Kurt and Jackie Mullican, Paola Ingelmo (Photos: Michael Donahue)

Art on Fire, the annual outdoor fundraiser at Dixon Gallery and Gardens, can be a fickle affair.

In 2025, the event was canceled because of rain. In past years, itโ€™s been cold enough to wear a jacket and hot enough to not wear a jacket. 

This yearโ€™s event, which featured food and drink stations, fire entertainers, a fire pit, and live music, was just about perfect. At least one man wore shorts. And there was an almost-full moon.

ย You could say guests were fired up.

Michael Donahue began his career in 1975 at the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar and moved to The Commercial Appeal in 1984, where he wrote about food and dining, music, and covered social events until...