Fall Arts Guide 2026

As the temperatures cool and the leaves begin to turn, Memphis’ arts scene heats up. From gallery walls and museum collections to theater stages, dance floors, concert halls, and neighborhood festivals, our city and surrounding communities offer plenty of ways to experience local creativity this fall.

ON DISPLAY

“Strange Celebrations”
Unconventional art exploring joy and celebration.
Ugly Art Co., Oct. 8-17

“Prairie”
Lush abstract oil paintings by Emily Leonard.
David Lusk Gallery, through Oct. 10

Works by Steve Keene
Prolific painter Steve Keene, who has created more than 300,000 paintings.
Tops Gallery, Oct. 16-April 16

“Seams”: Work by Metal Museum Staff
Interwoven metalwork exploring connection and structure.
Clough-Hanson Gallery, through Oct. 17

“Home”
Handmade art designed for everyday living.
Ugly Art Co., Oct. 24-Nov. 7

“Oil and Water DO Mix”
Oil paintings by Ann Brown Thomason and watercolor paintings by David Rawlinson.
WKNO Gallery 1091, through Oct. 29
Opening reception: Oct. 11, 3-5 p.m.

Hughes Art Show
Five generations of Huges family art.
Memphis Botanic Garden, through Oct. 29

Rivertown Artists Show
Show featuring the Rivertown Artists critique group, founded in 1997.
ANF Architects, through Oct. 29

Rahn Marion: “Hit to the Soul”
Paintings inspired by Medieval manuscripts, Americana, and religious symbols.
Sheet Cake Gallery, through Oct. 31
Artist talk: Oct. 17, 1 p.m.

“What Remains Visible”
From Memphis to New York to London, a cross-city contemporary art show.
Marshall Arts, through Oct. 31

October 2026 Garden Exhibition
Pumpkins and fall colors.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, through Nov. 1

“Delta Nights”: Paintings by John Robinette
Mississippi Delta-inspired paintings.
Germantown Performing Arts Center, through Nov. 2

New Works by Lauren Cannon: “A merging”
Multimedia works exploring light and color.
Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center’s Levy Gallery, through Nov. 2

“Where Salt Meets Soil”
New artwork by Mary Beth Smith.
Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center’s Levy Gallery, Nov. 6-Dec. 14
Opening reception: Nov. 6, 5-7 p.m.

“Time for Art”
Solo exhibition of art by Barrie Foster.
WKNO Gallery 1091, Nov. 2-25
Opening reception: Nov. 7, 2-4 p.m.

Melissa Dunn: “One Good Eye”
Abstract paintings exploring imagination and intention.
Sheet Cake Gallery, Nov. 14-Jan. 16, 2027
Opening reception: Nov. 14, 5-7:30 p.m.

“Annealing”
By Soren Studio, a site-responsive sculpture and drawing installation.
Urban Arts Commission, Tiny Gallery, through Nov. 30

Pat Patterson & Randy Parker
Landscapes in mixed media and watercolor.
Memphis Botanic Garden, through Nov. 30
Opening reception: Oct. 18, 3-5 p.m.

ON STAGE

Fright-Tober
Free spooky films for all ages throughout October.
Crosstown Arts, throughout October

Bridging Worlds: An International Black Theatre Festival
Celebrating global stories and cultural exchanges in Pan-African theater.
Hattiloo Theatre, through Nov. 8

Concerts in the Grove
GPAC presents some of the area’s most compelling musicians: Alice Hasen & The Blaze (Oct. 8), One After 901 – A Beatles Celebration (Oct. 15), Memphis Wind Symphony (Oct. 22), and Lina Beach (Oct. 29).
GPAC, select Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.

University of Memphis Symphonic Band
Presenting “Legends,” featuring works by legendary composers and historic figures.
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Oct. 8, 7 p.m.

Little Women: The Musical
A beloved musical adaptation of the March sisters’ coming-of-age story.
Germantown Community Theatre, Oct. 9-25

Dona Nobis Pacem: Grant Us Peace
Vaughan Williams’ choral masterpiece explores peace and unity.
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Oct. 10, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Live theater brings a beloved children’s book to life.
My Big Backyard at Memphis Botanic Garden, Oct. 10, 10-11 a.m.

