MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The new Memphis Art Museum in downtown Memphis is set to open on Dec. 6, and Shelby County residents will always have free admission.
The $180 million facility broke ground on the 122,000-square-foot site at Front Street and Union Avenue in June 2023, after the demolition of a fire station and parking garage.
The museum said the institution will expand its existing gallery space by 50 percent and provide more art-filled public space, including a 10,000-square-foot community courtyard and a 50,000-square-foot rooftop sculpture garden.
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The museum will include the following in its opening exhibition: Speaking in Shapes, Medieval Bodies, Rhapsodies in Black, An Inner Vision: Selections from the Hyde Collection, The River Calling: Storytelling in Memphis and the Mississippi Delta, and Head to the Sky.
“Memphis Art Museum brings the creativity and spirit of our city to a global audience, but it is rooted here in Memphis and belongs to the people of this city,” said Dr. Zoe Kahr, Executive Director. “Free admission is a permanent invitation to our Shelby County neighbors: this museum is yours.”
The museum said the free admission is thanks to an anonymous donor.
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“Culture is not something Memphis has. Culture is something Memphis is. And whenour culture rises, Memphis rises with it,” said Mayor Paul Young. “Memphis Art Museumbeing free for every Memphian, forever, isn’t just a gift–it’s an invitation: to come in, tocome back, and to come often.”…