FYI, bikers:

Bicycle Safety in the Streets
Revolutions will be hosting a Bicycle Safety Class this Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 10:00am-12:00pm.  Spend a couple hours with fellow bike enthusiasts as they discuss general safety guidelines, specific regulations regarding riding bicycles in Memphis, and overall strategies for getting from point a to point B as safe as possible.  Feel free to bring your questions. 

Date: Saturday, November 21 (10:00am-12:00pm)
Info: Should I ride with traffic or against it? Should I ride on the sidewalk? Can I take a left hand turn in traffic on my bike? Is it even legal to ride in the road? How can I safely navigate Memphis’ city streets?  Answers to all these questions and basic street safety procedures will be covered in this workshop.

The class will be free and open to the public.  No reservation is necessary.  Hope to see you there!

Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop
1000 South Cooper Street
Memphis, TN 38108

MORE about bikes:
Last week Brooks staffer Emily Greenberg blogged about the museum’s efforts to support this green method of transportation.  Read the post here. 

And read the Flyer’s article about the Brooks’ bike racks, designed by local artist Tootsie Bell.

Last Saturday, the Brooks celebrated another successful Family Day!

Kids and parents came from all over the city to particpate in FREE art activities including a gallery scavenger hunt, personalized passport-making, frame building and more!

Everyone also enjoyed a complimentary performance of Narnia presented by Playhouse on the Square! You should have seen the kids’ faces as the actors and actresses entered the museum, in full costume, right though the front door!

We were honored to have great and enthusiastic volunteers from Central High School and we thank them a thousand times for all of their help!

For more information about the Education Department or family events at the Brooks, email emily.greenberg@brooksmuseum.org!

To see if we took your picture, check out our Flickr roll on the right!

Everyday, All of the Time

The Brooks wants to send a virtual shout-out to all cyclists and pedestrians, especially those living in and visiting our great city, Memphis.

In support of this eco-savvy group, the Brooks offers $1-off coupons to anyone who rides their bike to the museum. This means you family rider, and you cyclocrunk enthusiast. We want and enourage you to go by bike. And this ain’t new. We jumped on that train years ago.

In addition, we premiered the first ever Bicycle Film Festival in Memphis with the film screenings, block party, and after parties at Nocturnal and Murphy’s. Even better, we’re doing it all again this year! And it’s going to be even bigger. For more information about getting involved with the BFF Memphis 2010 check back soon or email me at emily.greenberg(at)brooksmuseum.org.

We know first hand how important it is to have a walkable, bikeable, and usable space for exercise and recreation. We’re in Overton Park, and i think we all take for granted how lucky we are to work in such a beautiful environment constantly fluttered with people.

I myself started riding my bike to work everyday from my apartment, which is about half a mile away. I soon realized that not only am I saving money and helping the planet, but it’s like a free workout. It literally takes me less than 10 minutes on my commute and i don’t even break a sweat (well a tiny one).

So, we welcome you to ride your bike-we’ll even hold your helmet at Admissions while you enjoy all the Brooks has to offer.

For more information about how to get started riding or finding a group ride near you click here and here.
To learn more about bicyle safety and street safety classes click here.
To read more about bikes, click here.

Thursday, November 19 | 6pm – 8 pm
Vive le Beaujolais!

Come party like the French as the Brooks celebrates this annual wine drinking event, the Beaujolais Nouveau Release Party, where we’ll tap a barrel of Beaujolais to be enjoyed by all!

The third Thursday of November is the date when the year’s new vintage of Beaujolais is released and celebrated the world over.  Beaujolais is a very young wine — the grapes are harvested, fermented, and bottled within a few short months in order to meet the midnight-hour release time in late November.

Beaujolais is easy on the palette with its fair-bodied flavor and fruity accents.  It is made from the Gamay grape.  This wine is so unique, it is considered to be from its own singular region even though it is next door to several other established regions.

More interesting facts about Beaujolais Nouveau…

Complimenting the playfulness of the wine it celebrates, the Brooks event will take on a Parisian street fair atmosphere.  See la vie en rose as you stroll through the Brushmark to the tunes of Edith Piaf, sampling French food by Chefs Wally Joe and Andrew Adams.  Menu highlights include brie crêpes, smoked beef and gruyere baguettes, crawfish pastries, not to mention an assortment of desserts like nutella-strawberry crêpes or warm beignets.  All this while sipping on an abundance of the new Beaujolais – poured straight from the barrel!

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets ($25 for members; $30 for non-members, which is inclusive of  food, drink, tax & gratuity — can you beat that price!?).

After the party, Beaujolais revelers are also invited to visit the featured exhibition Masterpieces from Museo de Arte de Ponce while they are here; and to attend the 7:30 pm performance of Sartre’s No Exit, presented by University of Memphis Department of Theatre and Dance, free of charge.

Saturday, November 14 | 10 am – 1 pm
Enjoy Free Admisson and Activities! Open to the public!

Set off on a wonderful European vacation that’s both relaxing for the parents and exhilarating for your children! Travel all over Europe and see the wonderful Masterpieces from Spain, France, and more!

Create your own passport and take an adventurous journey through the galleries! Then, enjoy a scavenger hunt as you search for clues in the artwork to take you to your next destination. Relax and take in a show in our auditorium as Playhouse on the Square performs several excerpts from Narnia!

Make memories and have your photo taken in front of ancient Roman ruins, eating in a French café, or lounging in an Impressionist landscape. Then, decorate a personalized frame with gemstones and sparkles to preserve your fun trip!

Make a postcard to mail to your grandparents, teachers, or even a pen pal! Your kids can draw whatever they want on a pre-prepared card! There’s something for everyone…there will be complimentary family guides for anyone who wants to go on their own through the galleries!

