{"id":1067,"date":"2018-02-15T12:49:59","date_gmt":"2018-02-15T18:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2026-05-12T07:48:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:48:57","slug":"tap-local-art-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/arts\/tap-local-art-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"Tap into the Local Art Scene!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Looking for something fun to do on Friday nights? Hit the art galleries! Friday nights are big nights for openings, especially the first Friday of the month. Typically, they are from 6-8pm, so you can still do something else after, or get a good night\u2019s sleep\u2014whichever you prefer.<\/p>\n

Openings are basically big parties. There\u2019s sure to be a crowd, odds are you can meet the artist(s), and at the very least you\u2019ll get a free drink. If you miss the opening, no big deal \u2013 shows typically run anywhere from two days to a month. Visit during normal gallery hours when you can view the work in more serene conditions and possibly discuss the work with the curator.<\/p>\n

The best nights are when there are so many openings that you have to make a plan of attack in order to see them all.<\/p>\n

Want to know the best way to get in the loop on local art openings? Elizabeth Alley, whose \u201cTwo Stories of Iceland\u201d was on display at Crosstown Arts, says that The Memphis Flyer<\/em> has always been good about listing art openings, but these days she primarily uses Facebook. \u201cI make sure to follow the \u2018main\u2019 galleries in town \u2013 L Ross, David Lusk, Jay Etkin, Crosstown Arts, plus schools \u2013 U of M has two galleries, and CBU, and Rhodes all have galleries,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Alex Paulus, another local artist, says, \u201cThe best places to go are David Lusk and Crosstown Arts. I think those are the some of best galleries in Memphis right now. They’re showing really interesting work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alley believes that it\u2019s important for both artists and non-artists to go to shows. \u201cIf you are an artist, it is important to go to see what other artists are up to. There is a lot to learn from seeing a gallery show \u2013 are there local trends? How is this artist choosing to display their sculpture\/drawing\/installation? It is also a great way to meet other artists \u2013 there are so many artists in town that I know because I met them at an art opening,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

If you are not an artist, Alleys says it is important to go to show your support for artists and local art. \u201cAnd you can learn things and meet artists, too! Ideally you will buy something, plus there is usually free wine,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Alley\u2019s primer on what to do once you are there:<\/p>\n

Enter the gallery, do a quick survey of the room, then choose a place to start. Look at the art, but don\u2019t fret about studying it (art openings are for socializing as much as they are for learning something, and often people are standing in the way of the art anyway). Make your way to the wine, relax, look at the price list. Drink more wine, buy something.<\/p>\n

Buying local art is a great investment. Often, galleries will do payment plans so don\u2019t be shy if there\u2019s something that you really love but cannot afford all at once. Most galleries do get a percentage of the selling price. However, artists who show at Crosstown Arts keep 100% of their proceeds.<\/p>\n

Alley also encourages visitors to say something to the artist if they see them. \u201cWe want to hear from you and part of our job requirement is to be able to talk about our art,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Many galleries like Lusk and L Ross will schedule artist talks with the artists currently on display, so you can hear even more about their work. These talks are generally the second Saturday after the opening, but that can vary.<\/p>\n

Familiarize yourself with the following galleries, follow them on Facebook, and watch your Fridays fill up!<\/p>\n

Galleries<\/h2>\n

Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM)\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Beverly and Sam Ross Gallery (Christian Brothers University)<\/a><\/p>\n

Clough Hanson (Rhodes College)<\/a><\/p>\n

Crosstown Arts<\/a><\/p>\n

David Lusk<\/a><\/p>\n

Dixon Gallery & Gardens<\/a><\/p>\n

Jay Etkin<\/a><\/p>\n

L Ross<\/a><\/p>\n

The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art<\/a><\/p>\n

TONE<\/p>\n

Tops Gallery\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Sheetcake Gallery<\/a><\/p>\n

You might also be interested in: Innovation in Memphis: Spotlight on Unique Business Ideas<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking for something fun to do on Friday nights? Hit the art galleries! Friday nights are big nights for openings, especially the first Friday of the month. Typically, they are from 6-8pm, so you can still do something else after, or get a good night\u2019s sleep\u2014whichever you prefer. Openings are basically big parties. There\u2019s sure…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":24614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[5197,5427,5336,5428,5413,5164],"class_list":["post-1067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","tag-art-for-all","tag-arts-culture","tag-memphis-art","tag-memphis-artist","tag-memphis-galleries","tag-memphis-museums"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Best of Memphis Art: Explore the Local Art Scene - We Are Memphis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Immerse yourself in Memphis' vibrant art scene and discover the city's best galleries, museums, and public art installations.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/arts\/tap-local-art-scene\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tap into the Local Art Scene!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Immerse yourself in Memphis' vibrant art scene and discover the city's best galleries, museums, and public art installations.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/play\/arts\/tap-local-art-scene\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"We Are Memphis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wearememphis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-15T18:49:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-12T12:48:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wearememphis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IMG_8374-scaled-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1210\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stacey Greenberg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@wearememphistn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@wearememphistn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stacey Greenberg\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/arts\\\/tap-local-art-scene\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/arts\\\/tap-local-art-scene\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stacey Greenberg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13763fc55d6c3ce95fd4029d0f02ae41\"},\"headline\":\"Tap into the Local Art Scene!\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-02-15T18:49:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-12T12:48:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/arts\\\/tap-local-art-scene\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":695,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/arts\\\/tap-local-art-scene\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/IMG_8374-scaled-1.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"art for all\",\"Arts & Culture\",\"memphis art\",\"Memphis Artist\",\"Memphis Galleries\",\"Memphis museums\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Arts\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/arts\\\/tap-local-art-scene\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/arts\\\/tap-local-art-scene\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wearememphis.com\\\/play\\\/arts\\\/tap-local-art-scene\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Best of Memphis Art: Explore the Local Art Scene - 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