Ride along with artist Red Grooms

In 2014, Tennessee artist Red Grooms spent four days in Memphis visiting artist-created environments, museums, casinos, and neighborhoods with Brooks curator Marina Pacini, author and filmmaker Robert Gordon, and raconteur Tad Pierson, as part of his research for Memphis on My Mind, a special commission for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

Come with us as we "ride along with Red" to the places he visited.

Here is artist Red Grooms sketching on the roof of the Peabody Hotel, one of the places depicted in Memphis on My Mind.

Red and his wife, Lysiane Luong Grooms visited the Crystal Shrine Grotto (1938-55), located in Memorial Park Cemetery. Created by Dionicio Rodriguez, the grotto is a hand-built concrete cave containing biblical scenes. Rodriguez also sculpted concrete benches and the tree in the background of this photograph.

He also spent some time sketching in front of Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Isaac Hayes and his solid gold Cadillac make an appearance in Memphis on My Mind.

This photograph of Red and his wife, Lysiane, was taken at the Abbay & Leatherman Plantation in Robinsonville, Mississippi.

© 2014 Lysiane Luong Grooms

He managed to distill much of Memphis’ essence in Memphis on My Mind. Here he is outside of Sun Studios.

Tad Pierson took Red and his wife on a special tour of his studio.

Red and his wife, Lysiane, had to make a stop at Elvis Presley's Graceland.

Listen to Red talk about Memphis on My Mind in our special audio tour.

Red Grooms: Traveling Correspondent was organized by Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and is on view until January 8, 2017.

The exhibition is generously sponsored by the First Tennessee Foundation.