Memphis Needs Murals!!!!

I just found out about an amazing project currently taking place in Philadelphia. In an effort to clean up a city in decay, filled with vacant tagged buildings and crime, a small group in the city created the Philadelphia Mural Arts Project. It was a way to fill all the vacant wall space and negative tags as well as engage the town and its artists all why beautifying the city as a whole. Currently, the Mural Arts Program (MAP) has produced over 2,700 murals throughout Philadelphia!!!!--more murals than any other city in the world. "These murals have become a cherished part of the civic landscape and a great source of pride and motivation to the millions of residents and visitors who encounter them each year." (muralarts.org)

This is definitely a possibility for Memphis. She too is filled with vacant wall space throughout the city as well as many able bodies artists to take on the job. It would help the community at large take pride in Memphis, making the city safer and more beautiful. It is the most effective and accessible of public art. Memphis should form a MAP Memphis chapter. It's too cool and doable not to happen.

Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art's current exhibition, Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock n' Roll since 1967, was pretty stellar over all. The show explores the dynamic relationship between rock music and visual art. Containing an eclectic body of works dating back to 1967 over all styles and spectrums of visual art, the collection includes a group of peices inspired by The Velvet Underground created by artist Andy Warhol. The collection is large and out of control, with wall installations that canvas floor to cieling and multiple corners at once, psychadelic swirling rooms, rooms filled with giant video screen projections. If you plan to make a stop in Chicago this winter break- put this exhibit on your list of sights to see- for it is quite a sight.

This weekend was jam packed with local art events! Just choosing which one to hit up was painful because it meant neglecting another. Risque plays, film openings, rummage sales for grass-roots artists and groups, shows with music spanning from French Canadian Celtic tunes to local americana-folk-alternative grooves- this weekend had it all. I would like to highlight, however, one in particular- The Rozelle Artists' Guild and their recent activity. This small group of current MCA students and graduates are beginning to see their dreams of a mid-town Artists' Co-Op materialize (through their persistance and hard work of course). The group of young artists headed by Shea Colburn and Lauren Rae Holtermann set eyes on a derelict 6,500-square-foot vacant warehouse at the corner of Evelyn and Rozelle in Cooper-Young just begging to be used. They believe that the co-op would serve as a place where any kind of artist, from musicians to architects to dancers, could live, provided they were willing to give back to the community. This is a noble and impressive deed, and they're serious about it. This weekend's rummage sale was one of the many ways the group has chosen to fundraise, along with looking into potential grants that could help the group in their community arts project. Hats off to their unstoppable fiery spirit and keep doing what you're doing!

Where are all the kids!!??

Memphis River City Art Fest this weekend was a great way to get outside and enjoy traditional carnival food and outdoor family-friendly music whilst taking a peek at Memphis's commercial art scene. All in all, the event was just an excuse for people to be outside on one of the few sunny days we've had since we hit october. As for the art itself, it just wasn't much to behold. Every painting and sculpture looked as if it were designed to match the living room couch and carpet, or a kitch lawn piece you would expect to find in any old country home. Not much better can be said for the Jewelry vendors either.
Besides being unenthused with all of the mostly mediocre work, I could not stop wondering where the younger/student artist's booths were. Why wasn't there a section for them to showcase their latest pieces?! I'm sure that would have been much more interesting, or at least more inspirational anyway- the elderly and glim looking vendors at the rest of the booths seemed only to see their work as potential profit. This addition would surely have helped broken up the homogenity of the whole affair and brought a bit more spunk to the day as well.
This weekend's void highlighted the larger problem at hand. In order for a community to foster a strong culture of the arts, younger artists must be part of the cultivation and showcasing process as well as the more established ones. Why didn't the town offer student vending booths at a lower price (understanding that they would most likely not sell as much work) to encourgage younger local participants? All I'm saying is the whole artist community should always be considered in projects to enrich the arts in a community and until memphians understand that, memphis will remain a weak link in art world.

The Importance of Being Ernest?

To be perfectly ernest, Germantown Community Theatre's The Importance of Being Ernest is not worth the money or the drive for local mid-towners. Although a few of the actors were very convincing in their roles- both in mastering the essential british accent and achieving their character's eccentricities, for the most part, the cast's accents collectively were unbearable and line deliverey was often poor. These two faults took a toll on the production, especially because this Oscar Wilde romantic british comedy relies almost solely on subtle and witty remarks and the quaint rigidity of the englsih culture- of which the cast failed to hone. In the end, after giving up on the production's many shortcomings, I would say the show was at least mildly entertaining and made clever use of the tight space- with rotating set pieces that kept up with the various locations. I will admit GCT made a valiant effort, but I would still not recommend this play to anyone living farther than ten miles from the theatre with anything else to do with their weekend.

