Travel back in time for a day and explore the wonders of ancient Egypt right here
in Memphis. Write your name in hieroglyphs, color a mask while learning about ancient
Egyptian gods, make your own copy of a real ancient Egyptian amulet, participate in
a “scavenger” hunt, and more.
These are a few of the activities families can experience during IEAA Family Day on
Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Art Museum at the U of M. The event will run from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Visitors may come at any time during the event. All children must be accompanied
by an adult. Admission is free; reservations for groups would be appreciated (call
678-2649).
Guided tours of the Egyptian exhibition at the Art Museum, including the opportunity
to see objects usually not on view, will be available.
The popular “School for Scribes” will be offered again this year. In an intensive
one-hour session, older children and adults will learn about the ancient Egyptian
language, including the Rosetta Stone and how the ancient Egyptian language was rediscovered.
Scribes must be 10 years of age or older. Enrollment is limited. (Call 678-2649 to
reserve a place.)
Designed to introduce children to the art and culture of ancient Egypt in a fun, safe
and creative environment, the event is sponsored by the University’s Institute of
Egyptian Art and Archaeology, a Tennessee Center of Excellence. The IEAA and the Art
Museum maintain the largest public collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the
Mid-South.
THOSE WHO CAN: A BFA Art Education Exhibition
February 19th - March 13th
Opening Reception: Thursday February 19th 5:00PM-7:00PM
Education exhibition featuring work by:
Jessica Kostic Kendra Gaten Hanna Wroblewski Nicole Miller Ellery Nief
University of Memphis Department of Art Art and Communications Building 3715 Central Ave. Memphis, TN, 38152
Parking: There is a parking garage that is accessible to the disabled located on Innovation
Drive across from the FedEx Building and directly behind the Art and Communications
Building.
Currently, parking is $2.00 per hour.
For more information, please call the office of the Department of Art at 901-678-2216.
Cedar Nordbye On His Current Projects
In November of 2014 I carried out a project, "Partnership House" in Lexington, Kentucky with adjunct
instructor, Juan Rojo. Juan and I built a free-standing house/chapel structure out
of painted and printed lumber in an empty lot in a transitioning neighborhood near
the Lexington Art League. The Art League hosted our project as part of their series,
"Interstruct," curated by Becky Alley. That lumber will be used in the construction
of a Habitat home this coming spring.
This coming July I will carry out the third and largest manifestation of this body of work so far
for an exhibition of my work in the Contemporary Art Gallery at South Eastern Louisiana
State University in Monroe, Louisiana. U of M alum, Jeff Mickey (2006 MFA) is a professor
of sculpture at SELSU.
On February 13th a printmaking exhibition that I have organized, "Rust-City Revival" will be shown
at Crosstown Arts. The show will include prints from artists in Ohio, West Virginia,
Illinois, Indiana, and Memphis (among other locations). In addition to two suites
of prints by Midwestern artists this show will include several of my prints and prints
by current University of Memphis graduate students in printmaking, Rowdy Davis and
Holt Brasher.
A week later on February 20 I will participate in the Groundbreaking ceremonies of the Crosstown Arts renovation
of the Sears Building on North Cleveland. I am one of approximately ten local artists
who are creating relief sculpture-tiles which will be cast in iron at the groundbreaking,
The tiles will be poured using the iron of salvaged radiators which will be taken
from the building and melted.
On March 27th I will be presenting a paper, "Joseph Albers’ Tiananmen Square" at the biannual conference
of FATE (Foundations in Art Theory and Education) in Indianapolis, IN. This paper
will examine how art faculty can address the crisis in current higher education, a
crisis where audit-culture business-model oriented systems of accounting are imposed
upon institutions of higher learning.
April 8th and 9th I will be a visiting artist at Austin Peay State University where I will conduct
critiques of student work and deliver a lecture on my art. The Art Department at Austin
Peay now includes CCFA alumna Rachel Bush as faculty in Graphic Design. Rachel graduated
from our MFA program in Graphic Design this past year.
On April 10th I will be displaying an installation at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Memphis as
part of curator Jason Miller's second exhibition there, Circuitous Succession Epilogue
Part II. My installation will incorporate printmaking and sculpture and an existing
mural and also will feature video interviews of members of the Scottish Rite projected
onto the installation.
