There’s a strong new buzz for an old Memphis institution, Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
It stems from new energy, new outreach, and new exhibitions originated at the 34-year-old art museum famous for its impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. “Kevin Sharp (director) and his team have taken the museum in a newer, more exciting direction in the past three years,” said Gretchen McLennon, program officer for Hyde Family Foundations.
Sharp took the helm at Dixon Gallery and Gardens in September, 2007, and things have never been the same. For the first time in many years, the museum is originating exhibits such as American Art in the Civil War, which toured other museums after debuting in Memphis.
“We’re in the business of celebrating creativity and originality,” said Sharp, explaining that the shows breathe life into the work of the staff and into the museum’s mission. “We were relying too much on canned exhibitions. We want to present ourselves as leaders in creating exhibitions.”
The depth of this commitment will be obvious next year as the museum launches the largest exhibit in its recent history – a retrospective of the French artist Jean-Louis Forain, late 19th and early 20th century Impressionist painter and friend of Edgar Degas. The exhibition is undertaken with the Petit Palais in Paris. Click here to read the full profile.