A Dhoad Gypsy Extravaganza

Rajasthani folk music and dancing paired with daring stunts kept every guest at the Buckman Fine Arts Center on the edge of thier seats last saturday. The colorful group introduced extraoridnary eastern instruments such as the Indian Castanets and the Jew's Harp, which Bharti, the group's leader, dubbed a "pocket size indian sythesizer". No bigger than a cell phone, the small piece spurtted out boinging vibrations. As the gypsies played on that night, I felt restricted by my seat and the rows of seated people around me. The gypsies continuously signaled the viewers the clap along with the indian beats as the dancer interacted with the musicians and the swayed to the music. It was clear that the American crowd was not accustomed to so much participation. On the other hand, the gypsies themselves seemed unaccustomed to such a passive audience. I realized that terms "audience" and "performer" are one entity in indian culture. By the end of the evening the viewers seemed to catch the gypsie's and their culture's uncontainable energy. The room boomed with clapping hands and dancing feet as Bharti and his group members stood chanting and banging passionate beats on their tablas and other precussive intsruments. This evening gave any guest a small taste of how rich this middle eastern culture really is. A cross-cultural experiences such as this was not only entertaining but an incredibly broadening experience as well.

SATURDAY NIGHT SALSA!!

Maybe Memphis is better known for its Rock'n Roll and Blues legacies but that certainly doesn't mean that latin grooves aren't anywhere to be found in this town. On the cache corner of 111 Jackson Ave. High Poin Cafe is the host of free saturday night salsa lessons and late night latin grooves on the bar's dance floor. Why any restless-and not to mention, poor- college kid wouldn't spend a saturday night here I do not understand. Are there any other deals like this near midtown? Other dance styles perhaphs? If not, there should be! A local bar could undoubtedly increases its weekend revenue, help easily bring in crowds to fill the room, and give you and your visitores another thing to hype up about the joint. Not to mention any dance companies that offer this deal get the opportunity for client raising plugs. I know- other events like this go on in memphis every so often- i.e. The Gibson Lounge's Techno bash etc., but in other cities such as Chicago, free (or otherwise ridiculously cheap) indoor and outdoor dance lessons are standard and under everyone's radar. This weekend my group was the only representative from the 19-25 yr. age group. This needs to change!

Last weekend'ss ballet, "Momentum", was not to be missed! The contemporary dance group performed in the swanky Gibson Lounge in front of a a hundred or so memphians. Extra space was scarce but it only made for a more intimate setting-no chair was more than 20 feet from the modest stage. At first, the closeness of everything (the bar and buffet to the spectators, the back stage to the spectators, and sardined viewers themselves) and poorly projected Eric Clapton album that kicked off the set distracted from the dancers on stage. But ask me a song or two later and I would have been too busy being wowed by Kendall Britt and Nicole Corea's spicy moves. Later classical adaptations of Radiohead songs and bold moves to cliche 80's tracks kept the night interesting to say the least. All in all, the dancers did well with the tight space, kicking the season off with the kind of energy that the show's title suggests.

Center for Southern Folklore's (CSF) celebration of regional music as cultural heritage took place down on Main St. this Labor Day weekend. It was the perfect excuse to enjoy some of what Memphis does best- that is, MUSIC, of course- outdoors in the slightly cooler evening breeze. This wonderful festival just around the corner from Beale showcased Latin beats, Gospel, Old time Rockabilly, Blues, Jazz, Rap, good old Memphis Garage Rock, and any other musical genre imaginable all for the price of your car ride there (if you drove). Without ticket sales to worry over, the festival was able to cover as much ground as CSF wanted. The strip featured five stages complete with a Jerry Lee Louis look-alike pounding away at the keys and an old American cowboy strummin' on another corner. Puerto Rican bongo players even got me dancing by the end of the night. It was easy to get lost in a summer daze in this oasis of tunes. Definitely a Labor Day evening well spent with Memphis's oldest and truest commodity.

Alright all you young Memphians. As small an attempt as this may seem, I have created this humble blog to make damn sure you know that there's almost NEVER an excuse for an evening without art in this burgeoning soul city. Whether its going to a concert, festival, art opening, or starting your own graffiti-mural-ing team- the outlets for artistic stimulations are endless. On this virtual wall I'll share the kinds of things I've been up to as well as the things I'd like to "be up to"- and so should you. There's too much potential and too many creativos in this budding city for a breath without art!