May 27th I will be presenting a performance art piece at the Dixon Museum entitled "The Artist
is Present and Tense." This performance will combine carpentry and wooden sculpture
with dialogue and argument to play with the parallels between the way we rethink our
world-view and how we remodel a home or a museum. The performance will focus on issues
central to the formation of community, issues of otherness, exclusion, friendship,
and antagonism.
14,000 - An Installation by Artist Jill Horne
Presented by the Box Gallery
By using everyday objects found in a house, Horne creates environments that engage
and transport an audience into scenic and ethereal worlds.
Influenced by her background in technical theatre, Horne constructs environments her
viewers can interact with, much like actors utilize sets and props.
Reception: Friday, January 23rd 5:00- 7:00PM Exhibition will run: January 23rd - February 13th Box Gallery is the student-run gallery at the University of Memphis, and is located
in the Arts and Communication Building, 3715 Central Ave, Room 100
The Art and Communications Building is located at 3715 Central Ave. It is located
on the south side of Central, directly across the street from the Holiday Inn. Parking
for visitors is available on the north side of Central at metered spaces in the Central
lot. Cost is $2.00 per hour. Ticketed parking is available in the Fogelman/Deloach garage, (which is accessible
to the disabled) for $2.00 per hour. The garage is located south of Central Avenue
off of Innovation Drive. The garage is directly behind the Art and Communication Building.
University of Memphis Department of Art Art and Communications Building 3715 Central Ave. Memphis, TN, 38152
For more information, please call the office of the Department of Art at 901-678-2216.
Warren Lehrer Multimedia Performance/Reading
Warren Lehrer is a writer, designer and multimedia artist recognized as a pioneer
in the fields of visual literature and design authorship. His books (listed on Amazon.com
and Designers & Books.com) and projects have received many awards. His work has been
exhibited widely and is in many collections including MOMA, LA County Museum, The
Getty Museum, Georges Pompidou Centre and Tate Gallery. Lehrer is a professor at the
School of Art+Design at Purchase College, SUNY, and a founding member of the Design
As Author graduate program at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He received his BA
from Queens College, CUNY, and an MFA from Yale University.
“In A Life In Books, author and graphic design visionary Warren Lehrer crafts a vivid
kaleidoscopic odyssey that frames one man’s life through not one, but one hundred
different books—and book jackets.” Jessica Helfand, founding editor of Design Observer
. . .
When: January 21st at 7pm Where: University of Memphis Rose Theater
James Luna - "Perfomagraphic"
When: January 20th - March 6th Where: The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art Reception: Friday January 23rd at 5pm
Artist talk to follow reception at 7pm in ACB 310
Nigel Strudwick, Egyptologist, University of Memphis will present a talk at Brooks
Museum of Art
"From the Nile to the Mississippi: Memphis in Egypt and its Animal Mummies"
Most citizens of Memphis know that our city gets its name from the ancient capital
of Egypt. But how much do they know about ancient Memphis and its huge necropolis,
Saqqara? It seems fitting to close Soulful Creatures with a look at the ancient sites, which also conveniently have produced thousands
or millions of the mummified types of animals which have been on display at the Brooks.
. . .
When: Sunday, January 18 at 2pm Where: Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Included with museum admission/Free for Brooks members
The University of Memphis BFA Show will take place at The Martha and Robert Fogelman
Galleries of Contemporary Art. Join us for the opening reception Friday, December
5th, 5-8pm.
. . .
When: November 24th – December 9th Where: The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art Reception: Friday, December 5th, 2014 ( 5:00 - 8:00PM ) Exhibiting Artists Talks: December 3rd, 6:00 pm Art and Communication Building, Room 310
BigManJapan: a solo exhibition of new work by artist John Vincent Burrell
Burrell's recent work deals with multiple hot topics; discrimination, identity, culture,
and loneliness. The conceptual basis of this show began during his time studying in
Japan. There, he was confronted by more than just the average culture shock but blatant
ostracism due to his size and skin color. During this tumultuous experience, John
was able to harness the emotional power of hurt, confusion, and rejection by channeling
them into his love of art. Thus, manifesting his pain into an exhibition that brings
discussion and resolution to a real-life culture clash.
. . .
