Art is about freedom—the freedom to think, create, and do what you want. When Michael Andrews and Alice Laskey-Castle started Vini Five In One, they wanted to create a space where they felt free to create experiential art, design objects and space, hold events, create and sell products, and host a weekly gathering of artistic types that has become known as the Social Club.
The spirit of Five in One is best represented by the huge, circular mural painted over the course of twelve hours by some of Memphis’ hottest artists. Since the piece was not associated with any one artist’s name, the painters and sketchers felt free to take chances, do something they had been reticent to try on their own, or just doodle. The time-lapse video of the mural’s creation, shot by Tommy Kha, is a one-of-a-kind document in Memphis arts history—a permanent record of what real artistic freedom looks like.
Social Club is every Monday at 8 PM, free of charge, but donations are welcome!
Folk is the music of the hills, front porches, and fields. It’s the hymns, work songs, and ballads that form the basis of the American music tradition. Founded in 1989, the Folk Alliance is a national organization committed to preserving and promoting the music of the people. Their annual conference, one of the biggest musical convocations in the world, brings thousands of performers together in Memphis every year for a long weekend of hoe-downs, picking parties, and sing-a-longs. It’s a unique opportunity for the myrid musicians to come together, share stories and tunes, rub shoulders with the industry, and lift up their voices in song. But the biggest beneficiaries are the audience, who are treated to an embarrassment of riches over the hundred-plus hours of performances.
22nd Annual Folk Alliance International Conference is February 17-21, 2010 in Memphis, TN.
The event promises four days/evenings of industry workshops, panels, exhibits, showcases, outreach concerts, etc. for members of the international music community. The event provides a networking opportunity for those in the industry to work hard and enjoy themselves while doing so
The FAI Conference offers official showcase space to 200+ artists in our Performance Alley Showcases. To apply for a showcase: entry forms are available at www.folk.org or enter digitally through www.sonicbids.com. Official Showcase Deadline: November 19, 2009.
Located on historic Beale Street, the New Daisy Theater has been the venue for hundreds of great shows from up-and-coming artists who have outgrown small clubs but are not yet ready to fill arenas. The Daisy has also been supportive of local bands, particularly metal and roots rockers, whose grateful fans fill the hall. The New Daisy has hosted sports such as boxing and wrestling, and in 2001 briefly returned to its roots as a movie theater by hosting screenings for the Indie Memphis Film Festival.
And yes, there is an Old Daisy Theater—it’s a historic, century-old venue located right across Beale Street from the New.
A few years ago, the festival known as Arts in the Park was a celebration without a home. Even though it was a consistently popular festival for local, regional, and national artists of all stripes, the organizers found themselves bouncing between Overton and Audubon Parks. But they finally found an enduring home when they took on a new name and took to the streets.
RiverArtsFest is an annual fall gathering of painters, sculptors, photographers, crafters, and artisans who father to offer their wares among the galleries and shops of the South Main Arts District. The more permanent galleries and art spaces in the area open their doors to greet the flood of visitors, who are entertained by the multiple music stages and roving street musicians, and fed by the many South Main restaurants. But the RiverArtsFest is not just a gathering, it’s another sign that Downtown Memphis is a viable community again, where only a decade ago there was nothing but empty streets and urban blight.
The Memphis in May International World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest has inspired a lot of innovative cooking over its 30-year history. In April, 2002, it added something a little more enduring to its legacy: a restaurant.
Roger Sapp and Craig Blondis were regular competitors on the barbecue contest circuit for many years when they decided to use their pork expertise to start Central BBQ. Named for the prominent Memphis street where their first store was located, Central BBQ was immediately popular—and it’s not hard to see why. Central BBQ caters to Memphians’ seemingly bottomless appetite for slow-cooked pig meat with the usual assortment of ribs and sandwiches, as well as other, less common dishes such as barbecue salads, turkey breast, bologna and nachoes. There’s even a great portabella mushroom sandwich topped with smoked gouda cheese to serve the vegetarian clientele.
Today, even after opening a second location, it’s not uncommon to see patrons lined up out the door, waiting for a table. Just ask anyone—in the extremely competitive world of Memphis barbecue, Central stands out.