Singalong Broadway
A high-energy Broadway singalong featuring beloved musical hits.
Orpheum Theatre, Oct. 11, 2 p.m.

Sound Fuzion
High-energy mix of contemporary hits and classics.
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Oct. 15, 7 p.m.

Eureka Day
A school board clashes over truth and consensus.
New Moon Theatre, Oct. 16-Nov. 1

Memphis Sounds
Celebrating Memphis music and culture through three vibrant dance works.
Ballet Memphis, Oct. 16-18

Million Dollar Quartet
A high-energy musical celebrating Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins’ legendary 1956 jam session.
Theatre Memphis, Oct. 16-Nov. 7

The Heart & Soul of Magic
Magic, comedy, and psychological illusions for all ages.
Halloran Centre, Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.

The Free Autumn Shout-Out Shakespeare Series: Love’s Labor’s Lost
Outdoor Shakespearean comedy.
Various locations, through Oct. 18

Origins
Collage Dance presents a dynamic program exploring the works that shaped its artistic identity.
Playhouse on the Square, Oct. 23-25

Urban Bush Women
A Black women-led dance company exploring untold stories.
Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center, Oct. 23, 7-9 p.m.

Opera Memphis’ Rigoletto in Concert with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Verdi’s gripping opera performed in concert.
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Oct. 24, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Monty Python’s SPAMALOT
Zany knights, killer rabbits, and showstoppers.
Orpheum Theatre, Oct. 27-Nov. 1

Rent
A beloved rock musical following young artists navigating love, creativity, and life in New York City.
University of Memphis Department of Theatre and Dance, Oct. 29-Nov. 1

The Orchestra Unplugged: The Planets
Holst’s epic The Planets comes alive in an intimate setting.
Halloran Centre, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

Disney’s Frozen
A magical musical about sisterly love.
Playhouse on the Square, Nov. 6-Dec. 20

Gold in Our Bones: A Soulsville + South City Play
A history-rich community play celebrating Soulsville and South City through music and storytelling.
Centenary United Methodist Church, Nov. 6-8

Mama Dearest! Here We Go Again
A campy holiday musical comedy featuring Joan Crawford, Hollywood divas, catfights, and ABBA hits.
Friends of George’s, Nov. 6-21

Narnia
A magical adventure through Narnia.
Playhouse on the Square, Nov. 6-Dec. 20

Byhalia, Mississippi
A powerful drama confronting race, class, and forgiveness.
Theatre Memphis, Nov. 11-22

Continuum
Dance concert exploring time through innovative choreography.
University of Memphis Department of Theatre and Dance, Nov. 20-22

Elf The Musical Jr.
Buddy the Elf brings Christmas cheer to New York City.
Hattiloo Theatre, Nov. 20-Dec. 6

Le nozze di Figaro
Mozart’s beloved comic opera of mistaken identities and intrigue.
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Nov. 20-22

The Night Shift Before Christmas
Adult Christmas comedy with a Dickensian twist.
Playhouse on the Square, Nov. 20-Dec. 20

NutRemix
A take on The Nutcracker blending Tchaikovsky with jazz, hip-hop, jookin, flamenco, and West African dance.
GPAC, Nov. 21, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 22, 2:30 p.m.

Home Alone in Concert
Live orchestra scores of this holiday classic.
Orpheum Theatre, Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m.

AROUND TOWN

Fall Exhibitions Opening Reception
Opening reception for works by Corinne Jones and Carl Moore, with music by DJ LadyLove.
Crosstown Arts, Oct. 9, 6-8 p.m.

Memphis Children’s Theatre Festival
A festival celebrating young performers.
Theatre Memphis, Oct. 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Clarksdale Super Blues Sunday
Live blues and art all around town.
Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Arts, Clarksdale, MS, Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

HI/LO
Cocktails inspired by the art on the walls, in partnership with Bar Limina.
Sheet Cake Gallery, Oct. 15, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Co-Lab
Collaborative performances benefiting Music Export Memphis.
Overton Park Shell, Oct. 16, 7-10 p.m.