When: December 1st - December 19th Where: Box Gallery
Box Gallery is the student-run gallery at the University of Memphis, and is located
in the Arts and Communication Building, 3715 Central Ave, Room 100
Graphic Design Senior Show
When: December 11/ 6-8pm Where: Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art
The University of Memphis BFA Show will take place at The Martha and Robert Fogelman
Galleries of Contemporary Art in November. Join us for the opening reception Friday,
November 14th, 5-8pm.
. . .
When: November 10 - November 20 Where: The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art
Opening Reception: Friday November 14th, 2014 | 5:00 - 8:00
Exhibiting Artists Talks: November 19th | 6:00pm Art and Communications Building, Room 310
Art History Faculty Talks
The Art History faculty are pleased to announce the second of our talks this semester,
this time by our Hohenberg CoE Celeste Bernier.
'Save Our Souls, Save Our Struggle’. Mapping A History of Black British Art in the
African Diaspora
. . .
When: Tuesday 18 November, 12 noon Where: ACB 257
As many will have classes at 1, we will start promptly at noon, and the talk will
run for 30 mins, to allow time for discussion.
Ciao Bella Italia!
Study Abroad information meeting
Digital Photography and Art Education in Italy, Summer 2015
. . .
When: November 18 Where: Meeman Journalism, room 204
Sculptor Greely Myatt to visit Edinboro University November 12-13
Edinboro, Pa. – Nov. 4, 2014 – Artist Greely Myatt, will visit Edinboro on Wednesday and Thursday, November 12th and 13th, 2014 and will present an artist talk, student critique and a professional practices
discussion. All three events are free and open to the public.
In a recent review of Myatt’s current work, critic Fredric Koeppel notes that “Greely
Myatt has built a career as an artist on exploring, in ways that include implied narrative,
humor and deep borrowing from popular culture, the conjunctions and differences among
thought, speech and action.” Myatt’s sculptures of thought-bubbles, exclamation points
and other punctuation marks are carved from soap-stone or fabricated from cedar, wax,
aluminum and linoleum. Koeppel describes Myatt as a “sculptor of great ingenuity,
geniality, wit and material dexterity.”
Born and educated in Mississippi, Myatt lives and works in Memphis, Tennessee, where
he is Professor of Art at The University of Memphis. Myatt’s sculptures and installations
have been exhibited across the United States, Europe and Japan and honored with several
grants and fellowships. Represented by the Sandler Hudson Gallery in Atlanta and the
David Lusk Gallery in Memphis, Myatt’s work has been reviewed in Art in America, ArtNews, Sculpture Magazine and in online versions of ArtForum and Juxtapoz Magazine.
While visiting Edinboro University of PA, Greely Myatt will:
- Give a 90 minute Artist Talk on his work and experience at 7:30 PM on Thursday, November 13th at the Doucette Hall 119.
- conduct a one hour critique of student work on Thursday, November 13th in Loveland Hall 01 and/or the Sculpture Barn.
- present a 30-60-minute Professional Practices Discussion on his experience in the field on Wednesday, November 12th at the Loveland Hall Sculpture Barn at 7:30pm.
Myatt’s visit to Edinboro has been organized by the Student Art League, Sculpture,
Fibers and Expanded Media, and Critique Clubs, and funded by the Edinboro University
of PA Student Government Association (EUPSGA.)
Thomas Allen Harris Lecture
Thomas Allen Harris is the founder and President of Chimpanzee Productions a company
dedicated to producing unique audio-visual experiences that illuminate the Human Condition
and the search for identity, family, and spirituality. Chimpanzee’s innovative and
award-winning films have received critical acclaim at International film festivals
such as Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, FESPACO, Outfest, Flaherty and Cape Town and have
been broadcast on PBS, the Sundance Channel, ARTE, as well as CBC, Swedish Broadcasting
Network and New Zealand Television. In addition, Harris’ videos and installations
have been featured at prestigious museums and galleries including the Museum of Modern
Art, Whitney Biennial, Corcoran Gallery, Reina Sophia, London Institute of the Arts
and the Gwangju Biennale.
The evening is hosted by Dr. Marina Levina, Professor of Communications at the University
of Memphis. Peculiar presentations and creepy conversations about all things that
go bump in pop culture.
PechaKucha began in Tokyo as an opportunity for artists, designers and architects
to show samples of their work in a "20x20" presentation style (showing 20 slides for
only 20 seconds per slide for concise, dynamic presentation). Over the last 9 years,
PechaKucha Nights have expanded globally to become fun, informal events sharing a
wide array of interesting topics. Learn more here.
