Arts & Culture

Culture isn’t optional for a thriving city, it’s vital.

Memphis has a cultural identity unlike any other city in the world, and it has the institutions, artists, and organizations to match that identity on a national stage. We invest in anchor institutions and cultural organizations whose work shapes Memphis' creative life, strengthens the local economy, and raises the city's profile.

Intended Outcome

Memphis’ cultural assets accelerate economic impact, boost social engagement, and enhance our national reputation.

Funding Priorities

  • Evolving signature institutions

    We support the evolution of our signature cultural assets including the National Civil Rights Museum and Memphis Art Museum in building the programming, infrastructure, and reach to compete at the highest level.

  • A thriving creative community

    We support arts organizations, artists and creative programs across every discipline, investing in the people and organizations shaping what Memphis culture looks like now and in the future.

  • A stronger support system

    Great artists need funding, infrastructure and support to sustain their work. We invest in programs and intermediaries that build capacity, develop new funding streams, and create the conditions for a more resilient creative economy.

  • Culture as an economic driver

    Arts and culture attract visitors, anchor neighborhoods and make Memphis a more compelling place to live and work. We support efforts that connect cultural investment to broader economic development, positioning Memphis’ creative identity as a competitive advantage.

The logo of ArtsMem featuring large blue letters spelling 'ARTS' above smaller brown letters spelling 'mem'.

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

  • Beale Street Caravan

  • 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

  • Indie Memphis

  • IRIS Collective

  • Memphis Music Initiative

  • Memphis Slim Collaboratory

  • Metal Museum

  • Music Export Memphis

  • National Civil Rights Museum

  • Opera Memphis

  • Playhouse on the Square

  • Princeton James Project

  • PRIZM Ensemble

  • Urban Art Commission

  • Young Actors Guild

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 →