Past Events
February 2024
“Iliumpta”
Iliumpta is a retelling of Homer’s Iliad set in the Southernmost bayous of Mississippi. Named after the county the story takes place in, Iliumpta draws comparisons between masculinity in the American South and the sandaled heroes of yore, often pointing out the weakness in a regional outlook that insists on staying put during hurricanes.
September 2023
“Days”
“Days” follows the everyday observations of the structures we interact with. The houses become more than just a residence, but become individuals themselves. The shadows start to blur the line of where the walls stop and where a presence might begin.
April 2023
“Edgewise: Exploring Pattern and Rhythm with Line”
“Edgewise: Exploring Pattern and Rhythm with Line” by Khara Woods presents a collection of paintings, sculpture and creative devices developed since 2016. The works examine the creation of movement and texture focusing on a restricted set of grids, bold colors and shapes inspired by basic geometry. Within these confines, there are arrangements that intertwine, shift and vibrate across canvas and wood.
November 2021
Opening Reception for New Faculty: Connections
On view through January 23
In the last five years, the Department of Art at the University of Memphis has experienced a generational sea change with new faculty and an expanded curriculum. These new voices and fresh viewpoints complement the decades of rich experiences provided by veteran faculty to create a full learning environment for our diverse community of students.
New Faculty: Connections presents the work of the most recent additions to the department, including seven artists and two art ….
New Faculty: Connections
Opening Friday, Nov. 19 from 6-8 pm
In the last five years, the Department of Art at the University of Memphis has experienced a generational sea change with new faculty and an expanded curriculum. These new voices and fresh viewpoints complement the decades of rich experiences provided by veteran faculty to create a full learning environment for our diverse community of students.
New Faculty: Connections presents the work of the most recent additions to the department, including seven artists and ….
February 2020
STUDIOS: Keiko Gonzalez
** This exhibition is temporarily suspended.
Painting, drawings, and digital drawings by Keiko Gonzalez in Crosstown Arts East Gallery.
Opening Reception — STUDIOS
Opening reception for painting, drawings, and digital drawings by Keiko Gonzalez in Crosstown Arts East Gallery.
On view through April 19.
January 2020
Family Workshop: Hang It Up
Drawing inspiration from Akirash’s beautiful hanging sculptures in Asiko: Moments in the East Gallery, participants will use bottles, cans, plastics ,and other recycled items to build their own hanging piece.
December 2019
Family Workshop: Akirash Inspirations
Participants will explore Akirash’s work in Asiko: Moments, on display in the East Gallery, and spend 10-20 minutes sketching their own inspired works based on the exhibit.
Afterward, participants will finish their work with acrylic paint in the East Atrium.
All supplies/materials provided. Free and open to the public (children under 12 must be with an adult), RSVP encouraged at joy@crosstownarts.org.
Artist Talk: Akirash
Crosstown Arts resident artist Olaniyi R. Akindiya Akirash will discuss his work in Asiko: Moments, currently on view in the East Gallery.
Free and open to the public. RSVP encouraged at joy@crosstownarts.org.
After-School Workshop: Exploring Akirash
Students will study a piece from Akirash’s work in Asiko: Moments, on display in the East Gallery. Then they’ll sketch inside his gallery exhibit.
Afterward, in the East Atrium, students will finish their work with acrylic paint. They will do this for three weeks, completing 2-3 works, which will be displayed in a pop-up gallery during the final week (December 15-20).
This three-part workshop will be held on December 3, 10, and 17. This workshop is for students in the 8th-12th grades.
November 2019
Olaniyi R. Akindiya Akirash: Asiko — Moments
New work by Crosstown Arts resident artist Olaniyi R. Akindiya Akirash. This exhibition looks deep into the immigration issues that plague our society. It has become a big bone that has stuck in our throat, difficult to chew or swallow. It is a nightmarish, poisonous trauma that has stained our history forever.
Opening Reception for Olaniyi R. Akindiya Akirash: Asiko — Moments
Opening reception for new work by Crosstown Arts resident artist Olaniyi R. Akindiya Akirash. This exhibition looks deep into the immigration issues that plague our society. It has become a big bone that has stuck in our throat, difficult to chew or swallow. It is a nightmarish, poisonous trauma that has stained our history forever.