Todd Richardson Talks About Crosstown Arts on the Creative Memphis Podcast
Hear how it all came together and what Todd's experience has been like here.
Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series: Hamlet Dobbins
A native of Tennessee, Hamlett Dobbins spent most of his life in Memphis. He received his BFA from the University of Memphis
in 1993 and went on to receive his MA and MFA from the University of Iowa in Iowa
City. After completing his graduate studies, Dobbins moved to Memphis where he worked
as a curator for Delta Axis at Marshall Arts while teaching at University of Memphis,
University of Mississippi, and at Memphis College of Art. In 2000 he received a fellowship
for a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont as well as a three
month residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art in Omaha, Nebraska. He has
received grants from the Pollock Krasner Foundation as well as the Tennessee Arts
Commission’s Individual Artists Grant. He has shown his work throughout the region
as well as at Art in General in New York, NP40 in Amsterdam, The American Academy
in Rome, Dogmatic in Chicago, and Lump Gallery in North Carolina. His work has appeared
in New Art Examiner, Art Papers and Number. For the last fifteen years Dobbins has
been active in the art community in Memphis working as a curator, a writer, and a
teacher. In 2013 he was awarded the Rome Prize and spent eleven months at the American
Academy in Rome. He now lives in Memphis with his two children, Milla and Ives.
. . .
When: Thursday, October 30th, 7:00pm Where: Art and Communication Building, Room 310
New faculty member Madsen Minax will be giving a talk about his work on Thursday,
October 23rd, at ACB 257. The event is presented by the Foundations Program and the
Art Department at the University of Memphis.
Madsen has also a couple of upcoming exhibitions in New Orleans and Chicago, where
he will present a program of short, experimental films in response to the exhibition
Body Doubles. The program is copresented by Chicago-based artists Latham Zearfoss and Aay Preston-Myint.
. . .
Artist Talk
When: Thursday, October 23, 11:30am Where: ACB 257
Exhibitions
IMPOSSIBLE ____SCAPES / November 21, 2014 Solo Screening of short videos at Antenna Gallery, New Orleans, LA
MCA SCREEN: Madsen Minax / November 25 Solo Screening of short videos at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
Writing on the Wall (and Cliffs): Recording Ancient Egyptian Graffiti in Western Thebes
A lecture hosted by the Egyptian Institute
The Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology and the History Department at the University
of Memphis will co-host the ninth annual William J. Murnane Memorial Lecture on Friday,
Oct. 10th in the University Center Fountain View Room 350. Dr. Richard Jasnow, Professor
of Egyptology, Department of Near Eastern Studies, Johns Hopkins University, will
present at 7 p.m. A 6:30 p.m. reception precedes the lecture. Both events are free
and open to the public. Pay parking is available in the Zach Curlin garage adjacent
to the University Center.
Professor Jasnow received his BA in Classics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison,
and his PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. A leading specialist in
ancient Egyptian language, particularly of the Late Period (750 BC to AD 450), Dr.
Jasnow is the author of A Late Period Hieratic Wisdom Text and co-author of The Oriental Institute Hawara Papyri and The Ancient Egyptian Book of Thoth. A popular speaker, he makes ancient texts come alive for audiences. As a senior
member of the University of Chicago’s world-renowned Epigraphic Survey, Jasnow, and
his wife, Egyptologist Christina Di Cerbo, began a project to document graffiti in
the temples and hills of Western Thebes (modern Luxor) that records, among other data,
the activities of the workers at the nearby falcon and ibis cults relevant to the
upcoming exhibition, “Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies from Ancient Egypt” opening
at the Memphis Brooks Museum on October 17th. Jasnow will present their research on the significance of these texts as well as
explain the innovative methods of digital epigraphy being used to record them.
. . .
When: October 10 Where: University Center Fountain View Room 350
Cedar Nordbye designed and installed a chalkboard mural that waits to be filled at
the New Hope Cristian Academy. With the shape of a thought bubble, it starts with
a phrase: I see a new hope. Friends and visitors of the school will finish that sentence as they wish. Prof.
Nordbye talked to the students about the mural during the installation.
