Memphis Art Galleries, Museums, Supplies & More

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We are all about to dive deep into everything about art in Memphis and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.

Up next we will discuss a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.

If you are searching for any specific section you can jump straight to it by using the table of contents on the left and we will also be sharing a Memphis art map with all of the various venues we mention throughout the post pinned on it.

The Southeast is an area that we have written about many times before.

Best Art Galleries & Museums In Memphis

If you want to check out the best art galleries and museums in Memphis you can head to:

The Brooks Museum of Art is open mid day Wednesday through Sunday as one of the greatest art museums in the American South with a remarkable collection of art from antiquity to the present day. The Brooks is a bustling cultural complex in the historic Overton Park that includes 29 galleries, two art schools, a print study room, a research library, and a professional theatre with state-of-the-art audio visual technology in your area.

The Dixon Gallery and Gardens is open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and from 1pm on Sunday and was founded in 1976 by Hugo and Margaret Dixon as a fine art museum and public garden known for its broad and creative arts and horticultural activities. The Dixon has a permanent collection of nearly 2,000 artifacts including Impressionist paintings by French and American artists as well as major collections of German, Chinese, and English. Every year the museum prepares and presents eight to ten exhibitions with a wide range of topics that appeal to visitors of all ages.

A contemporary art gallery with sites in the two biggest cities in Tennessee is the David Lusk Gallery which is open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Friday and from 11am on Saturday and was formed in 1995 representing a small group of exceptional artists.

In 1979 the Metal Museum opened its doors to the general public and the campus now includes galleries, a blacksmith shop, the Lawler Foundry, a library, sculpture gardens, and a gazebo all with views of the Mississippi River. Head over from 11am to 5pm every day but Monday when they are closed.

L Ross Gallery opens at 11am Wednesday through Saturday and is a modern fine art gallery that represents a wide range of current artists as paintings, pottery, kilnformed glass, bronze sculptures, and mixed media pieces are among the works on exhibit.

First opening its doors in October of 2012 the main gallery near you at Tops is in the basement of 400 South Front Street with Huling Avenue as its entrance. Tops erected a vitrine-like exhibit in the new Madison Avenue Park in April of 2017 where the area is illuminated and accessible 24 hours a day.

The University of Memphis Art Museum (AMUM) is a visual arts and culture museum that is open from 9am to 5pm every day but Sunday when they are closed as a resource and laboratory for the study, interpretation, and presentation of the visual arts as well as the dissemination of artistic academic research for the University and its vicinity. It now contains Egyptian antiquities, African art based on tradition, and modern prints and drawings.

The Jay Etkin Gallery is open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday specializing in contemporary and ethnographic art made by modern artists from across the world as well as antique African tribal art.

Arevu Gallery is dedicated to delivering culturally relevant exhibits, programs, and curated experiences that promote cross-cultural discussion and the work of African and Diaspora artists.

In 2016 Orange Mound Gallery (OMG) which was once a liquor shop opened its doors and today it features a wide range of creative genres including visual arts, music, and theatre while being an ArtUp program.

Materials & Supplies Near You

These art stores in your area should have all of the materials and supplies you need:

There’s something for everyone among the brushes, paints, canvases, and accessories assortment of pencils, pens, papers, and more at Art Center who stocks the most well-known and well-respected brand names so you can obtain what you need right away.

Summer Avenue Art & Clay is a local source for potters, art instructors, and hobbyists looking for clay and clay materials.

We doubt we need to tell you what the chain store Michael’s is all about.

Me & Mrs Jones is a home decor store and working/teaching studio that specializes in outfitting you for home renovations including painted furniture, walls, floors, and cabinets along with stenciling, gilding, and other decorations.

Shows & Events

Some of the top local art shows and events would be:

The RiverArtsFest is a street celebration of fine arts and fine local music with live artist demonstrations and hands-on art activities for all ages. More than 180 artists from your area and around the country gather to exhibit and sell their latest works of original fine arts in what’s become the largest outdoor juried artist market and urban street festival in the Mid-South.

Join thousands of jazz fans from across the world as they come to the city for the Bluff City Jazz Festival which takes place every year on the final weekend of May.

The Cooper-Young Festival is Memphis’ most anticipated outdoor event, presented by the Cooper-Young Business Association (CYBA) and it has expanded enormously as more than 130,000 people will be entertained by an attractive combination of art, music, and crafts exhibited by over 435 artists from across the country.

Art Dealers & Appraisers

Sue Layman Designs at 125 East GE Patterson Avenue #103 is a modern art gallery near you that specializes in Sue Layman Lightman’s unique oil paintings.

Walking Tours

These art walking tours in your area can be a lot of fun on a nice day:

These two local arts districts are home to dozens of companies including boutique stores, art galleries, artist studios, services, restaurants, and bars. Walking around either will certainly have you seeing lots of cool and unique works.

