October 26 - January 19, 2020
Photography in Memphis
Photography in Memphis is both a celebration of and a reckoning with the history of the city through the work of 56 photographers. Spanning 1849 to today, the images capture places you’ve been, the people you know or wish you knew, and the events you experienced or were sorry you missed. Co-curated by chief curator Marina Pacini and Ciara Fisk, Studio Institute Summer Arts Intern, the exhibition includes artistic, documentary, and journalistic approaches to the medium. Organized thematically—portraiture, landscape, still life, daily life, and politics—many of the photographs straddle several subjects, which speaks to the fact that they often have a dual or complicated nature.
Commemorating the city’s bicentennial and acknowledging the depth of talent inspired by or nurtured in Memphis,the exhibition presents 41 works from the museum’s permanent collection by 26 artists—including the internationally recognized William Eggleston, Ernest C. Withers, and William Christenberry—alongside 62 works by 30 artists who live in, have left, or visited Memphis. Their images captivate, mobilize, and humanize viewers while reminding us of what makes us the same, what divides us, or how both can be possible in a single photograph.
Pictured Below:
David HoranAmerican, b. 1958
Ed Harris from the Drummer Portrait Series, 2017
Digital photograph, Gicleé print
Collection of the artist © David Horan
Exhibition Programs
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Program Recordings
Resources
The 901 Black American Portraits Soundtrack
Listen to a soundtrack of Memphis music that exemplifies Black Love, Power, and Joy. The 901 Black American Portraits Soundtrack celebrates the vibrant legacy and future of Black musicians in the city of Memphis. This playlist was curated by Jared “Jay B” Boyd, a Memphis-based multimedia artist, journalist, DJ, and on-air personality.
MCA Exhibition Questionnaire
Help us generate the fullest picture possible of the MCA experience.
Submitting a questionnaire, which includes a request for an image of an artwork, is essential to be considered for part of the exhibition.
Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?
The American art theorist Linda Nochlin (1931-2017) posed this question as the title of a pioneering article in 1971. This essay was considered one of the first major works of Feminist art history, it has become a set text for those who study art internationally, and it is influential in many other fields.