Schedule of Events
10 am -1 pm Activities in the Rotunda and Gallery
11:30 pm Narnia in the Auditorium presented by Playhouse on the Square

From time to time, some of the Brooks staffers like to take a long lunch and go on a field trip. Who doesn’t like a field trip?  Last week we went to visit our friends over at the Dixon to see their new shows Lichtenstein in Process and Carry Me! Lucite Handbags from the Caryn Scheidt Collection.

Attending our excursion was Lindsey (head of Art of Good Taste fundraising events), Bob (grant writer), Heather (graphic designer), Erica (visitor services and social media guru), and myself (film programmer and sometimes blogger).

It was a gorgeous day – a nice break from the rain – so we had a brown bag lunch in the gardens.  Then we went in to see the exhibits.  We started with Lichtenstein, a collection of the Pop artist’s studies, drawings, and collages.  I found it fascinating to see how the artist begins to compose the colors, shapes, and forms that eventually became his final work.  We also enjoyed picking out the various materials he used – colored tape, carefully cut and painted paper, even tinfoil!

Private Collection © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

Then we headed in to Carry Me, a beautiful collection of Lucite handbags from the 1940s to the 60s.  These smooth, glossy, almost futuristic shapes come speckled with rhinestones, metal confetti, gold netting, and lace.  I loved how they glittered and shone in light. 

Collection of Caryn Scheidt.

Both shows definitely worth checking out.  All in all a wonderful lunch break – I encourage you all to take a long lunch (go on, your boss won’t mind) and check out some of the great museums around town… Tomorrow we’re headed to the Metal Museum for the Elizabeth Brim show!

Don’t miss our next two films!

Thursday, November 5 | 1 pm and 7:30pm
La Strada

Directed by the famous Frederico Fellini, La Strada, meaning “The Road”, is a film about a young girl who is sold out of poverty by her family to an evil man who uses and abuses her while she works as his helper.

Made in 1954, and winner of the Academy Award for Best Film in 1956, La Strada is a tale about struggle, family, true love, and tragedy.

Enjoy this rare opportunity to see this drama at the Brooks!

Thursday, November 12 | 7:30 pm
Rashomon
*At Malco’s Studio on the Square

 
Directed by original Akira Kurosawa in 1950, Rashomon is a film about one crime and four seperate, and different, accounts of it. A woodcutter, widow, dead man, and possible murderer all tell the story of who-done-it and why. Follow the story through flashbacks, allegory, and oral tradition.

Laiden with modern art references, cinematography, symbolism, and philosophy, Rashomon puts the viewer in a unique position where they act as the jury trying to determine the guilty.

This film classic is known to be one of the first influences of Japanese culture on Western society, and was eventually re-made into the 1964 Western, The Outrage.

Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Academy Honorary Award at the 24th Annual Academy Awards, this film is a must see!

To read more about the restoration process of these films click here.

We’ve got a new show up this week.  From the School of Myatt: Benton Moss and Kathleen Studebaker is being put on in conjunction with Greely Myatt: And Exactly Twenty Years (also known affectionately as ”Greelypalooza”).

Greely, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the man, is a sculptor and University of Memphis professor, whose work and commitment to the arts in Memphis is being celebrated with an unprecedented city-wide exhibition (besides the Brooks, there are seven other venues that participated) — an effort conceived and organized by Hamlett Dobbins (Clough-hansen, Material).

During his nearly twenty-year tenure as a professor at The University of Memphis, Greely has influenced and inspired many students, two of whom are highlighted in this new show: Benton Moss and Kathleen Studebaker.  These two artists both explore worlds of fantasy through their use of line, form, and color. 

Kathleen has several sculptures and paintings in the show, while Benton’s is a floor to ceiling installations that covers two walls.  Come by to take a look.  (Included in regular museum admission fee; free on Wednesdays.)

Benton Moss. Twenty-seven-B-stroke-six, 2009. Mixed media. Collection of the artist.

Kathleen Studebaker. Untitled Broken Pane #3, 2006. Wood. Collection of the artist.

Come hear an artists’ point of view of European masterpieces!
Thursday, October 15th | 6pm

Cafe, 2002
oil on wood
20 x 26″
Collection of the Memphis
Brooks Museum of Art

Jed Jackson, a local artist and professor, creates controversial and politically charged paintings. Department Chair at the University of Memphis and painting professor for almost 30 years, Jackson will be giving a guided tour of our new Masterpieces exhibit.

Eld Marshal Bush, 2003
16 x 20″
gouache on paper

 
Jackson has exhibited his work all over the world and received twelve fellowships from several institutions. His paintings are social commentary seen through his unique perspective. Sometimes heavy with political imagery, always laiden with a unique creative outlook, Jackson’s work is a sight to be seen.  Check out more of Jackson’s work here.

After the tour, chat about your new perspectives over a drink and some tapas in the Brushmark Restaurant.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Brooks this weekend at our Opening Weekend Celebration for an amazing and fascinating new exhibit, Masterpieces from Museo de Arte de Ponce. Catch this re-cap from our Exclusive Members’ Reception Friday night, where guests enjoyed wine and appetizers and received a first-hand view of the new European paintings.

Over the weekend, lunch guests enjoyed a live piano player as they dined while our volunteers were absolutley amazing, as usual, as they assisted visitors with their Ponce audio guides which you can hear through your phone! Artists sprinkled the galleries with their sketchbooks as they drew from the inspiring French, Italian, and Spanish paintings.

Native Spanish speakers and students listened as Jenna Jauchler, our Events Manager, gave a Spanish guided tour. There were so many people, Jenna kindly stayed and gave a second tour! In addition, there were sold out English and French tours on Sunday!