Sculptures & Statues

Best art galleries Memphis museums supplies classes

You may also be interested in taking photos of these statues and sculptures:

  • Danny Thomas Statue at 262 Danny Thomas Pl
  • Ramesses the Great Statue at 3775 Central Ave
  • Elvis Statue at 115 Beale St
  • Tom Lee Monument at Riverside Dr
  • Sculpture Garden at 630 Perkins Extd

Danny Thomas was a Lebanese-American comedian and early TV comedy star that was born in a nightclub in Las Vegas and his tomb is located adjacent to the Danny Thomas Pavilion which opened in 1985 and has a mini-museum of memorabilia.

After spending decades in front of the Great Pyramid in Memphis a fiberglass copy of Egypt’s pharaoh-god now stands on the University campus.

On Beale Street where the future King of Rock and Roll honed his early musical style the world’s first bronze Elvis statue was dedicated in 1980.

Theatre Memphis has a really cool sculpture garden you may want to check out.

Memphis Art Classes

Whether you are trying to find private lessons or group classes for kids, teens, or adults the best Memphis art schools are:

Flicker Street Art Studio is a one-of-a-kind space for teaching, studying, and producing art in your area. Their team of experienced artists is devoted to helping people of all ages and backgrounds develop their creative abilities and get a better understanding of the visual arts.

In 1997 Seize the Clay was established and they have been at the Chickasaw Oaks Shopping Center since the spring of 2005 serving as the only Paint-Your-Own-Pottery workshop near you where you can have your turn at the wheel in a 2.5 hour individual class.

The Art Project is a children’s art studio committed to unrestricted creative exploration and art-making and while your children are hard at work parents and care-givers are encouraged to join or sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee.

Art lovers will really enjoy the atmosphere of atmospheric abstraction at Qbhome Paint & Sip where you can watch as they take on the persona of Pablo Picasso or put on the shoes of Vincent Van Gogh. The studio provides all materials including canvas, paint, easels, and brushes but if the paint and sip theme didn’t fill you in these lessons may be a little more casual than most.

Arrow Creative is more than a structure, a program, or a studio space as it makes art more accessible so that all Memphians may be inspired to be creative.

You can also find local art classes at Metal Museum and the Brooks Museum of Art.

Studios For Rent Near You

You might be able to rent studio space at:

For a group of artist studio spaces in the Midtown Cooper Young Historic District contact The Art Factory.

Quonset Studios is a 3,600 square foot post-war quonset hut that has just been rebuilt with a new HVAC, a new roof, new bathrooms, sealed concrete floors, and plenty of insulation. It has a circular ceiling profile, original external doors, operable tilt-out windows, and the elegance of a 63-year-old structure.

The South Main Artspace Lofts will assist in the facilitation of transformation as they turned a historic three-story warehouse and an adjacent parking lot into a mixed-use arts complex with 63 affordable live or work units for artists and their families as well as community and gallery space in collaboration with the city and the Hyde Family Foundations.

Some other places we have mentioned in other lists also rent out studio space like the Brooks Museum, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Metal Museum, and the Jay Etkin Gallery.

Framing

Some of the top places for art framing in Memphis are:

The Frame Corner has been in operation since 1975 and is the biggest single-location custom frame store near you that provides high-quality bespoke and commercial framing at a low cost.

Frames are hand-cut and constructed in-house at 1910 Frame Works & Gallery who has had the pleasure of serving as the Official Framer of the Memphis in May International Festival and collaborating with local designers for decades.

Garner Framing Co. is a full-service art and framing company serving companies with on-site consultations, art acquisition services, pick-up, delivery, and installations while also providing price alternatives that are exclusive to their corporate clients.

Custom framing, original art, and the greatest collection of Memphis art prints from music to cityscapes and beyond are all available at Midtown Framer and Art where you’ll discover an amazing variety of the finest decorative mirrors in the Mid-South as well as ready-to-hang fine art paintings starting at $80.

Village Frame & Art has over 25 years of experience in the custom picture framing industry.

You can check out some of our other posts on:

Have Fun Enjoying The Memphis Art Scene

At the moment that is all we have to share about the full art scene near you. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers that you may want to check out.

Anyone that made it this far probably knows a lot about the local art scene. Feel free to share your own tips, or to let us know if you noticed anything incorrect in the comments.

We hope you enjoy your time at the best Memphis art galleries, museums, supply stores, or doing whatever else you plan to do with the info.

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This post and all of the posts on our site are edited by Dan Soloman who has been a huge fan of art since he was a little kid. His mother was a good local artist, and she taught him the trade from a very early age. He studied art and its history in both high school and college, has worked at multiple galleries, and recently has begun creating and editing online content for this site and some other online media platforms.

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