Memphis Creativity Fest 2026
Celebrate Memphis creativity with art, makers, and community.
Cossitt Library, Oct. 17, noon-3 p.m.

RiverArtsFest
Juried fine arts festival featuring 160+ artists and live music.
Riverside Drive, Oct. 17-18

Hot Off the Wall Art Sale
Shop artwork from celebrated and emerging artists.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Oct. 20-25

ArtoberFest
Celebrating Memphis artists of all genres, the artistic community, and multicultural creativity.
Off the Walls, Oct. 23-24

Art on Fire
The Dixon’s annual celebration with food, art, and fire performances.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Oct. 24, 7-11 p.m.

Broad Avenue Art Walk
Free art walk featuring 50+ local vendors, music, and performances.
Broad Avenue Arts District, Oct. 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Día de Muertos Parade & Festival
Celebrating Día de Muertos with a parade, art, music, and festivities.
Main Street, Downtown Memphis, Oct. 24, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Munch and Learn | The Dance of Death: Bones and Skeletons in Art
Explore the role of bones in art and history.
Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Oct. 28, noon-1 p.m.

Repair Days
Bring treasured metal items for expert repair and restoration.
Metal Museum, Nov. 5-8

The Great Soiree: An Orpheum Fundraiser
Gatsby-inspired fundraiser supporting Orpheum arts education.
Orpheum Theatre, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.

Visual Arts Reception: Remy Miller
Opening reception for former Memphis College of Art professor Remy Miller’s works.
Patrick Lawton Lobby, Germantown Performing Arts Center, Nov. 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

…

Dance Without Boundaries

For more than four decades, Urban Bush Women have used dance to bring Black women’s stories, bodies, histories, and experiences to center stage. Now, the internationally acclaimed, Black women-led company brings its bold, genre-defying work to Memphis with “This Is Risk,” a celebratory program tracing the company’s groundbreaking history while looking toward its future.

Started in 1984 by choreographer and founding artistic director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Urban Bush Women emerged from a desire to create movement and performance rooted in the bodies and voices of the people around her. What began with Black women at its center grew into a company whose work welcomes audiences of all backgrounds while remaining grounded in the specificity of Black women’s experiences.

At the Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center at St. Mary’s, “This Is Risk” will showcase three works spanning UBW’s history: Shelter, an early work addressing homelessness and forced migration; the energetic Batty Moves, which celebrates seeing beauty in all the different shapes, sizes, and shades we come in; and Contemplations on Legacy, a newer work by longtime collaborator Vincent E. Thomas, highlighting the power of our diversity, individual experiences, and histories. Live music, percussion, theatricality, and contemporary movement converge in a performance that, according to Zollar, isn’t interested in making difficult stories look “pretty.”

“Risk has a lot of different meanings right now,” Zollar says, including the risk of being unapologetic about what the company puts onstage and pushing contemporary dance toward a physicality that reflects the stories being told.

The Memphis residency extends well beyond the evening performance. On October 23rd, UBW will lead a free Dance for Every Body community workshop at 5:30 p.m., inviting participants of all ages and abilities to move together before the 7 p.m. show. Workshop participants will receive complimentary tickets to the performance. The company will also present a student matinee, work with St. Mary’s students from the Louise T. Archer Artist in Residence program, and offer a technique class for University of Memphis dance students.

For Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center Director Cindi Younker, bringing UBW to Memphis is an opportunity to introduce audiences to a different kind of contemporary dance — one that blends movement, African diasporic traditions, theater, music, and storytelling.

At the intimate 288-seat Buckman venue, audiences can experience the dancers up close as they explore identity, ancestry, resilience, and legacy. As Zollar puts it, legacy is not simply about looking backward; it provides a grounding from which new ideas can grow and evolve. 

“This Is Risk,” Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center, 60 Perkins Ext., Friday,
October 23, 7 p.m., $40.

…

Hattiloo’s Next Act

For 20 years, Hattiloo Theatre has created a home for Black stories in Memphis. Now, as the theater celebrates its 20th anniversary, it is looking beyond the traditional stage — expanding its programming, building international relationships, and imagining what a Black cultural institution can become over the next two decades.