Born in 1976 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Jered Sprecher currently lives and works in Knoxville,
Tennessee where he teaches at The University of Tennessee. His paintings, drawings,
and installations focus on the fleeting images and objects that surround us. His work
has been exhibited at The Drawing Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Urban Institute
for Contemporary Art, Chinati Foundation, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Nerman Museum
of Contemporary Art, Des Moines Art Center, Hunter Museum of Art, and Espai d'art
Contemporani de Castelló. In 2009, he was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial
Foundation Fellowship. Most recently he was the Artist-in-Residence at the Chinati
Foundation in Marfa, Texas. Sprecher has taught at Princeton University and Cornell
University. He received his BA from Concordia University in Nebraska (1999) and his
MFA from The University of Iowa (2002).
The Art History faculty are pleased to announce that there will be a continuation
of the faculty talks started last year. This semester will consist of presentations
by our new arrivals this year, CoE Celeste Bernier, and Joey Orr.
The talks will be given in the common meeting time and have been arranged to permit
as many faculty and students as possible to attend. We will start promptly at noon,
and the talk will run for 30 mins, to allow time for discussion.
All students and faculty outside the Department of Art are welcome.
. . .
Socially Engaged Memorials: The Question of Form in Research
Faculty Collaborates with Indie Memphis Microcinema Club
Indie Memphis, Crosstown Arts and Centro Cultural Latino de Memphis are proud to exhibit four short form spanish language documentaries from Ambulante Beyond, a documentary production project which seeks to train new producers coming from
various corners of Mexico and Central America who have limited access to the tools
necessary to share their stories with the general public. Ambulante Beyond seeks to encourage independent film production that allows marginalized communities
to reclaim and strengthen their identity, defend their rights, break stereotypes,
and transform negative social assumptions. In addition to strengthening community
organization and participation through the production of independent documentaries,
they seek to promote and exhibit their work to maximize its potential for social change.
They believe it is critical to continue fighting for the democratization of media
and the self-representation of groups typically excluded from the media.
The poster for the event was created by Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Daniel
Wildberger per invitation of the Department of Art Chair, Richard Lou, and the Centro
Cultural Latino de Memphis.
The Art of Science exhibition opens September 26th in the Hyde Gallery at 477 South Main. It features
works from the Department of Art Faculty, Students and Alumni.
and, by Greely Myatt
David Lusk Gallery is pleased to present new work by University of Memphis Professor of Art, Greely
Myatt. The show titled "and" will run through October 11, 2014. The opening reception is from 6-8pm Friday, September
5, 2014
Anna Gorovoy, visiting from Brooklyn, puts her ear to the opening of an untitled piece
in “Outlooks” by Virginia Overton. The sculpture allows for conversation through nearly
500 feet in brass tubing.Credit: Damon Winter/The New York Times
Outdoor spaces around the house have been given over to a show organized by Bob Nickas and Virginia Overtonthat will include works by Sam Anderson, Uri Aran, Lisa Beck, Sarah Braman, Jim Drain,
Wayne Gonzales, Eli Hansen, Charles Harlan, Jim Kanter and Lisa Ward, Servane Mary,
Jason Metcalf, Greely Myatt, Chuck Nanney, Amy O’Neill, Kelly Parr, Ugo Rondinone,
Davina Semo and Aaron Suggs.
Virginia Overton and Aaron Suggs are both MFA Graduates of the University of Memphis
Department of Art.
Undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Bryna Bobick's Art for Children class developed
and taught art activities for The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art's Community Day on
April 26. Each studio art activity was based on the museum's Dali exhibition.
Jody Stokes-Casey
The Department of Art congratulates graduate students Leila Hamdan and Jody Stokes-Casey
for their new positions at the National Civil Rights Museum
Jody Stokes-Casey is an art history graduate student with a concentration in modern
and contemporary art. Her thesis research questioned systems of exclusion in the visual
art communities of Memphis using the Dixon Gallery and Gardens exhibition "Present
Tense: The Art of Memphis, 2001-Now" as a case study. She is also enrolled in the
University of Memphis' Museum Studies Certificate Program and has recently accepted
a position as the Education Coordinator at the National Civil Rights Museum. Among
other tasks and responsibilities in this position, she will be creating educational
programming and materials for students, teachers, and the community.
