Special exhibits
face forward:
Reflections of our community
A reflection of our community
For its 20th anniversary, RiverArtsFest is putting the faces of our community front and center.
FACE FORWARD is a free, artist-led project inviting people of all ages and abilities across Shelby County to create self-portraits expressing how they see themselves. Realistic or abstract, colorful or simple, every portrait is as individual as the person who created it.
Together, these portraits become a larger-than-life community exhibition, reproduced on colorful 10-by-7-foot banners displayed at the north and south entrances to RiverArtsFest.
Festivalgoers can explore the portraits, discover the creativity of their neighbors and, for those who participated, find their own face among the artwork.
The project is led by Memphis artists Darlene Newman, Katie Lepo and Derikah Scott, with support from RiverArtsFest volunteers and community partners.
FACE FORWARD is funded in part by an Arts Project Support grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.
THE walking museum
ART ON THE MOVE
Who says a museum has to stay in one place?
Debuting at RiverArtsFest’s 20th anniversary celebration, the Walking Museum brings original works by accomplished Memphis artists directly to festivalgoers.
Volunteers carry and wear specially designed display cases, creating a moving exhibition that invites visitors to stop, look closer and discover the artists and stories behind the work.
The custom exhibition cases were designed and created by Memphis artist and cabinetmaker Cheryl Hazelton, with artwork preparation and installation support from Ugly Art Co. and Vince Long.
The inaugural exhibition features works by Hamlett Dobbins, Chuck Johnson, Richard Lou, Sophia Mason, Greely Myatt, Kate Roberts and Kaylyn Webster.