Memphis is brimming with free public art and in fact, you can find amazing ones from Broad Avenue to Overton Park to Cooper-Young all the way to Downtown. Here, we’ve gathered the best 3 places where you can appreciate art in Memphis for free.
1. Broad Avenue Arts District
They don’t call it the “Broad Avenue Arts District” for nothing. The tallest and most iconic installation of public art in the city is The Broad Avenue Water Tower, which is soaring 150ft into the air. The mural was done by Youngblood Studio while the lighting design was made by Jeremy Allen Fisher. You can find lots of other murals below the tower like the This is We mural by French artist Guillaume Alby, aka ReMed, one of the largest in Memphis, and Terpsichore , made by students from one of the Binghamton schools under the direction of Tom Clifton.
3. South Main Arts District
The most remarkable public art on South Main is the South Main Mosaic Artwalk. Also check out Lance Turner’s Jay, Anthony Lee’s Modern Hieroglyphics, and , along a 48ft stretch, eight popular song lyrics about Memphis are stenciled in white on a bright red background from renowned musicians like Jerry Lee Lewis, Junior Parker, Rufus Thomas, Roy Acuff, and Big Bill Broonzy.
4. Main Street pedestrian mall
The dull green utility boxes on Main Street pedestrian mall was transformed into works of public by the students from the Memphis College of Art along with a few local artists. Now, the mall overflows with new mural. Also see Greely Myatt’s breathtaking Quiltsurround located behind City Hall, facing Front Street, Roof Like Fluid Flung Over the Plaza by Vito Acconci, and last but not the least, the Lightspan, a 60-meter pedestrian bridge that lits with action-sensitive lights over by the law school during the night.
