Arts & Culture

Art brings us together and creates community. We support organizations working in all disciplines to create a vibrant arts and culture ecosystem that reflects the spirit of Memphis.

Funding Priorities

Blue line drawing of various arts and entertainment symbols including a person dancing, a heart, comedy and tragedy masks, musical notes, and a paintbrush.

Elevating our signature cultural legacy

We support the evolution of our signature cultural assets - including National Civil Rights Museum and Memphis Art Museum - into nationally renowned institutions.

Shaping the future of Memphis culture

We support the organizations and people who are shaping and forming the next generation of Memphis’ vibrant and dynamic artistic culture.

Strengthening the support system for artists and creators

We support programs and partners who are building capacity and developing the support and funding ecosystem for artists and creators of all types.

What’s on your arts agenda?

Find your next cultural experience on the ARTSmemphis event calendar.

Event Calendar

Featured Projects

  • Rendering of a modern building with large glass windows, trees in front, and people walking on the sidewalk, with a white car on the street.

    Memphis Art Museum

    The new home of Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, on the bluff of the Mississippi River, will be a transformational cultural anchor for Downtown Memphis and an international center for the study of Black Art.

    Learn more
  • An empty rooftop parking lot outside a motel with a vintage sign reading Lorraine Motel, with a city skyline in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

    National Civil Rights Museum

    At the Lorraine Motel, one of the most important historic sites in the country, the museum shares the culture and lessons of the civil rights period and explores how this era continues to shape freedom and equality today.

    Learn more
  • Four African American ballet dancers, an adult woman and three young girls, sitting on a green floor against a matching green background. They are wearing matching burgundy leotards, beige tights, and ballet slippers, and are smiling or looking at the camera.

    Collage Dance

    Named a “Southern Cultural Treasure” by SouthArts and Ford Foundation, Collage Dance has presented thirteen seasons of emotionally evocative performances and cultivated a love of dance in thousands of students.

    Learn more

All Grantees

  • ARTSMemphis

  • Ballet Memphis

  • Brooks Museum of Art

  • Cazateatro

  • City of Memphis - Office of Creative & Cultural Economy

  • Clayborn Temple

  • Collage Dance

  • Contemporary Arts Memphis

  • Crosstown Radio Partnership (WYXR)

  • Hattiloo Theatre

  • IRIS Collective

  • Memphis Music Initiative

  • Memphis Slim Collaboratory

  • Music Export Memphis

  • National Civil Rights Museum

  • National Ornamental Metal Museum

  • Opera Memphis

  • Playhouse on the Square

  • Princeton James Project

  • PRIZM Ensemble

  • Urban Art Commission

A woman with glasses and curly black hair smiling, wearing a sleeveless floral dress with shades of black, white, pink, and red on a light background.

Interested in applying?

Contact Rachel Knox, Senior Program Officer for Arts & Culture, to explore whether your project aligns with our strategy and available resources.

Email Rachel