Wiseman & Ori Dvir + Pete Hoffecker Mejia
Crosstown Arts resident artists Eden Wiseman and Ori Dvir and resident Pete Hoffecker Mejia will host open studio nights at Crosstown Arts.
Pete Hoffecker Mejia will have an open studio from 8-8:45 pm in Studio #104 in Shared Art Making. Eden and Ori are in Studio #209 (down the hallway beside the East Gallery), and their studio will be open from from 8:45-9:30 pm with performance starting at 9 pm.
May 2019
Workshop Series — Simultaneous Contrast: Experiments with Color
Lifeworks, in conjunction with Crosstown Arts, is pleased to host Los Angeles-based artist, Pamela Jorden, to lead a painting workshop. In Simultaneous Contrast: Experiments with Color, Jorden will guide participants through considerations of color, texture, and unexpected juxtapositions that inspire experimentation with paint and process.
Registration fee $125 (materials not included). Lunch will be provided.
Space is limited. To register please email laurel@crosstownarts.org.
Stitched: Celebrating the Art of Quilting
Crosstown Arts welcomes Stitched: Celebrating the Art of Quilting from May 10-July 28, 2019. This festival will feature two art exhibitions, public quilting workshops, and a Gathering of the Guilds showcase.
March 2019
Crosstown Arts Resident Artist Open Studio
Crosstown Arts spring session resident artists will open their studios to the public in this behind-the-scenes look at the residency program.
The Crosstown Arts residency program offers multidisciplinary residencies to visiting and Memphis-based artists and curators, working in any creative discipline including visual and performing arts, music, film, and writing in all genres.
Young Collectors Contemporary Art Fair & Conference
Now in its fourth edition, Young Collectors Contemporary is one the most celebrated art events and the perfect destination to discover and buy visual art from emerging artists.
Presented by Young Arts Patrons, the art fair returns to Memphis from March 21-24 and showcases the genius of a national roster of emerging artists.
The Fair’s ambitious four-day program includes live performances, engaging panel discussions, experimental works, and food and drink from some of Memphis’s best restaurateurs, and mixologists.
The exhibition that goes along with the conference will remain on view at Crosstown Arts through April 7. After the ticketed events, the exhibition will be free and open to the public.
November 2018
Crosstown Arts Open House
After eight years, Crosstown Arts is continuing to help redefine what arts can be in Memphis. Come see the new 70,000 sq ft of multidisciplinary spaces in action at Crosstown Concourse.
All the new spaces — galleries, the Green Room, theater, cafe, Art Bar, Shared Art Making, and artist studios — will be open to the public. Live music, food, drinks, performances, tours, art exhibitions, and more.
Stick around after the event for an after-party at 8 pm in The ….
Stax Tracks: Rare Tracks from the Stax Catalog
Join Dr. Charles Hughes and special guests as they take a journey through key parts of the Stax Records collection. Each week, everyone will listen to an album or series of tracks in real time, followed by a short presentation, and then audience response to the music.
In November, we’ll discuss rarely heard but deeply moving tracks from the Stax catalog, including rarities by The 24-Carat Black, John Gary Williams, and a couple of secret tracks so rare, that even ….
Music + Activism = Craftivism at Crosstown Arts
The G.A.D. exhibition features stories of people who used music to make an impact. Here, we recognize the power we have in our hands. No matter what craft items we provide, you will use your hands to make art that makes a statement about something you feel passionately about.
These projects can be political, personal, or purely for fun, and it’s recommended for EVERYONE.
Soul Cinema
Film screenings in conjunction with Give a Damn! Music + Activism at Stax Records, on view at Crosstown Arts through Dec. 2.
November screening: Shaft (1971)
Propelled by the Academy Award-winning soundtrack by Isaac Hayes, Private Investigator John Shaft must overcome militants, the Mafia, and crooked cops to recover the kidnapped daughter of a Harlem mobster. A Soul Cinema classic!
October 2018
Music + Activism = Craftivism at Crosstown Arts
The G.A.D. exhibition features stories of people who used music to make an impact. Here, we recognize the power we have in our hands. No matter what craft items we provide, you will use your hands to make art that makes a statement about something you feel passionately about.
These projects can be political, personal, or purely for fun, and it’s recommended for EVERYONE.
Music + Activism = Craftivism at Crosstown Arts
The G.A.D. exhibition features stories of people who used music to make an impact. Here, we recognize the power we have in our hands. No matter what craft items we provide, you will use your hands to make art that makes a statement about something you feel passionately about.
These projects can be political, personal, or purely for fun, and it’s recommended for EVERYONE.
Soul Cinema
Film screenings in conjunction with Give a Damn! Music + Activism at Stax Records, on view at Crosstown Arts through Dec. 2.
October screening: Wattstax (1973)
Classic film documenting life in Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles and the 1972 concert at the L.A. Coliseum featuring an incredible roster of Stax Records artists including Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, The Bar-Kays, and many more.
Music + Activism = Craftivism at Crosstown Arts
The G.A.D. exhibition features stories of people who used music to make an impact. Here, we recognize the power we have in our hands. No matter what craft items we provide, you will use your hands to make art that makes a statement about something you feel passionately about.
These projects can be political, personal, or purely for fun, and it’s recommended for EVERYONE.
Stax Tracks: Soul Folk in Action
Join Dr. Charles Hughes and special guests as they take a journey through key parts of the Stax Records collection. Each week, everyone will listen to an album or series of tracks in real time, followed by a short presentation, and then an audience response to the music.
On October 9, we will focus on “Soul Folk in Action,” the first Staple Singers record on Stax, recorded in early 1968.
This event is held in conjunction with Give a Damn! ….
August 2018
Continuum Music Festival
A festival of collaborations among musicians and artists of diverse genres from Memphis and beyond, bringing to life unique performances and workshops in the award-winning Crosstown Concourse.
Performances by: Amy Lavere & Will Sexton with musicians of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, IMAKEMADBEATS, ~Nois Saxophone Quartet, Artistik Approach, Blueshift Ensemble and ICEBERG New Music, if … else, Crosstown Winds, Vibes & Waves crew, among many others.
Interactive workshops:
Sound Scavenger Hunt
Mindful Listening Workshop
The Polyrhythmic Body: A Movement Excursion for Non-dancers Who Love Music
“I Am Sure My Music Has a Taste of Codfish in It”: Thoughts on the Relationship Between Food and Music
Suggestions on How to Listen to Contemporary Classical Music