Founded in 2006, Hattiloo is marking the milestone with “A Stage for What’s Next,” a capital campaign focused on transforming underused space into additional cultural and community hubs. The goal is to create more room for artists to develop and perform while giving audiences new ways to engage with Hattiloo beyond plays and musicals.

That vision is already taking shape through Culture Box, a new performance-lounge concept launched with Season 20. The programming brings comedy, spoken word, music, karaoke, and game nights into the Hattiloo ecosystem, featuring Memphis artists alongside local and regional performers. For Theatre Manager Jarrod Walker, the expansion reflects Hattiloo’s commitment to gathering artists and audiences around multiple forms of Black expression.

“We want Hattiloo to feel less like a building you visit only when you have a ticket to a play and more like a cultural home,” Walker says.

The theater’s reach will also become international this fall with “Bridging Worlds: An International Black Theatre Festival.” The festival will bring four artists from their Rwanda partner, Mashirika Arts Academy & Mashariki African Film Festival, to Memphis for a residency featuring performances and new work that explores Rwanda’s culture and history via theatre, music, and storytelling.

Rather than simply presenting international productions, Hattiloo hopes the exchange will create lasting relationships between Memphis artists and artists abroad. Walker says the initiative is intended to show that Black theater encompasses a vast range of cultures, traditions, and storytelling practices.

The anniversary celebration also looked back with “Footlights to Spotlights: Black Theatre’s Path,” which took place September 22nd to the 23rd at Halloran Theatre. Developed and directed by Lawrence Blackwell, the production traced Black theater history while recognizing Memphis- connected artists and Hattiloo legends including Erma L. Clanton, Florence Roach, Deborah and Levi Frazier, Tony Horne, and Ruby O’Gray.

From honoring the stages built by previous generations to creating new ones for artists worldwide, Hattiloo’s 20th anniversary is ultimately about what comes next. “We’re already beginning to see that through the international partnerships we’re nurturing,” Walker says, “and the ways we’ve expanded to serve more artists and different kinds of artistic expression.” 

…

A New Chapter Takes Shape 

The Metal Museum is entering its next chapter in a much larger home, bringing decades of metal arts history to Overton Park. The museum’s new location at Rust Hall opened September 5th with two inaugural exhibitions: “From the Bluff to the Park: The Metal Museum’s Collections Through Time” and “Strike! Pour! Create!: Works by Metal Museum Apprentices.”

The move comes as the museum approaches completion of a $35 million expansion and endowment campaign. After outgrowing its bluff location, the Metal Museum is now 7.5 times larger than its previous exhibition space with a larger metal studio, fine metal and enamel studios, classrooms, an auditorium, event space, library, and accessible facilities.

“The space allows for larger commissions and more engagement with visitors,” says Exhibitions Manager Thais Lloyd. Visitors can watch artists work, talk with them about their practices, and take classes. The grounds are also free to the public, with a sculpture walk featuring about 14 works when complete.

“From the Bluff to the Park” runs through March 21, 2027, tracing the collection from its 1979 founding through today. With works spanning from the 1600s to contemporary pieces, the exhibition includes jewelry, sculpture, functional objects, tools, and more. The second floor focuses on the collection from 1979 to 2000, while the third explores acquisitions from 2001 to the present.

Lloyd highlights Russell Jaqua’s Kelp Bed, a recent acquisition whose journey to Memphis included a cross-country road trip by the museum’s collections team. Inspired by kelp washed ashore in the Pacific Northwest, the piece reflects the resourcefulness at the heart of metal arts.

Meanwhile, “Strike! Pour! Create!,” on view through January 31, 2027, celebrates more than 20 artists who participated in the museum’s apprenticeship program, which Lloyd says has helped shape the institution’s culture and the field.

Now carrying the subtitle International Metal Arts Institute, the Metal Museum is also looking outward, with plans to expand exhibitions beyond primarily American artists. Lloyd recommends exploring the sculpture walk, studying Rust Hall’s preserved midcentury-modern details, watching artists at work, and taking a class.

Together, the new space and exhibitions are stellar.