August 2019
Jia Wang: Residual Imprint
Join us for an exhibition of new work by Jia Wang. Jia’s work explores the traumatic memories that are prevalent in a family. Examining and displaying how trauma is revealed through complex family relationships and how it alters an individual and a family’s identity when visualized. Her work addresses both a personal and cultural perspectives, through site-specific installation comprised of video, collage, and photographic images.
Opening Reception — Jia Wang: Residual Imprint
Join us for an opening reception of new work by Jia Wang. On view through Oct. 20.
May 2019
Opening Reception: BLUE
Opening reception for a regional quilt challenge in conjunction with Stitched: The Art of Quilting. Artists were asked to design traditional, modern or art-focused quilts.
These range from appliquéd, pieced, collaged, fused, engineered, hand- or machine-stitched, 3-D, painted, sculpted, and any variation in between. The only thing they have in common: 3 layers and stitching.
February 2019
Opening Reception for Recent Acquisitions: Friends of the Brooks Museum of Art
Opening reception for a group exhibition curated by Lester Merriweather.
Recent Acquisitions: Friends of the Brooks Museum of Art
Group exhibition curated by Lester Merriweather.
January 2019
Brick Fiction Artist Talk
Artist Carrie Rubinstein will discuss her work on view in her solo exhibition, Brick Fiction, which runs through January 27.
December 2018
Brick Fiction Opening Reception
Opening reception for a solo exhibition of work by Carrie Rubinstein
November 2018
Call to Artists: Homeward Bound
Open call to all artists to address the complex theme of “home.” All mediums encouraged, painting, photography, performance, sculpture, mixed media, video, and sound. Submission deadline: November 24
September 2018
Opening Reception for Wish Book: Lay of the Land with John Pearson
Exhibition of photographic works by John Pearson
On view: Sept. 21-Nov. 30
Location: East Gallery & East Atrium
These large-scale, landscape cyanotypes on fabric link the tactile and the visual by committing the photographic process to the physical landscape. Pearson works outdoors on the ground, making 1:1 indexical photographic prints during midday sunlight. In these photographs, view is replaced by elemental record; while the horizon, removed from the composition, becomes the topographic support and source for construction of the images.
Pearson’s intention is not to convey the solely visual appearance of place — in this case, the arid southern California landscape — but rather to invoke a more dynamic experience of place by means of the transformative nature of photography.
Artist Talk with John Pearson
Artist John Pearson will discuss his work in Wish Book: Lay of the Land.
Wish Book: Lay of the Land with John Pearson
Exhibition of photographic works by John Pearson
Opening reception: Friday, Sept. 21, 6-8 pm
On view: Sept. 21-Nov. 30
Location: East Gallery & East Atrium
These large-scale, landscape cyanotypes on fabric link the tactile and the visual by committing the photographic process to the physical landscape. Pearson works outdoors on the ground, making 1:1 indexical photographic prints during midday sunlight. In these photographs, view is replaced by elemental record; while the horizon, removed from the composition, becomes the topographic support and source for construction of the images.
Pearson’s intention is not to convey the solely visual appearance of place — in this case, the arid southern California landscape — but rather to invoke a more dynamic experience of place by means of the transformative nature of photography.
July 2018
Frances Berry & Jenny Fine: Tunnel Vision — Opening Reception
Opening reception for Tunnel Vision, a collaborative installation by Frances Berry and Jenny Fine
On view through September 2
Frances Berry & Jenny Fine: Tunnel Vision
A collaborative installation by Frances Berry and Jenny Fine
On view through September 2
Opening reception: Friday, July 27, 7-9:30 pm
May 2018
Goodnight My Love: Closing Reception
Closing reception for Goodnight My Love, an exhibition of photographs from the Ernest Withers collection, including works from Dr. Withers’ vast archive of more than one million negatives that have never been seen by the public.
Books of photography from the exhibition will be sold at the closing reception.
March 2018
Ernest Withers: Goodnight My Love — Opening Reception
An exhibition of photographs from the Ernest Withers collection, including works from Dr. Withers’ vast archive of more than one million negatives that have never been seen by the public.
Ernest Withers: Goodnight My Love
An exhibition of photographs from the Ernest Withers collection, including works from Dr. Withers’ vast archive of more than one million negatives that have never been seen by the public.
January 2018
Two Stories of Iceland: Opening Reception
Opening reception for a narrative exploration of Icelandic stories and landscape in small paintings and drawings by Elizabeth Alley.
Elizabeth Alley: Two Stories of Iceland
A narrative exploration of Icelandic stories and landscape in small paintings and drawings by Elizabeth Alley.