Leila Hamdan
Leila Hamdan recently completed her thesis titled "Culture and Resistance. Civil Rights
Photography: Memphis, 1968" under the skilled direction of Dr. Earnestine Jenkins
of the Art History program at the University of Memphis. Her degree is a Master of
Arts in Art History with a concentration in the Arts of Africa and African Diaspora
and is accompanied by a Museum Studies Certificate. In graduate school, she was fortunate
to have learned from a multidisciplinary team of professors and specialists from the
Archaeology, Communications, Fine Art, and Library departments along with Art History
and Museum Studies. The combined graduate and certificate programs prepared her to
accept a position as Registrar at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine
Motel just a few days before graduation. Leila is extremely grateful to the University
of Memphis, to her mentor and thesis chair Dr. Jenkins, to committee members Dr. Connolly,
Dr. Coffey, and Mr. Lou, along with many others including Dr. Albertson, Dr. Luebbers,
Lester Merriweather, and Chris Ratliff.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami, presents the work of Virginia
Overton in Flat Rock, a major new large-scale and site-responsive exhibition. Marking
the artist's first solo exhibition at an American museum, "Flat Rock" features both
works from the artist's studio and commissioned sculpture compiled with objects sourced
in the area around the exhibition site to reframe the relationship between work and
environment. Continue Reading >>
Senior thesis collection showcases young creators at University of Memphis
By Fredric Koeppel
The problem with "Longing, Not Loathing," the senior thesis exhibition at the Martha
and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art, is that each of the 10 artists
deserves a separate review. Continue Reading >>
Crosstown Arts is pleased to open "To Frame-To Construct-To Occupy"
A new installation by Memphis artist and University of Memphis associate professor
Cedar Lorca Nordbye. We'll be open 6-9 pm; gallery talk with the artist is at 6:30!
Community Art Academy, Spring 2014
Undergraduate art education majors taught 4th and 5th grade students studio art activities
weekly during the spring semester at Willow Oaks Elementary School. It was a collaborative
service-learning program providing teacher preparation, prior to graduation. University
of Memphis alumi Jami Hooper is the art specialist at Willow Oaks Elementary School
and Dr. Bryna Bobick coordinated the 2014 Community Art Academy.
Patricia V. Podzorski, Ph.D., Curator of Egyptian Art, Live at 9 on WREG Channel 3:
Movie titles by Prof. Wildberger for the film "Limo Ride" had its world premiere at
the Atlanta Film Festival
When a group of friends hired a limousine to take them to the beach for their annual
New Years rite of passage, the last thing they expected was to find themselves kidnapped,
stripped, stranded and left for dead on a dirt road 24 hours later, fighting to survive.
A true tale told by those who lived it, these ten Southern raconteurs are as practiced
in spinning great yarns as they are in hard living. By combining the narration of
the actual participants with feature-length re-enactment, "Limo Ride" transforms the
greatest bar story ever told into a wild, experimental docu-comedy.Atlanta Film Festival
After a stunning credits sequence (seriously, one of the best I've ever seen for an
indie film), Kennedy and Rosentrater throw us head first into this ridonkulously entertaining
tour of debauchery.Filmicability
A great opening credits sequence is the first clue that the film was in the hands
of inventive filmmakers.Reel GA
Willow Park Mural
Lead Artist: Beth Edwards, Professor of Art, University of Memphis Assisted by: Brian Grisham, Amelia Briggs, Melissa Dunn, Paul Miller and April Pierce.
Willow Park is surrounded by an economically and ethnically diverse neighborhood.
The park is comprised of a series of sports fields where soccer, softball and kickball
are played. The park is well utilized, but goal of the mural is to increase people's
involvement with the activities in the park. The images in this mural work on two
levels: primarily the mural affirms the positive, life enhancing qualities of physical
activity; secondly, the mural celebrates nature and the pleasure of being outdoors.
The mural is meant to be inclusive and welcoming and serve as a magnet to bring people
into the park. It is also meant to say to the neighborhood that this space is valued.
The mural was executed over the course of 8 month. Beth Edwards designed and painted
the mural on polytab, a non-woven cloth utilized by many muralists across the country.
Working in this way allows the mural to be painted indoors and then later installed
using adhesives and a sealant. Brian Grisham oversaw the installation. Two current
MFA painting students, Amelia Briggs and April Pierce; recent art department BFA student,
Paul Miller; and local artist, Melissa Dunn, all participated in the painting of the
mural.
Jody Stokes-Casey
Leila Hamdan
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