by Judith Dierkes
Gold Standard Part I #18 (Fruit Bowl), 2012. Photo courtesy of Jim Escalante. The Gold Standard #18 Fruit Bowl with Assorted Fruit. Fruit bowl thrown by Walter Brown. Assorted fruit from Whole Foods. Total Cost $221. London PM fixed rate on gold. 4/5/2010 $1159/oz..Value in pure (24k) gold: 0.19 oz Value in 18k gold: 0.26/oz. Weight of gold in artwork: 0.26oz
Regional Update: Memphis
With the dog days of summer in full swing I am looking forward to the fall. The many college galleries enhance the art scene in Memphis. The 2018-2019 exhibition schedule at Christian Brothers University’s Beverly & Sam Ross Gallery is the first one influenced by director Cat Peña; while she started last year, that season of shows was already set. This year there was a call for exhibit proposals, which I don’t recall happening in the past. The resulting lineup looks like a refreshing change for the gallery: It’s not personal by Katie Hargrave and Gustavo Plascencia’s Earth Ruminations run from August 17 to September 19. The Art Museum of the University of Memphis begins its fall semester with Consuming Passions II, A Collection of Collections. Theshow runs August 19 through October 6 and comes twenty-five years after the museum’s first Consuming Passions exhibition showcased local and regional collections drawn from various pursuits of hobbyists and citizen-scholars.
In September, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art hasFrederico Uribe starting his Rotunda Project, Jaume Plensa’s Talking Continents with steel floating cloud-like shapes, and Julien de Casabianca’s Outings Project as the next installation in the Brooks Outside series. Julien will install work beyond the museum and into the streets. Visions of Hawai’i, images by Georgia O’Keeffe, will open at the Brooks Museum on December 1. The Metal Museum will feature Master Metalsmith: Lisa Gralnick fromSeptember 30, 2018 to January 13, 2019 with an opening reception on September 30 from 4 to 6 PM. The show includes jewelry from Lisa’s most well-known series, The Gold Standard, and a new installation series called Scene of the Crime.
The South Main Artspace Lofts hosts its grand opening Thursday, November 8 from 4 to 7 PM. This exciting addition to the downtown art scene has just a few more live/work units designed for artists and their families left. Artup recently hosted an open house and reception for Paul Thomas and his installation entitled Imagined and Real: Thread of Life in their new space on ArtSpace’s first floor. He will fill the exhibition space with a different installation for the grand opening on November 8. In addition to exhibition space, the South Main Artspace Lofts facility has a meeting area available to tenants. Located just off South Main, the building extends the art district that hosts events on the last Friday of every month.
Finally, September is slated for the opening of a project by Cat and Nick Peña and Eric Clausen call Wonder/Cowork/Create. It is coworking space hub for creatives located in the Edge District near the old Wonder Bread factory. Visit wondercc.org for application information and links to their Facebook page and GoFundMe site.
Author: Judith Dierkes is a visual artist living in Memphis. Her social practice includes biking the city with an art trailer, Lil’ Kernel, when she needs to carry large loads.